Beardie Issues

Today I was called up to my younger sister's room because her male beardie of about 5 years was acting defensive. He's rarely been like this under our care, but what really stuck out was his shed. He is shedding all over, from his head and beard to his back. I thought maybe his shed was what was troubling him, so I scooped him up and began his bath. No hissing, just puffing, black beard, and a few bobs. I didn't notice excess saliva in his mouth, nor discharge from nostrils or mouth.
His bath went fine, but he kept his defensive mood. During the bath, he defecated, and the consistency was a bit concerning.
Post-bath, he seemed to have calmed down a bit, but is still squirming a bit when I stroke his head.

FYI
He's kept in a traditional 55 gallon, with a basking bulb, UBV, and a ceramic heat emitter. His tank his bioactive. He always has fresh water, and eats well. His diet includes Super Worms, Dubia Roaches, and we try to get him to eat his veggies. He is very food motivated, but neglects his veggies.


Now, my concerns: after the bath, I was examining around his mouth. I pulled his lip down, and saw what seemed to be dirt and saliva bubbles. Any attempt I gave at trying to examine his mouth further failed, and he seems to be holding his mouth slightly open. Does anyone have any idea what could be up? He is shedding his lip scales as well, could that be the cause for this?


The boy (post-bath)

[IMG]IMG_20230227_180839.jpg[/IMG]

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Ailuros

The boy (post-bath)

[IMG]IMG_20230227_180839.jpg[/IMG]

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I'm not seeing the image. This thread will instruct you on how to post them: https://ball-pythons.net/forums/show...-Post-Pictures.

Couldn't figure out how to edit my post, still very new here, this may work:

https://imgur.com/a/Md9rJKz

(Sorry for the low quality, working with a cheap labtop)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Ailuros

Today I was called up to my younger sister's room because her male beardie of about 5 years was acting defensive. He's rarely been like this under our care, but what really stuck out was his shed. He is shedding all over, from his head and beard to his back. I thought maybe his shed was what was troubling him, so I scooped him up and began his bath. No hissing, just puffing, black beard, and a few bobs. I didn't notice excess saliva in his mouth, nor discharge from nostrils or mouth.
His bath went fine, but he kept his defensive mood. During the bath, he defecated, and the consistency was a bit concerning.
Post-bath, he seemed to have calmed down a bit, but is still squirming a bit when I stroke his head.

FYI
He's kept in a traditional 55 gallon, with a basking bulb, UBV, and a ceramic heat emitter. His tank his bioactive. He always has fresh water, and eats well. His diet includes Super Worms, Dubia Roaches, and we try to get him to eat his veggies. He is very food motivated, but neglects his veggies.


Now, my concerns: after the bath, I was examining around his mouth. I pulled his lip down, and saw what seemed to be dirt and saliva bubbles. Any attempt I gave at trying to examine his mouth further failed, and he seems to be holding his mouth slightly open. Does anyone have any idea what could be up? He is shedding his lip scales as well, could that be the cause for this?


The boy (post-bath)

[IMG]IMG_20230227_180839.jpg[/IMG]

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This is likely a "needs to see the vet" thing, but it may be easier to help if you don't mind answering a few questions:

1.) What is the humidity range?
2.) What is the ambient temperature on the cold side? What about the warm side? What is the temperature of his basking spot?
3.) How often and how much are you feeding him? What supplements do you use and how often? Does he ever eat veggies or always refuse, and what types of vegetables are offered?
4.) How often do you change his UVB bulb and what type of bulb is it (ex. 10.0 UVB ReptiSun CFL, T5HO 14% UVB)? When was his bulb last replaced?