respiratory problems

[digidragon9129]

im glad kaiber made his first night in his new home, but at mid-night, a wheeze startled me, and i saw kaiber rised up with his eyes closed. Could he had been sleeping?? In both nostrils were whitish mucus but not too hard. In the morning at 8:30am I got 2 cottontips which with one i smeared hot water in one nostril, and dried it with the other end. I did this step with separate cottontips. Was this a good idea, or am i worsing the situation?? his last night temperature was in its 70-75F. Please i need help as soon as i can >.<'

 

[ladyknite]

Lets run down your set up.

What is his temperature at basking?
What do you use to measure the temperature with?
What are the overall ambient temps at the warm side?
And the cool side temps?
What is his substrate?

 

[digidragon9129]

Lets run down your set up. What is his temperature at basking? What do you use to measure the temperature with? What are the overall ambient temps at the warm side? And the cool side temps? What is his substrate?

the basking is at 115, while the normal at 95, i use reptile carpet for subtrate, and i measure the temperature with an adhesive horizontal shaped stick temperature. Are all these okay???

 

[renich]

Well, the stick on thermometers can be off by 20 degrees. I'd consider getting a digital probe thermometer. They are inexpensive and pretty accurate.

The cool side should be around 85F.

 

[digidragon9129]

Renee, do you mean that the daylight normal temperature should be at 85F degrees? because at night, it runs down to 75F degrees. So do the temperatures have to do with his breathing problem?? ???

 

[zebraflavencs]

Daylight temps tend to be at least 10-20 degrees higher on the cool side than at night... Basking temps tend to be even higher...

Too cool of temps can help lead to issues, though the humidity levels would also be involved.
Let's see what she meant, take a breath darlin !
Janie

 

[renich]

Renee, do you mean that the daylight normal temperature should be at 85F degrees? because at night, it runs down to 75F degrees. So do the temperatures have to do with his breathing problem?? ???

Bearded dragons need a hot side and a cool side. The hot side will have your basking light and temps should be between 105-115F for babies. A cool side is needed for beardies to go and cool off when they need to. This should also offer a shady spot. These temps should be around 85F.

Night temps should not fall below 65F.

 

[digidragon9129]

so i was right all along, but the digital thermometer's still in my wishlist for sure. I'll get it as soon as i can as for kaiber's case, low levels of humidity may be causing this?? Do i still keep placing the cottontips??

 

[digidragon9129]

i still need help with this situation, so if any one would be so kind, and respond please??

 

[renich]

I'm not sure what you are looking for here. Based on your setup, it is recommended that you get a digital probe thermometer to determine what your actual temp is. Temperature is very important in the health of bearded dragons.

If you are truly concerned about your bearded dragon's well being, you may consider taking your beardie to a herp vet.

 

[lexi]

so i was right all along, but the digital thermometer's still in my wishlist for sure. I'll get it as soon as i can as for kaiber's case, low levels of humidity may be causing this?? Do i still keep placing the cottontips??

Inaccurate temps can cause respiratory infections in beardies, as well as other problems. You cannot provide optimum care for your beardie until you have accurate temps. The digital probe thermometers are about $7 at major pet stores like PetCo and PetSmart. I would really recommend that you pick one up as soon as possible, since having accurate temps may solve the problem, which would certainly be more economical than paying for a vet visit (which you may still need to do, but having the right temps is a necessary first step).

I can't answer your question about the Q-tips, however, I haven't heard of that being done, so I'd say no. You could damage his nose or the cotton could come off (it happens to humans who use them in their ears all the time and often requires surgical removal). Dragons do not require high humidity, so I don't think that is the issue.

Beyond that, though everyone here is very knowledgeable, we cannot diagnose your pet over the internet. We can only give suggestions as to what may be the problem.

I hope that helps and that your beardie is feeling better soon.

 

[digidragon9129]

its ok, i just wanted to know if i was doing the right thing, but im not. Thankyou very much both of you Renee & lexi for helping me out with this struggle... i called the vet an hour ago, and he can't have kaiber's check up until saturday, in the mean time what can i do to help him feel better?? Woots! I just bought 2 digital probe thermometers to measure both sides of the temps. about $14 is all i spent. Now for humidity, what is the right hygrometer to purchase??

 

[ladyknite]

if you don't have water inside his enclosure his base humidity will stay between 30-45%. Which is relatively normal for an average house. You really don't need a hygrometer for a dragon. Mostly with chams and other tropical species.

 

[digidragon9129]

okays got it. thnks ladyknite!! 8)

 

[renich]

... Thankyou very much both of you Renee & lexi for helping me out with this struggle... i called the vet an hour ago, and he can't have kaiber's check up until saturday, in the mean time what can i do to help him feel better?? Woots! I just bought 2 digital probe thermometers to measure both sides of the temps. about $14 is all i spent. Now for humidity, what is the right hygrometer to purchase??

No worries. Any time. That's why we are here. Now that you have the digital probes, what are your temps?

I agree with LadyKnight - you don't need a hygrometer.

Let us know what the vet says! Good luck.