Stuck shed or something worse?

[grimmjowls]

Hi, I noticed a bit of dried flaky material on my skink's nose. I'll be trying to clean it gently with a wet q tip soon, but just wanted to see if anyone was worried it was something worse?

Also, the way his bottom jaw doesn't completely line up with the top... Someone told me that younger BTS can get swollen gums from their adult teeth coming in? Is this true?

Thanks for any help.

[Laceflower]

Hi, grimmjowls! Your bluey's nose looks a lot like my girl's sometimes does. As burrowing animals, they basically use their faces to push everything out of their way, so a lot of them you see will have almost calloused-looking or just plain dirty noses. You have a Northern, correct? Just to be safe on the mouth and nose issue, make sure your humidity isn't too high or too low. I keep mine right at 40% just because my girl tends to get sort of dry below that, but a soak in the tub should probably clean up that nose. If you haven't witnessed any bleeding or noticed actual scabs, he's probably just been rooting around, or, like you said, it could be a little stuck shed. Either way, a lukewarm bath will probably fix it.

As for the mouth, I don't know for certain about the swollen gums theory, but I do know that they can go through weird-looking transitions while they're growing. Mine had one scale around her mouth that grew longer than the others. As long as he eats well, poops regularly, and his attitude seems normal, I wouldn't worry too much; just monitor it to make sure it doesn't get worse.

[grimmjowls]

Thanks for the reply!

I gave him a bath today and it looks sort of sore. Like he'd rubbed his nose too much against something.

[Laceflower]

He may have. They're sort of like toddlers, getting into things the way they do. Is there anything rough or jagged in his tank?

[alichamp]

Probably from rubbing on the glass of the enclosure.