Has anyone else had this happen?

[DaniMalfoy]

Okay, so, I got my new baby on Friday. I had the enclosure ready to go before I got him and temps regulated and all a week before.

(Arcadia T5 24w tube inside in the tank, basking spot around 110, cool side between 73 to 75. Ambient air is in the 80s)

But he was doing some worrying things, I made a post before and got some advice and I'm working on regulating the temps to make my 4x2x2 enclosure a little smaller for a little bit, but I'm wondering if this little dude is just too smart for his own good.

He has a vet appointment tomorrow morning just to be safe, but this is the behavior that's been worrying me (it's been awhile since I've had a baby beardie, but I'm not new to them at all lol)

He only eats anywhere from 2 to 5 little dubias, he is pooping good, but he runs his nose a lot after he eats and then he breathes super heavily and opens his mouth. He'll also do that randomly sometimes and he'll have stress marks. But I've looked and there's no snot bubbles, there's nothing coming from his nose, ive looked when he's had his mouth open and he looks normal, has a normal about of beardie spit, no clicking or any noise when he does this.

But, the last time he did it today, I got him out to check him for all of the above and the stress marks immediately went away when I held him, he stopped opening his mouth, he just chilled in my hand for a good ten minutes, I watched him to see if he'd do any of the above again and nothing. And when I put him back in, he ate a few bites of his salad.

So, what's up with him? He's literally the first baby that's worried me and done stuff like this lol the last baby beardie i had years ago was just a little derp that bebopped around and looked like he didn't have anything going on between those eyes he looked like the windows logo screensaver was bouncing around his head.

But this beardie that I have now is almost inquisitive. If he's just chilling and someone moves he's immediately looking at you like whatcha doing? His enclosure is next to my chair and sometimes he'll trot over and just look at me with his little head tilts.

Maybe I'm just overreacting and overthinking because it's been years since I had a baby beardie so I'm extra cautious. But like I said, I have a vet appointment in the morning for him just to make sure and I have a poo sample in a baggie in a Tupperware container in the fridge too.

Also, pics of my little guy, whose name is Alastor (Hazbin Hotel) for reading all my ranting rambles lol

 

[Sadie]

Okay, so, I got my new baby on Friday. I had the enclosure ready to go before I got him and temps regulated and all a week before.

(Arcadia T5 24w tube inside in the tank, basking spot around 110, cool side between 73 to 75. Ambient air is in the 80s)

But he was doing some worrying things, I made a post before and got some advice and I'm working on regulating the temps to make my 4x2x2 enclosure a little smaller for a little bit, but I'm wondering if this little dude is just too smart for his own good.

He has a vet appointment tomorrow morning just to be safe, but this is the behavior that's been worrying me (it's been awhile since I've had a baby beardie, but I'm not new to them at all lol)

He only eats anywhere from 2 to 5 little dubias, he is pooping good, but he runs his nose a lot after he eats and then he breathes super heavily and opens his mouth. He'll also do that randomly sometimes and he'll have stress marks. But I've looked and there's no snot bubbles, there's nothing coming from his nose, ive looked when he's had his mouth open and he looks normal, has a normal about of beardie spit, no clicking or any noise when he does this.

But, the last time he did it today, I got him out to check him for all of the above and the stress marks immediately went away when I held him, he stopped opening his mouth, he just chilled in my hand for a good ten minutes, I watched him to see if he'd do any of the above again and nothing. And when I put him back in, he ate a few bites of his salad.

So, what's up with him? He's literally the first baby that's worried me and done stuff like this lol the last baby beardie i had years ago was just a little derp that bebopped around and looked like he didn't have anything going on between those eyes he looked like the windows logo screensaver was bouncing around his head.

But this beardie that I have now is almost inquisitive. If he's just chilling and someone moves he's immediately looking at you like whatcha doing? His enclosure is next to my chair and sometimes he'll trot over and just look at me with his little head tilts.

