Possible mouth rot or injury?

[crutons22]

I've had my BTS for a couple months and today out of the blue he has what looks like some skin he cut/scratched on the side of his mouth. I want to make sure its not mouth rot though, I tried googling for pictures of BTS with mouth rot and it didn't look like this. I think he may have just injured himself by rubbing his head against the fake plastic plant in his tank--I've seen him rub his head against it a few times and it does have some rough edges.

Please let me know if I should be concerned that it is mouth rot or not.

[Dakota]

Welcome to the forum!

What is your humidity percentage at?

[crutons22]

Welcome to the forum!

What is your humidity percentage at?

Thank you! It is usually around 55-65%

[Susann]

Meraukes tend to be especially prone to this crusty build-up on their upper lips. It's normal and not mouth-rot. All you have to do is make sure food gets wiped off after he's done eating, and when you see it start to build up, put a few drops of water on it with a Q-tip, then rub it off with the wet Q-tip.

[Dakota]

One of the Halmaheras that got surrendered to me had this build-up. I'm at lost as to what it actually is?? I know sometimes substrate can get crammed into the area like Susann mentioned, but Vera (the surrender) was not substrate. Maybe shed? Maybe from the eyes watering, seeping into the corner of the mouth (forming the "crust")? I'm still trying to figure it out, but I know when she had her first good shed with high humidity, it went away. It left a gap, which filled up like a blister, but eventually it healed up to look normal.

I see substrate stuck (looks like aspen, no?), but I also see some crust, too. Try to incorporate a substrate that holds humidity well, and see how it does. 55-65% is not terribly low, but personally, I would try to bump it up a little. The lip scales have stuck shed on them, too.

[Susann]

Usually not crammed substrate. Yes, substrate can stick to it when it's wet/moist, but it's not substrate causing it.
I believe it originates inside their mouth, either just saliva or saliva mixed with food-remnants. When it gets built up for a while, the area underneath can start to turn a bit red and inflamed, which it looks like it's doing on yours, crutons.
Good humidity absolutely helps as I believe they are better able to get it off on their own before it builds up too much. Shedding helps as well as it all comes off with the old scales.
I think the gigas tend to be more prone to it because of their high humidity requirements; maybe dry scales have a texture that makes any moisture stick to the surface more, and BTS saliva seems thicker to me than human saliva...? And with food remnants, it only becomes thicker and stickier. Meraukes especially also tend to sometimes have upper lips that turn outward a bit, making them even more susceptible to this build-up.

[crutons22]

Hi guys, thanks for your comments. It's all very helpful ! It's a relief to know it's not mouth rot or an injury. I've tried taking a damp cloth and seeing if it will come off if I rub it gently...but no luck. He hates it when I hold him though . It sounds like I'll have to wait for him to shed it off. In the mean time, it also sounds like I should increase the humidity. Do you guys have any recommendations (affordable if possible < $30) on how to do it? Currently, it is just purely the air from our apartment.

[Susann]

Did you soak the crust prior to trying to wipe it off? I find that repeatedly putting small drops of water on it for a few minutes will usually make it slide off with some wiping. I either rub it with a wet Q-tip, or sometimes I keep a baby toothbrush on hand that I wet down with warm water and then brush the crust; comes off every time.
Yes, it can be a struggle to do as no skink generally will enjoy any of this.

Suggestions for increasing humidity:
Put a large water bowl on the warm side.
If you have a suction-cup container, stick it on the wall of the tank under the heat lamp and put a wet sponge in it.
Dampen the substrate by spraying it down with a spray bottle, especially on the warm side.
Make a humid hide by cutting an opening in a plastic container, put wet moss or a wet towel in it for him to burrow in.

[crutons22]

Thanks for the humidity and crust wiping suggestions! I'll give both a shot tonight.

[Dakota]

When you dampen, make sure you are dampening a humidity friendly substrate. Aspen molds very easily under humid conditions, especially being wet, period - don't get Aspen wet IMO. If you live in the southeast, you can get 100% cypress mulch for very cheap. I'm not a HUGE fan of it, because it is very splinter-y, but it works. Orchid bark/Fir bark/ReptiBark are all good, too. Same with Repti-Chips, coconut coir, peat moss, etc. You have a variety of substrates to choose from.

[crutons22]

I got most of it off tonight, wet q-tips worked perfectly. Thanks again! He actually seemed to like it, he was closing his eyes and moving his head so I can get it with the q-tip

[Susann]

That is amazing; good job!

[crutons22]

I've tried spraying down his tank daily to increase the humidity but it doesn't look like its helping much, the humidity is still low and he still gets crusty parts stuck to his mouth. I'm doing my best to get it all off but its building up over time and getting more difficult to take off with the wet q-tips without hurting him.

I'll be constructing a humid hide for him tomorrow but the worst part is that his nose actually sounds and looks like its clogged (could also be because of the low humidity?). Hes not able to make his scared/angry breathing pants through his nose anymore. Will that problem go away when he uses the humid hide after some time or is there a way I can relieve it?

Edit:
added picture from today, you can see his nose and the crusty part on the side of his mouth (behind the piece of aspen).

IMG_20160314_210459 (1).jpg

[Dakota]

You are having a hard time maintaining humidity because it is on Aspen. Aspen does not hold humidity at all, and when it is damp, it molds. Try switching to a humidity-friendly substrate I mentioned earlier in this thread.

[Susann]

Try switching to a humidity-friendly substrate I mentioned earlier in this thread.

Adding a humid hide on the warm side will help as well, even after you switch substrate.