Reptile & Amphibian Forums

My bearded dragon has a thick crust around his mouth, and I cant seem to figure out what it is. He breaths really heavy, and then opens his mout a little bit. sometimes it has a bit of a "spit bubble". help please! eating fine.

It sounds like your beardie might have an URI (upper respiratory infection). URI's are treatable, but require vet care. You can try raising your basking temps. and lowering your cage humidity. I'd suggest scheduling a vet visit ASAP.

I agree. Get him to the Vet right away!

http://www.arav.com/USMembers.htm

Crusts on mouth, heavy/labored breathing, bubbles.....sounds like an upper respiratory infection to me. THe only other thing it could be is mouthrot...which can cause drooling though typically, dragons won't eat much with mouthrot. IN either case, both require vetenary care. These cannot be self treated, especially if they are very well developed. Antibiotics are required and vet examination to make sure this is what is affecting your dragon.

Checking out your setup for your dragon is a way to ensure it doesn't happen again or get worse. Check your cage temperatures with an accurate digital thermometer with probe or temp gun. Change the batteries if you had the thermometer for awhile. If the batteries are getting weak, the thermometer may not work very well. It certainly doesn't hurt to pick up another thermometer, just to make sure the probe itself isn't failing. Check humidity and drafts in the cage. If the humidity is too high (above 50%), this can cause respiratory problems in dragons. Cold drafts cutting into the cage can also cause problems in dragons. Stress from too cramped quarters, cagemates, too much handling, etc. can make your dragon's immunity system weaker, thus less able to fight infection.
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PHLdyPayne