Mouth Rot?

meh5046 · Postby **meh5046** » Mon Apr 07, 2008 7:57 pm

Hi, my Northern Blue Tongue Skink is close to 2 years old and I noticed that her mouth was a little puffy in the same spot on both sides, the one side is a little worse though. At first I thought it was mouth rot, but I looked around the forums and on the care sheet and it doesnt really look like mouth rot to me. There aren't any red bumps and theres no redness anywhere, it's just a little puffy. I dont see any reason that she would get mouth rot, I give her a bath every other day and clean any food particles off of her, and I change the cage every few weeks. I spot clean every time she poops and she gets fresh water daily. I'll try posting pics, let me know what you guys think...

Zbiz · Postby **Zbiz** » Mon Apr 07, 2008 8:13 pm

WOW that looks to be exactly what one of my Northerns has aswell. From what i was told they are "problem scales" basiclly scales that dont touch the top of the mouth. What tends to happen is saliva collects in the area and hardens a long with food stuff and can cause the area to crack or form a scap. It has been a problem I've been treating for quite awhile. Most likely it'll look great after a shed and then come back a few weeks later. I am still trying to get to the bottom of the situation myself. But keep it clean. If you see any blood or cuts of some sort. A little neosporin should keep it from getting infected. I also believe it is a hard to heal scap. My bts' left side is starting to get smaller and I think the constant cleaning and the neosporin are helping. My vet said that it is probibly a quirk ill have to deal with but most likely will get better with time. I hope for the best and am anxious to see what everyone else has to say about the matter... cuz i need some answers too!

Zbiz · Postby **Zbiz** » Mon Apr 07, 2008 8:15 pm

OH a question. Did she just randomly started getting it or she has always had it?

Helikaon · Postby **Helikaon** » Mon Apr 07, 2008 8:17 pm

what does inside the mouth look like.

.........peopel really need to stop using mouth rot...............stomatitis anyone.

Fatal_S · Postby **Fatal_S** » Mon Apr 07, 2008 8:30 pm

I'm not positive, but I've been guessing it was due to stuck shed on the inside lip. One of my skinks had stuck shed in the area that now still has a similar problem. But that's just been my guess. It's going away slowly, getting better every shed.

It could also be that the skink chomped down on something and damaged the scales.

Helikaon · Postby **Helikaon** » Mon Apr 07, 2008 8:37 pm

some skinks have a condition in which the jaws do not align properly and this causes the gingiva to 'dry' out.

meh5046 · Postby **meh5046** » Mon Apr 07, 2008 9:20 pm

Here is the best picture I could get of what it looks like inside her mouth...I got her to open a few times and it didn't look red or anything, just normal flesh colored like the rest of her mouth.

It just showed up recently, but it would make sense that it's a stuck shed, she rubs it on objects in her cage sometimes like my ball python does when he has stuck shed on his head. Would it be best to take most of the stuff out of her cage except for the water bowl and stuff and put in paper towels so she can't rub her face on anything? Both of my skinks(housed separately) are currently on repti-bark, and like I said, gets spot cleaned daily and fully cleaned every 3 or 4 weeks.

Here's a random picture of both of my skinks together also.

Fatal_S · Postby **Fatal_S** » Mon Apr 07, 2008 9:31 pm

Next time the skink sheds, try rubbing just inside the lip with a damp q-tip and see if anything comes off? I'd leave her stuff in, she may use it to get any stuck shed off. Still, no guarantees that stuck shed is the problem. Your skinks are very cute. Where did you get them? The top one looks almost caramel.

Blotch · Postby **Blotch** » Tue Apr 08, 2008 12:22 am

My thoghts are that it's had a scuffle with another bluey and has a damaged scale. My kimberley has this - and the mouth looks like yours but more healed.

Leigh · Postby **Leigh** » Tue Apr 08, 2008 2:31 am

I was going to say stuck lip shed, mine had an area like that when I first got him but it healed after a small scale came off after giving it a warm then damp cloth wipe. That bottom skink looks like a norhtern X IJ, have you had them ID'd, or are you not bothered either way?

Tattoo · Postby **Tattoo** » Tue Apr 08, 2008 2:45 am

Do you feed cat food? Could it be early cat food droop? I was thinking stuck shed too but then remembered a picture I had seen of cat food droop. Maybe Zach could point you in the right direction.

Postby **Scotts1au** » Tue Apr 08, 2008 4:29 am

One of my Easterns had something similar but was from a face bite.

meh5046 · Postby **meh5046** » Tue Apr 08, 2008 10:35 am

Tattoo: Yes, I do feed them cat food pretty regularly. What exactly is cat food droop? Should I hold off on feeding cat food until I see an improvement?

Leigh: you would be correct the bottom skink is part Irian Jaya, I bought him as a Northern with some IJ influence.

I bought the top one from a guy named Jim Galloway at a reptile show near Philadelphia. The other I bought from kingsnake.com from Dan Scolaro.

Blotch · Postby **Blotch** » Tue Apr 08, 2008 2:44 pm

meh5046 wrote:Leigh: you would be correct the bottom skink is part Irian Jaya, I bought him as a Northern with some IJ influence.

LOL - that's a great way of saying it - IJ INFLUENCE! Why can't they be honest and say it's a freaking cross breed? Lying barstewards!

Tattoo · Postby **Tattoo** » Tue Apr 08, 2008 3:50 pm

Many blueys get a droopy lip from eating cat food. It could be because of the skicky consistancy. If you want to stick with cat food I would switch to dry. Try steping away from it for a while and feeding some boiled chicken, turkey, bison, etc. Just gently simmer the meat in some water until all the pink is gone. That may solve your problem.

Mouth Rot?

Mouth Rot?

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