Kaiser
Juvie Member
Just a couple of days ago, when my bearded dragon was gaping, I noticed that he had some discoloration of his teeth (a few teeth approximately halfway up on both sides of his mouth, only on the bottom); instead of being nice and white like the rest of his teeth, these few teeth are noticeably dark brown. I was wondering if this was something to be concerned about, and if so, what I could do to help it get better.
So far, I have noticed no change in his behavior, and no other physical changes (other than constantly growing, and the usual shedding discoloration of his skin). He still eats perfectly fine, and has shown no changes in appetite. And note, it's only a discoloration of his teeth; there are no physical changes with his lips, tongue, or the rest of his mouth. His gums might be darker, but I can't really tell whether the discoloration of the gums is due to it's transparency showing the discoloration of the teeth (so note that the gums "discoloration" is only at the point where gum overlaps the "end" of the tooth) or if it is another problem. Either way, please let me know if there's a possibility it could be something else with his gums (better safe than sorry, I think).
Some information on his set up and how he is handled: he's in a 40 gallon tank with reptile carpet substrate; lighting consists of a Reptisun 10.0 UVB tube bulb (four months old), a ceramic heat emitter, and two regular light bulbs (my apartment gets really cold sometimes...); temperatures at his basking spot never drop below 100 degrees Fahrenheit and never exceed 110 (but vary between these two ranges depending on the temperature of our apartment), cool side is 85 degrees, and the warm side is 95; I feed him a salad consisting of collard greens, mustard greens, and the occasional green beans and grapes (though he does not eat his salad much, though it's offered fresh everyday); he gets fed Reptiworms two times a day, where he'll usually eat 75 or so each feeding (about 150 a day!); and I bathe him every other day, but he usually doesn't stay in much longer than 5 minutes.
Some information about my bearded dragon, Kaiser, himself: he's five months old as of today, and he was 16 inches in length last time I accurately measured him (I think he might be up to 18 inches by now) and he's about to shed again; last time I weighed him was a long time ago, but he was "average" weight (compared with others) in terms of his age but slightly underweight for his length (which I suppose is expected considering how fast he's been growing...); he eats like crazy, always has an appetite, and can eat through 75 large Reptiworms within five minutes before he stops (I don't think I'm overfeeding him, considering his weight and the fact that he knows when to stop eating); he defecates at least once a day (twice, occasionally); and he's active and alert.
I would try to get a picture, but I can't get him to open his mouth long enough to get out my camera (and when I do, I'm pretty sure he purposely closes his mouth before I can snap a picture!). If I can get one, I'll upload it as soon as possible. If you have any other questions that I could answer or more information that I should provide, please let me know. Any ideas on what it could be, how I could better diagnose it, and/or how I can treat it would be much appreciated.
So far, I have noticed no change in his behavior, and no other physical changes (other than constantly growing, and the usual shedding discoloration of his skin). He still eats perfectly fine, and has shown no changes in appetite. And note, it's only a discoloration of his teeth; there are no physical changes with his lips, tongue, or the rest of his mouth. His gums might be darker, but I can't really tell whether the discoloration of the gums is due to it's transparency showing the discoloration of the teeth (so note that the gums "discoloration" is only at the point where gum overlaps the "end" of the tooth) or if it is another problem. Either way, please let me know if there's a possibility it could be something else with his gums (better safe than sorry, I think).
Some information on his set up and how he is handled: he's in a 40 gallon tank with reptile carpet substrate; lighting consists of a Reptisun 10.0 UVB tube bulb (four months old), a ceramic heat emitter, and two regular light bulbs (my apartment gets really cold sometimes...); temperatures at his basking spot never drop below 100 degrees Fahrenheit and never exceed 110 (but vary between these two ranges depending on the temperature of our apartment), cool side is 85 degrees, and the warm side is 95; I feed him a salad consisting of collard greens, mustard greens, and the occasional green beans and grapes (though he does not eat his salad much, though it's offered fresh everyday); he gets fed Reptiworms two times a day, where he'll usually eat 75 or so each feeding (about 150 a day!); and I bathe him every other day, but he usually doesn't stay in much longer than 5 minutes.
Some information about my bearded dragon, Kaiser, himself: he's five months old as of today, and he was 16 inches in length last time I accurately measured him (I think he might be up to 18 inches by now) and he's about to shed again; last time I weighed him was a long time ago, but he was "average" weight (compared with others) in terms of his age but slightly underweight for his length (which I suppose is expected considering how fast he's been growing...); he eats like crazy, always has an appetite, and can eat through 75 large Reptiworms within five minutes before he stops (I don't think I'm overfeeding him, considering his weight and the fact that he knows when to stop eating); he defecates at least once a day (twice, occasionally); and he's active and alert.
I would try to get a picture, but I can't get him to open his mouth long enough to get out my camera (and when I do, I'm pretty sure he purposely closes his mouth before I can snap a picture!). If I can get one, I'll upload it as soon as possible. If you have any other questions that I could answer or more information that I should provide, please let me know. Any ideas on what it could be, how I could better diagnose it, and/or how I can treat it would be much appreciated.
