Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I measured puffy yesterday morning and he was at just under 11 3/4" long. about 5 hours later I noticed he was kinda hacking like he had something in his throat or hiccups.... he was also doing the "morning excersise" with his beard alot. I took him out and gave him some water with a syringe thinking maybe a cricket leg had stuck in their but he dind't stop for about another hour or so. Comparing him to Jenny as opposed to when I had measured him earlier he seemed larger so I measured him again and he had grown almost .5" ..... I wander if the "morning excersise" is due to them growing and if the hiccups were due to that to? (btw that's almost 4" of growth for him in 6 weeks he was 8 1/4 when I got him the tuesday before Thanksgiving, he's really growing fast!) Just thought it was a rather strange coincidence.
Later,
Robert

yes! my breadie does that too! its soo funny! hes been doing it on and off for weeks now and just in the morning too after he gets up! i think he's just preparing for the day! does any one elses dragon do this too?
diane

One of mine does that frequently when he is warming up under the heat lamp in the morning. The other one does it too, but not so often.
-----
2.0 Bearded Dragons
0.0.1 Cordylus tropidosternum
www.lines2.com/lizards/

If so, it may be,,,, when their "nose plugs" the shed from within their nostrils becomes loose and blocks their nostrils, restricting air flow so they have to open their mouths to breath. If this is the case, it should only last for a day or two, three max.
If it continues or if you hear any gurgling or wheezing, take them to a vet. ASAP.

I hope that helps.
Later.
-----
Joel R

Coming Soon!
www.SpikesAndScales.com

Mine do that as well after eating veggies/greens or after drinking a lot of water. I always thought they swallowed air and had trouble burping like a human does, or even trying to get a piece of green out of his throat cause I have seen once or twice where greens got caught on the roof of his mouth or in his beard. Its really weird to see, but the first time it had happened with my first dragon I was quite scared.
-----
Mystical Dragons webshots pictures
Mystical-Dragons Website

If it does appear like a gasp for air and thier is a weezing sound or hacking kinda sound what does that mean? Is it resperitory illness? He did make a sound like that and jenny does if she is in the sink taking a bath. SHould I get them to the vet?

Thanks,
Robert