# Beardie with mouth sores - please help



## Krissy-d (Nov 3, 2010)

Hi,
I have a 20 month old beardie with a sore in each corner of his mouth which resemble human cold sores. He has had them for a while now as I was hoping they would clear up on their own but no. They do not have any yellow or grey discharge so I don't think they are infected but I could be wrong. He gapes his mouth a lot also. Temps are 95-100 under his spotlight bulb with the cool end at around 70-75. He has a good appetite consisting mainly of crickets and rocket. He also likes butternut squash and bell peppers chopped up and gets hoppers and wax worms as treats. His poop all looks ok with no bad smells He also likes to have fresh water around. His crickets get dusted around every 2-3 times a week. I dusted them daily until he was a year old. I use Komodo premium for beardies for dusting. His D3 tube was replaced about 3 months ago. I have a small ceramic bulb which comes on at night set at 70 degrees so that the viv doesn't get cold at night.
He seems generally healthy and lively unless he is shedding which makes him grumpy for a few days.

Here are a couple of pics of the sores.









and a close up









This all started after a shedding which wouldn't come away from around his mouth and he kept rubbing his face on things to dislodge it. Since then he sits with his mouth open.
From what I have seen elsewhere I don't think it is mouth rot or an infection but I am no expert. If it was a respiratory problem then I'm sure he would be gone by now and nowhere near as lively but I could be wrong. This is my first beardie.
Is there anything I can treat this with? I have heard iodine can be used to clean it. Is this correct?

Thanks,
Kris.


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## dickvansheepcake (Jul 8, 2009)

Have you thought about taking him to a vet? It looks sore so you really should get him treated by a professional in my opinion. Don't want your little man in more discomfort than needed : victory:


Jenny


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## nicnet (Apr 3, 2011)

Welcome to the forums btw ;p nice to see new faces.

Agreed. Looks like he needs looking at by a vet. Possibly pulled a couple of scales off when that shed got stuck and he's not letting it heal over if he's scratching at it all the time.

ps, you don't need night heat unless your viv temps drop below 65f on a night. 70f is fine but could save you on elec a bit there. Most our houses are warm enough for them without night heat.


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## l morgan (Sep 5, 2011)

One thing you can use for any type of wound on the mouth or nose [ like when they rub against the glass] is raw [ unpasteurized] honey. You can get it at most grocery stores or health food stores. It's a natural anti-biotic and anti-bacterial. It really works, and the dragon can be treated without a nasty tasting a.b. cream. If you Google medicinal honey, you will see a ton of info about use in humans and animals, with many, many references, and in many studies better results than a.b. cream . Just warm it slightly [ don't heat too much] and apply with a q-tip to any wounds or burns. It's great for the little neck wounds that can happen when an aggressive male bites your females neck a bit too roughly, heals it up in no time. Just be sure if you do use it not to leave loose crickets in the enclosure, as they would be attracted to the honey on the dragon and go for a sweet snack.

ebay might also have it if you cant find elsewere


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## Krissy-d (Nov 3, 2010)

Thanks for the advice. I shall give the vet a ring. Just googled honey. They even use it to treat MRSA !!! 
I put the night heater in cos it dropped down to 60 degrees a couple of times in the really cold winter last year so didnt want to risk it getting too cold again. It gets a bit chilly in my house. Its just connected up to a cheap domestic thermostat to prevent a chill with a 40 watt ceramic. The basking bulb has one of those fancy dimmer stats  

Happy new year all!!


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## Tombo46 (Aug 5, 2010)

Krissy-d said:


> Thanks for the advice. I shall give the vet a ring. Just googled honey. They even use it to treat MRSA !!!
> I put the night heater in cos it dropped down to 60 degrees a couple of times in the really cold winter last year so didnt want to risk it getting too cold again. It gets a bit chilly in my house. Its just connected up to a cheap domestic thermostat to prevent a chill with a 40 watt ceramic. The basking bulb has one of those fancy dimmer stats
> 
> Happy new year all!!


Happy new year : ) good luck at the vets!


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