I am Maurice and i'm new to this forum.
I signed up because i hope you guys and girls could help me with my 5 year old male bearded dragon.
First off i want to note that he doesnt seem uncomfortable with it. it doesnt seem to hurt and he doesnt mind me touching it. but i still want to figure out if its something serious. i've always kind of ignored it because it doesnt seem to bother him (very stupid i know). as he eats fine (well now that he's brumating not so fine anymore but thats normal) and hes still active. he has had it for a long time, longer than a year at this point.
now to the problem, i have a few pictures that show it pretty well. on the left side his gums are a little yellowish and swollen. his teeth look pretty fine to me but the gums dont. his right side however is worse. its dark and it looks bad. thats why i thought it was mouth rot but i need someone elses opinion on it. i have tried to ''clean'' it off with a wet qtip but its really his gums and not something on it that can be cleaned up. and since i cant find any cases that are really similar to mine i decided to ask it here,
here are the photos i took. luckily hes the sweetest ever so he doesnt mind me opening his mouth and having a peek.
The yellow coloring doesn't concern me too much, as that seems pretty common. The darker areas and the swelling could wind up being an issue in the long run. I would first try an oral cleanser. My vet recommended using MaxiGuard gel. Just apply a little bit with a q-tip once or twice a day to cleanse the area and try to prevent infection. If it starts to look worse, you may need to have a vet take a look and possibly treat for stomatitis. This may include cutting out dead tissue or a course of medication, but that's up to the vet.
The yellow coloring doesn't concern me too much, as that seems pretty common. The darker areas and the swelling could wind up being an issue in the long run. I would first try an oral cleanser. My vet recommended using MaxiGuard gel. Just apply a little bit with a q-tip once or twice a day to cleanse the area and try to prevent infection. If it starts to look worse, you may need to have a vet take a look and possibly treat for stomatitis. This may include cutting out dead tissue or a course of medication, but that's up to the vet.
Thanks a lot. i'll try that, the slight yellow colouring also didnt concern me, its mostly the swelling exactly. im gonna give the gel a try and then i'll let you guys know if it does anything.