Mouth rot won't go away

[yoramdevos]

Hello,

My blue tongue skink is about 2 years old and has been having issues with what I suspect is mouth rot since about a year now. I took him to the vet twice and got some antibiotics and it got slightly better but it did not cure it all the way. Second time I took him the vet yanked off the crusted part of his mouth and underneath it appeared to have completely healed allready. But after a few weeks or so the crusts started to appear again. I feed him morioworms and roaches covered in calcium powder and multivitamin powder. He is still eating and drinking like he should. He only appears to be bothered with it when I try to clean the crusted areas with a wet towel. I am a student with very little monney so after spending 250 euros on vet bills without any result I was wondering if anyone here has any tips for how to treat it. I added some pictures of his mouth too. Also, last time at the vet's I forgot to ask so does anyone know what exact spiecies this is? I added a picture of his back for this question. Thanks in Advance!

[kingofnobbys]

Potential causes of mouth rot include:
1.Improper nutrition. Animals fed an improper diet are much more susceptible to infections.
2.Nutritional secondary hyperparathyroidism. This common problem in reptiles may result in a misshapen jaw. Lips are pulled over misshapen bones, and as a result gum tissue develops exposure gingivitis. This syndrome superficially looks like infectious stomatitis, and it will eventually turn into the infection if it is not treated early and properly.
3.Mites. Although not a direct cause, mites can contribute to the development of the infection because they can transmit infectious organisms associated with the disease, such as Aeromonas and Pseudomonas bacteria, when they bite and suck blood.
4.Trauma. Rostral abrasions from a reptile constantly rubbing its nose on a surface, such as a screen top or glass enclosure, can result in abrasions that allow opportunistic bacteria to enter the tissues and cause infection.

1) find a better vet (one who is actually a reptile vet)
2) try applying manuka honey to the effected areas , you will have to keep him on paper for while to stop the infected areas picking up germs).

[splashy07]

Your skink is an Irian Jaya, Indonesian species that needs more humidity than his Aussie cousins. That doesn't appear to be mouth rot, is it red, inflamed, or infected looking on the inside? Just looks like crusted food and stuck shed to me.

[mb606587]

Splashy is right on both accounts. That's an Irian Jaya and judging by the missing toes, humidity is too low. Also that's not mouth rot. I've been pulling the crust off my IJ's mouth for years. Again, bumping humidity may help the issue just a bit.

[splashy07]

Good catch, mb, I didn't even notice the toes. Definitely humidity issues there. And about the mouth thing, one of my Easterns has the same issue, I'm constantly picking stuff out of one corner.

[yoramdevos]

Your skink is an Irian Jaya, Indonesian species that needs more humidity than his Aussie cousins. That doesn't appear to be mouth rot, is it red, inflamed, or infected looking on the inside? Just looks like crusted food and stuck shed to me.

Thanks a lot for your reply! No inflamed or infected areas in or around the mouth. Would you recommend I just keep removing the crusted areas? And would a larger water bowl help for increasing humidity? Or do I need a humidifier? I now use a fairly small water bowl and I placed a cilinder with water in the corner of his terrarium.

[mb606587]

Yeah you can pick it off if your skink allows it. They usually aren't too keen on that as sometimes that stuff is stuck pretty good on there. I'd imagine it's like peeling a band aid.

Many options to increase humidity. Large bowl of water will help. Substrate choice is imperative. For an IJ, I recommend either cypress mulch or organic topsoil mixed with spaghnum moss. Reptibark or chips are okay, not great. Aspen, which is usually the cheapest at pet stores is a bad choice. Mist it everyday to keep it damp. Humid hides also work very well when filled with damp moss and are very easy to make. They typically maintain humidity very well, even when the relative humidity in the enclosure drops. Your IJ appears more gigas looking, so I'd try to keep humidity over 60% for that one.