Wheezing?

[woddle]

Hi I am from New Zealand and I own an eastern. It is about 7 months old and I reckon he/she is growing quite well and is healthy. But it has started wheezing(?) when breathing out. Is this normal, or should I do something to stop it?
Thanks

[Geoff Gates]

wheezing is definitely not normal. might be a respiratory infection and need a vet visit.

I would ensure the cage is heated adequately and perhaps provide a heat source at night to see if there is any improvement.

[woddle]

Well, I think it has sort of ceased 'wheezing' when it breaths out now. I read the caresheet about respiratory infection and there was 'whistling'? But I can't really tell whether it could have been whistling or wheezing . Sad thing is, I don't think New Zealand vets would recognise a blue tongue and I reckon they wouldn't know how to cure a sickness .

[Leigh]

There used to be a kiddie on here "bluetonguemad" from New Zealand, he seemed to know the crack over there but hasn't been around for a bit, Kyle might have some info on him ?

[Zach]

"New Zealand vets"? There has to be a reptile vet....?

And essentially the difference is this: Whistling is only through the nostrils and occurs typically when a skink's nose is just shaped a little funny -- a lot of Ray's Tanimbars whistle when they breath. Weezing is more associated with (often heavy) breathing, and breathing that you can see clearly. For example if he's visibly taking deep breaths and you can see his sides inhale and exhale, and you hear a big weez during the exhale. This wouldn't happen with whistling, as typiclly during weezing, the mouth would be slightly open or otherwise, you'd likely not be able to hear it. There's many variables that could counter what I'm saying, but just generally speaking. If it's stopped, it could have been anything from a bit of substrate in the back of his throat to just nothing at all. No coughing (or choking sounds) at all? Or a "plugged up" sneezing sound? It's funny, a "pure sneeze" by a bluey can be emulated by making a loud "PFF" sound. Make the sound of blowing your nose in a hanky, and you have what similarly sounds like a "stuffed up" blue tongue sneeze -- that could correlate with weezing, which of course, is a possible R.I.

Ok, I'm getting out of hand -- Geoff summed it up nicely with "might be a respiratory infection and need a vet visit"

[KyleWeiss]

I think we need a sticky that's called "Before you post a bluey problem, check here," so we can cover the top-ten most repeated freakout questions. I think breathing-related problems is probably number one.

Or we could make the caresheet split up into linkable sections so it's easier to reference on a whim. *glares at Zach*

KW

[kvega92]

When my old skink got sick he was wheezing and he had to go to the vet.

[DeadEye]

Yere vets in my state soon as you bring a native animal or reptile in stand right back, its to do with Insurance ive found out .They have no cover if bitten by a dragon or BTS .So they send them up to our centre that takes anything native or another place up north... Reptiles,water birds, turtles . I dont know what N.Z is like but yes it needs to bee seen to ASAP .. By a reptile expert . The Zoo know every great snake & lizard person ..Id ask there has he gone off his food as well ? respitory infection sounds like .\
good luck .

I have a 600 mill piece of plumbing tube x 6 inch, and we pump in steam with a drop of salbutamol .This is for chronic Influenza it is capped at both ends .And we modified a childs ventilin nebuliser..It really pics them up were building big industrial ones for next spring .

These are just breathing in steam and they love it ..Must help cause they crowd around for the steam..thats our old system..

[Geoff Gates]

quote="DeadEye"

I have a 600 mill piece of plumbing tube x 6 inch, and we pump in steam with a drop of salbutamol .This is for chronic Influenza it is capped at both ends .And we modified a childs ventilin nebuliser..It really pics them up were building big industrial ones for next spring .

These are just breathing in steam and they love it ..Must help cause they crowd around for the steam..thats our old system

++++

That's amazing Ian. How'd you think that one up? very clever.

[KyleWeiss]

Ian might struggle with the keyboard and getting us to clearly understand him all the time, but the guy has some tricks up his sleeve.

KW

[woddle]

Thanks everyone, he/she has stopped making sounds when exhaling and only heavily breathes out in anger when I stroke him/her straight after it burrows out of its sleeping place
I have just replaced its aspen floor so it will stay clean while sleeping

[DeadEye]

Thanks for that guys .Well ive seen it done with a industrial machine jeoff

So i pump the steam into a piece of pipe now ,i can load 3 in at a time .

Yere my spelling and grammer + lighting .
has made me make a youtube vid up goeff lol.


Its as much about me as the skinks .. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S6YrCml_jyY



Glad your skink is better mate

[Zach]

That is indeed really neat....

[Blotch]

Ian - I priced those enclosures at a local pet store - $600!!!

They are cool but not worth $600!!! I'm thinking about getting my brother to make one out of fibre glass - we'll see what happens!