Maybe I'm just overreacting and overthinking because it's been years since I had a baby beardie so I'm extra cautious. But like I said, I have a vet appointment in the morning for him just to make sure and I have a poo sample in a baggie in a Tupperware container in the fridge too.

Also, pics of my little guy, whose name is Alastor (Hazbin Hotel) for reading all my ranting rambles lol

Get a video of the behavior your describing- record on YouTube post link- taking him to the vet now is really going to stress him out - if your not hearing any wheezes mucous out of nose or mouth he doesn't have a ri- your temps sound good along w/ the uvb- he's eating that's good- not a lot but he's eating so the heavy breathing does he do this all the time or only after eating and running around?

 

[DaniMalfoy]

Get a video of the behavior your describing- record on YouTube post link- taking him to the vet now is really going to stress him out - if your not hearing any wheezes mucous out of nose or mouth he doesn't have a ri- your temps sound good along w/ the uvb- he's eating that's good- not a lot but he's eating so the heavy breathing does he do this all the time or only after eating and running around?

Next time he does it, I'll try to capture it, it's never a long period of time, so it's hard to get it. I may have to invest in a nest cam or something.

It's random, sometimes it's right after he eats, sometimes it's just randomly, but it's almost always after he rubs his face/nose on something. I've checked to see if he's got stuck shed in his nose and I can't see anything but he's so tiny I go almost cross eyed trying to see

The heavy breathing only lasts maybe 2 or 3 seconds and then he's back to normal and it only happens, maybe 2 or 3x in an entire day. He's exploring his enclosure more and active, he never does it after he's made a round through his enclosure. Only sometimes after he eats and like 90% after he rubs his nose against something.

 

[Sadie]

Next time he does it, I'll try to capture it, it's never a long period of time, so it's hard to get it. I may have to invest in a nest cam or something.

It's random, sometimes it's right after he eats, sometimes it's just randomly, but it's almost always after he rubs his face/nose on something. I've checked to see if he's got stuck shed in his nose and I can't see anything but he's so tiny I go almost cross eyed trying to see

The heavy breathing only lasts maybe 2 or 3 seconds and then he's back to normal and it only happens, maybe 2 or 3x in an entire day. He's exploring his enclosure more and active, he never does it after he's made a round through his enclosure. Only sometimes after he eats and like 90% after he rubs his nose against something.

The rubbing of the nose sounds like she'd coming on - I am wondering if the open mouth is him gaping -

 

[DaniMalfoy]

The rubbing of the nose sounds like she'd coming on - I am wondering if the open mouth is him gaping -

Shed is the first thing I thought of, but there's no darkening of the scales yet. I've put one of the lights on a dimmer, I have two because one just wasn't enough(basking area barely got to 90). One is a straight heat lamp, the other is a UVA/Heat lamp. I put the plain heat lamp on a dimmer to bring it down a little bit so maybe it's not quite as hot.

 

[Sadie]

Shed is the first thing I thought of, but there's no darkening of the scales yet. I've put one of the lights on a dimmer, I have two because one just wasn't enough(basking area barely got to 90). One is a straight heat lamp, the other is a UVA/Heat lamp. I put the plain heat lamp on a dimmer to bring it down a little bit so maybe it's not quite as hot.

They can turn pale white yellowish colors when shed is coming on - if they are getting dark like black he is trying to absorb heat - the basking lights are what brand? What is a straight heat lamp? You want a solid clear bright white light like a Flukers basking -- Exo Terra Intense or a Arcadia Halogen - those are examples - NO daytime bulbs NO off white or yellowish bulbs or colored bulbs -- those are all kinds that can damage the eyes -- surface basking temps taken w/ a digital probe thermometer 105-110-

 

[DaniMalfoy]

They can turn pale white yellowish colors when shed is coming on - if they are getting dark like black he is trying to absorb heat - the basking lights are what brand? What is a straight heat lamp? You want a solid clear bright white light like a Flukers basking -- Exo Terra Intense or a Arcadia Halogen - those are examples - NO daytime bulbs NO off white or yellowish bulbs or colored bulbs -- those are all kinds that can damage the eyes -- surface basking temps taken w/ a digital probe thermometer 105-110-

I finally got him doing the gaping/breathing. This was probably 5 minutes after he ate 0.5cc of Repa+Boost.

