Mouth problems

[Raven_Vivi]

Hai guyz long time no see~~ ;P

Haven't been on here in ages >< Dat school be keeping me busy D;

Anyhoo, my kid came out of brumation (more like I made him), and he seems to have some sort of a mouth rot/crusting going on?
It wasn't so bad before he went into brumation; just picked it off and you couldn't really tell no more, but now it's looking like it's starting to damage the scales around his mouth.

Any clues what it is and how to treat it?
I live in the city , so finding a good herp vet is extremely hard to come by.

Thank for any help in advance ;3

Sorry bout the cruddy cam pics...if you can't really see I'll try it using my laptop cam or something xD

[Katrina]

Raven!!!!!!!!!!!

Good to see you.

I can't say for sure from the pics - can you see inside the mouth to see if there is any redness? If there is no sign of redness / irritation on the inside then I wouldn't think it is an issue from those pictures. But if you see anything that indicates the inside is effected too then I'd take him to a vet. Some blueys get those odd scales on the outside and it isn't a big deal but check to make sure it is odd scales only and no inflammation, redness, sign of infection.

[StaceyLeigh]

Mine gets a little dry spot similar to this at times, never any redness inside. It always disappears after a shed.

[Scotts1au]

See how she is after a shed or two. A good soaking and light rub with a face washer at the first signs of shedding will probably remove the spot, doesn't look too serious.

[Raven_Vivi]

I missed yall ;]

There's no redness or anything out of the ordinary in his mouth. It's just crusty and looks weird ;S

Well I guess so long as it's not bothering him it shouldn't be too big of a deal.

He's been brumating pretty hard core so I'm hoping he'll start perking up soon and eating ;P

I don't think I introduced him onto the forum ><

His name is Prince Nom Noms. ^_^

[Fatal_S]

When my guys get mouth crusties (from food/saliva/substrate stuck just inside the lip) I moisten it and remove it. Then the hard part is keeping it from building up again until the lip returns to normal (usually a few sheds). I don't like leaving the crusties because I find the lip gets moist and mushy underneath, which strikes me as something flesh isn't supposed to do. Sometimes removing the crusty causes some bleeding too. In that case I let it heal for a week before I remove any new crusties. If the crusties don't come off easy, it can be useful to wait until the next shed, then remove them with the shed. Of course if it looks infected or like something other than simple stuck-food, this advice is probably quite useless.

Nice to see you online

[Raven_Vivi]

When my guys get mouth crusties (from food/saliva/substrate stuck just inside the lip) I moisten it and remove it. Then the hard part is keeping it from building up again until the lip returns to normal (usually a few sheds). I don't like leaving the crusties because I find the lip gets moist and mushy underneath, which strikes me as something flesh isn't supposed to do. Sometimes removing the crusty causes some bleeding too. In that case I let it heal for a week before I remove any new crusties. If the crusties don't come off easy, it can be useful to wait until the next shed, then remove them with the shed. Of course if it looks infected or like something other than simple stuck-food, this advice is probably quite useless.

Nice to see you online

Hai fatal~ ^^

Yea I tried picking it off a shed helped a bit to get it off, but he's been brumating like a dead corpse so I haven't had him shed in a while.
I was thinking of waking him up and putting him back on a normal schedule...and then it started to snow X.X

[dsteamn]

When mine gets a build up, I get them to chew on a wet wash rag. That gives me a good opportunity to rub the cloth on their mouth and clean off anything loose. If it becomes a mouth rot situation, I will clean it by rolling a Q-Tip that has been dipped in half water and peroxide across their mouth to loosen up the scab. That helps keep it from bleeding when it comes off.

You can try rubbing a drop of emu oil on his mouth. It will help with the dryness and keep it soft until the next shed. It really doesn't look like infection from the pics. Just keep an eye on it and make sure the gums stay pink.

[Lea]

When my guys get mouth crusties (from food/saliva/substrate stuck just inside the lip) I moisten it and remove it. Then the hard part is keeping it from building up again until the lip returns to normal (usually a few sheds). I don't like leaving the crusties because I find the lip gets moist and mushy underneath, which strikes me as something flesh isn't supposed to do. Sometimes removing the crusty causes some bleeding too. In that case I let it heal for a week before I remove any new crusties. If the crusties don't come off easy, it can be useful to wait until the next shed, then remove them with the shed. Of course if it looks infected or like something other than simple stuck-food, this advice is probably quite useless.

Nice to see you online

Not useless, at all. It's good common sense and that's often something well worth saying.
As mel pointed out, mouth wounds can become very moist and the environment is not the best for healing. Generally, though, as she pointed out, if a scabby bit lifts off easily, without resistance, it's usually worth it, as the newly forming cells are given a chance to develop without the smothering of a warm, bacterial carpet of scab. A little salty water or saline, just wiped over the wound, will help inhibit new bacterial/fungal growth. Any evidence of pus or discharge that is not purely haemoserous, should be investigated further with a vet, in case there is a need for antifungals/antibiotics.

[Lea]

Raven, try taking pictures from further away, then use the zoom and crop when you upload to a computer. Your camera obviously doesn't want to focus on something that close, so that should give you a clearer shot of the mouth.

[Raven_Vivi]

will do~ ;D I'll upload something later today if I can wrangle him out of that papertowel roll he loves so much ^^

[Raven_Vivi]

Was it just me or was the site down for several days O_o

Anyhoo~ here are pics that are hopefully a little better ><