Does my Bearded dragon have clogged femoral pores?

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AustinS

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I noticed the other day that my bearded dragon had these spiky things sticking out from his skin in between and on his thighs. After some research it seems they are his femoral pores and I would assume they are clogged however I’m not 100% sure on this. They don’t look bulged like I’ve seen many other bearded dragons femoral pores that are clogged. Like I said they’re just kinda spiky. Also I’ve taken measures such as soaking in a warm bath, rubbing it with Benzoyl Peroxide and coconut oil. One video showed a guy just pulling them out. I tried to pull a little bit the tip of whatever it is broke off and he freaked out like it hurt a lot and I don’t want to hurt him obviously. I have some images of anybody would need to see them.
 

Eindrdi

Member
Do you have an image? if his femoral pores are clogged it could be a simple fix like a warm bath and a scrubbing with a cloth along the pores. if that doesn't work you can gently squeeze them like popping a pimple. emphasis on gently!
 

AustinS

New member
Original Poster
Eindrdi":3htxz80e said:
Do you have an image? if his femoral pores are clogged it could be a simple fix like a warm bath and a scrubbing with a cloth along the pores. if that doesn't work you can gently squeeze them like popping a pimple. emphasis on gently!
Here are the images I took.
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109797-6870614216.jpg
109797-6539378315.jpg
109797-3272859319.jpg
Also I gave him a bath 2 days ago and let him soak in the warm water for about 6-7 minutes. I then proceeded to scrub his pores with benzoyl peroxide which is what some vets recommend.
 

Drache613

BD.org Sicko
Staff member
Moderator
Hello,

It is hard to tell how long they are, but they don't appear to be inflammed. Do they seem to
bother him at all?
Most of the time, you should be able to gently use tweezers to remove them if the skin is soft
after a bath. It is very normal but some males do tend to have more problems than others do.
If you let him run around on a rough surface or have textured tiles in his tank sometimes that
can help wear them down some also.
If they do become a little irritated, you can use aloe vera gel or coconut oil on the area, to help
soften them up if needed.

Tracie
 

Tink95

Member
So I just unclogged my beardie's the other day. The trick was soaking him for 20 mins and refreshing the water when it got chilly. So he had a continuous warm soak. Then really just putting your fingers around the skin around the pore and gently applying pressure and working the hard part out. From the pictures, your dragon doesn't look bad at all, the pores don't look stretched or anything. I think he'd be fine if you just rubbed coconut oil on him once a day and let him rub it out himself (as long as he has something in his tank to do that on-should have a somewhat rough surface). If you don't already have a water bowl he can lay in, I would add that to avoid possible future clogs. So really, if you're concerned you can clear them, or you can help him do it himself. If they get worse (bigger, swollen, infected) then I would reassess.
 

Drache613

BD.org Sicko
Staff member
Moderator
Hello,

I do see a couple of longer pores, that is normal. As suggested, long soaks usually do
help but hopefully they will just eventually wear down some. How is he doing today?

Tracie
 

AustinS

New member
Original Poster
Pores are still the same, I’ve been rubbing coconut oil on them and he does have rough surfaces to rub on in the cage. Soaking him however is such a worry for me as he always tends to splash the water up into his mouth/nostrils. He just recovered from pneumonia a month or so ago so I’m really hesitant and cautious with him in the bath anymore. Any suggestions on keeping him more safe while bathing???
 

Tink95

Member
I've only ever had my current beardie, and got him as an adult, so other people may have better advice. Mine does not like baths since he never got them growing up. I sometimes use a tub with water just enough to reach his belly so even if he splashed it would not do much. I've also done the sink and after a quick struggle, he gave up and sat still. It sounds like your beardie is more trouble. Since many people say weekly baths are important, especially for the pores, you could try assisted baths if your beardie has the temperament for it. I'm envisioning a deeper bath (like a stadium cup?) where you hold the top half of your beardie out of the water. Then just let him chill for five minutes or so in your hands like that. It wouldn't be ideal but in theory, it would keep him from splashing his face. There's also turtle water bowls. They have ramps so you could possibly keep his upper body out of the water while letting his pores soak. You could possibly make something similar using stuff you have at home. More experienced people may have better advice though lol
 

Tarbie

Member
Responding to this thread as I am having issues with Femoral Pores too.

My new Beardie, Bob is a rescue. He was found in a park in a box (left to die in the cold basically) 2 weeks or so back. He's been with me for a week now. He was pretty skinny, has signs of early MBD (no twisted limbs or anything, he's just a bit wonky and falls on his face quite a lot when he tries to run around), but he's eating well, no signs of digestive issues and he seems really happy.

The one thing that I'm a little concerned about are his Femoral Pores. I've seen bad cases online of blockages where they are full of soft build up etc. Bob's aren't like that, they are just slightly enlarged and black. I managed to remove some of the build up in the first couple of days (which he really didn't like). What came out were very small but extremely hard yellow lumps.

I've been giving Bob a daily bath and he's pretty active. I was hoping the combo of the remaining impaction softening up in that bath and his butt rubbing on the floor would see this issue rectify itself, but if anything it looks like the pores are blocking back up.

I really don't like too much pressing and prodding of him down there. Clearly it's very unpleasant for him. Does anybody have a homecare solution to this issue, or is it time to take him to a vet?
 
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