I went to the vet this morning, didn't take him though, but I took his poo in and told the vet what was going on with him. Vet gave me some of the Flukers Repta+Boost told me to try it for a few days, our locally owned pet shop is getting a fresh batch of BSFL in either tomorrow or Thursday, so I'll be able to pick some of them up then, they'll call when they get the shipment in. But he loved the Reptaboost and ate it all with no problems, he kept licking at the dropper even when it was empty but I didn't want to over do it.

Also, I was like half asleep last night when I replied back, I have two clear bulbs, one is just a basking bulb, it's Flukers brand, and it's clear. The other is clear as well but I don't remember the brand but it did said it was Heat + UVA. But it's again just clear. I know not to use any colored lights at all, not my first rodeo with beardies and I've had to drill that into a lot of my friends heads when they get beardies or especially leopard geckos.

I've also attached a few more pics. His nose looks like to me it's fixing to shed maybe. The beardies I've had before their scales would be kinda dark before they'd turn pale then shed. That's what his nose is looking like but my phone (Google Pixel Pro 6) color corrects everything so it's hard to really see. But, tell me if one nostril looks different than the other? Or am I just seeing things? (In the front, head on picture there's a little bit of Reptaboost left on his mouth, I wiped it off with a damp paper towel after I saw it lol)

 

[Sadie]

I finally got him doing the gaping/breathing. This was probably 5 minutes after he ate 0.5cc of Repa+Boost.

I went to the vet this morning, didn't take him though, but I took his poo in and told the vet what was going on with him. Vet gave me some of the Flukers Repta+Boost told me to try it for a few days, our locally owned pet shop is getting a fresh batch of BSFL in either tomorrow or Thursday, so I'll be able to pick some of them up then, they'll call when they get the shipment in. But he loved the Reptaboost and ate it all with no problems, he kept licking at the dropper even when it was empty but I didn't want to over do it.

Also, I was like half asleep last night when I replied back, I have two clear bulbs, one is just a basking bulb, it's Flukers brand, and it's clear. The other is clear as well but I don't remember the brand but it did said it was Heat + UVA. But it's again just clear. I know not to use any colored lights at all, not my first rodeo with beardies and I've had to drill that into a lot of my friends heads when they get beardies or especially leopard geckos.

I've also attached a few more pics. His nose looks like to me it's fixing to shed maybe. The beardies I've had before their scales would be kinda dark before they'd turn pale then shed. That's what his nose is looking like but my phone (Google Pixel Pro 6) color corrects everything so it's hard to really see. But, tell me if one nostril looks different than the other? Or am I just seeing things? (In the front, head on picture there's a little bit of Reptaboost left on his mouth, I wiped it off with a damp paper towel after I saw it lol)

The mouth opening is gaping - normal - could be shed in the nose or coloring hard to tell - if it's shed he'll eventually blow it out- the bulbs should have the brand on the bulb itself- the flukers is good

 

[DaniMalfoy]

The mouth opening is gaping - normal - could be shed in the nose or coloring hard to tell - if it's shed he'll eventually blow it out- the bulbs should have the brand on the bulb itself- the flukers is good

The Flukers one does have its brand on it, the other doesn't, it was from a previous beardie owner she just said it was a heat +UVA. So, when I go to pick up the BSFL I may just get another Flukers heat bulb maybe in a lower wattage to get his basking area to the right temp. So far right now though, he seems perfectly content. He did scratch his nose against his brick, tried to video it but he was quick lol but he's not been gaping. Temps are 73 on cool side, 110.5 on his basking spot and ambient air is again in the low to mid 80s.

No stress marks, he's just chilling on his basking area after eating the Reptaboost.