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What are these whitish patches on her back?

Posted: Fri Apr 21, 2023 9:41 am
by BklynBluey
Hi - I had no intention of owning a Bluey, but rescued one a few months ago when I overheard a man on the subway, talking about how he wished his would die. It was awful and I blurted out, “I’ll take her!”

Ruth is 12, and had been kept in her too-small tank in a basement for years, eating only cat food. I have quickly fallen in love with her. She is so curious and personable and funny! Ruth now has a balanced diet, lots of engagement, and can spend hours running around my living room.

A few weeks ago, some pinkish sections appeared on her back. They subsequently turned whitish. It looked like an injury, like a scrape. The only potential cause I could find was a sharpish point on the entrance to her rock cave, which she’d had for years. I filed it down, and the spots turned from pinkish to white, and seems to get a bit smaller, but they have not gone away.

She’s going through a shedding cycle, and the spots have turned pinkish again, like new skin. I’ve researched skin conditions online, but can’t find anything that matches what I’m seeing .

I still suspect she scraped herself, but why aren’t the splotches going away? Or is this a disease?

FYI, she was getting ready to shed in the attached photos , so the only part to be concerned about is her back. (And yes, she had MBD.)

This might be TMI, but I was recently laid off and also have a chronically ill kitty, so if I can avoid a costly vet trip, it would be great – although I will do whatever Ruth needs.

Thank you in advance for your insight and help!

Re: What are these whitish patches on her back?

Posted: Sat Apr 22, 2023 8:51 pm
by mb606587
No picture was attached, but without seeing, this sounds like a bacterial infection. You're going to want to place your skink on paper towel substrate and treat with an antiseptic solution like Betadine and apply a triple antibiotic ointment. Sometimes this can clear the issue up but if not, prescription strength antibiotics prescribed by a vet would then be needed if it does not improve.

Re: What are these whitish patches on her back?

Posted: Mon May 01, 2023 9:39 am
by BklynBluey
Sorry - I’d uploaded two pics. Not sure why they didn’t appear. I’m trying again here, but in the meantime, I’ll do as suggested and hope it helps my girl. Thanks so much!