Cuts on top of head from digging

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So my bearded dragon, 1 years old/female, has laid 2 clutches of eggs, the first one had 17 the second had 21 and both were infertile since she had no mate. While she is digging she gets two cuts on the top of her head right above her nostrils. They look deep but I don't know how to help her heal them. I don't know what is safe to put on her to prevent any infection. She will be digging again soon to lay her 3 clutch and I don't want the cuts to get deeper. Any advice would be great!!
 

EllenD

Gray-bearded Member
Hi, I'm sorry this is happening to her, that's a weird situation. So she gets the same 2 cuts in the exact same places on her face/head every time she digs in her lay box?

If you could post a few photos of the cuts it would be helpful, as you say they look deep. I can certainly see a beardie getting scrapes and scratches from digging with their face/head first, but I'm not exactly sure how she would get "deep" cuts...What do you put in her lay box? Are there any larger stones, rocks, pieces of wood, etc.? It should just be screen-washed play sand that is just moistened enough that she can dig a tunnel that won't collapse in on her, but not very wet or damp. I've also seen people mix in some plain old topsoil or cocofiber (EcoEarth), but that's it, you don't need to put anything else inside her lay box at all, no rocks, stones, pieces of wood, decor, etc.

It's going to be hard to keep the cuts clean while she's actually digging, but in the meantime you need to go and buy an antiseptic wound cleaner, the best are either Betadine (povidone iodine) or Hibiclens. You can buy both of these at any drugstore or Walmart. Mix them with warm water (I do a 3:1 ratio of warm water to antiseptic; if using Betadine mix it so it ends up looking like weak iced tea). You can use clean, sterile gauze or a very clean washcloth and soak it in the antiseptic mixture, then kind of drip the solution down over and into the cuts, then gently wipe away any sand, dirt, etc. that is in or around the cuts. Normally I tell people to actually soak their beardie in the antiseptic mixture, but because this is on her head and near her nose and eyes you can't submerge her head in the solution. So you're going to have to do your best to wash the cuts out very well with the antiseptic, you can also use sterile cotton swabs if there is any dirt or sand down inside the cuts. Try not to get any of the antiseptic in her eyes or nose, both Betadine and Hibiclens will burn. After you get the cuts all cleaned out with the antiseptic, you should gently pat her completely dry with a very clean washcloth (buying a box of large, sterile gauze pads at the drugstore or Walmart is best to use for wiping/cleaning out the wounds with the antiseptic and patting the cuts dry). After she's dry you need to apply a triple antibiotic ointment to the cuts, like Neosporin or Bacitracin. I'd do this twice a day, the cuts should hopefully scab over fairly quickly.

Hopefully you can get the cuts to heal before she lays again, but if not then you're going to have to clean her wounds out with the antiseptic before putting her into her lay box, but do not apply the antibiotic ointment to her before putting her in the lay box, that will only create a huge mess and get sand and dirt stuck inside the wounds. I don't know what your schedule is like as far as having her in the lay box, but I would clean the wounds out with the antiseptic before putting her in the lay box, dry her well, put her in the lay box for a few hours, and then take her out and clean the wounds out with the antiseptic again, dry her, then apply the antibiotic ointment and let her sleep in her regular enclosure for the night (no loose substrate in her enclosure, only tiles or paper towels, carpet, etc.). Then in the morning wipe the antibiotic ointment off, clean the wounds out with the antiseptic mixture again, dry her, then back in the lay box, etc. and just repeat until she lays all her eggs, then continue the treatment until the wounds scab over.

My only concern is actually how deep her cuts are, because she may end up getting sand, dirt, etc. inside and making the cuts worse with her digging. I have never done this myself, but maybe someone else can chime in about using paper towels, a blanket, newspaper, etc. in her enclosure to allow her to lay her eggs underneath and not actually using a Kay box with dirt or sand at all. I've seen this before, also I've seen Alfalfa pellets used, which would be much cleaner than sand or dirt...
 

kingofnobbys

BD.org Sicko
Poor girl .

You may not be aware of this, but under 2 years old, she is way to young to be mated and produce clutches of eggs.
I don't know why she is producing slugs if she's not been sharing with a male or had contact with one - none of my juvenile females ever have.

It's too hard on her body and system and will starve her of much needed dietary calcium and proteins which she needs for proper growth and development, she is still a juvenile at 12 months old and still has perhaps 12 months of growth in her before she is a fully mature and fully grown adult.

I can't add anything to Ellen's suggestions , I would suggest Manuka honey but if she's a digger this will quickly become an issue with sand being glued to her head / abrasions / scratches.
 

anicole1020

Member
Original Poster
kingofnobbys":yodc5ruc said:
Poor girl .

You may not be aware of this, but under 2 years old, she is way to young to be mated and produce clutches of eggs.
I don't know why she is producing slugs if she's not been sharing with a male or had contact with one - none of my juvenile females ever have.

It's too hard on her body and system and will starve her of much needed dietary calcium and proteins which she needs for proper growth and development, she is still a juvenile at 12 months old and still has perhaps 12 months of growth in her before she is a fully mature and fully grown adult.

I can't add anything to Ellen's suggestions , I would suggest Manuka honey but if she's a digger this will quickly become an issue with sand being glued to her head / abrasions / scratches.

She isn't being mated yet, has calcium sand, calcium powder I put the mealworms in before I give them to her and Dubai roaches so I know she's getting plenty of calcium. I'm just worried about her cuts ?
 

anicole1020

Member
Original Poster
EllenD":3o6jnsom said:
Hi, I'm sorry this is happening to her, that's a weird situation. So she gets the same 2 cuts in the exact same places on her face/head every time she digs in her lay box?

If you could post a few photos of the cuts it would be helpful, as you say they look deep. I can certainly see a beardie getting scrapes and scratches from digging with their face/head first, but I'm not exactly sure how she would get "deep" cuts...What do you put in her lay box? Are there any larger stones, rocks, pieces of wood, etc.? It should just be screen-washed play sand that is just moistened enough that she can dig a tunnel that won't collapse in on her, but not very wet or damp. I've also seen people mix in some plain old topsoil or cocofiber (EcoEarth), but that's it, you don't need to put anything else inside her lay box at all, no rocks, stones, pieces of wood, decor, etc.

It's going to be hard to keep the cuts clean while she's actually digging, but in the meantime you need to go and buy an antiseptic wound cleaner, the best are either Betadine (povidone iodine) or Hibiclens. You can buy both of these at any drugstore or Walmart. Mix them with warm water (I do a 3:1 ratio of warm water to antiseptic; if using Betadine mix it so it ends up looking like weak iced tea). You can use clean, sterile gauze or a very clean washcloth and soak it in the antiseptic mixture, then kind of drip the solution down over and into the cuts, then gently wipe away any sand, dirt, etc. that is in or around the cuts. Normally I tell people to actually soak their beardie in the antiseptic mixture, but because this is on her head and near her nose and eyes you can't submerge her head in the solution. So you're going to have to do your best to wash the cuts out very well with the antiseptic, you can also use sterile cotton swabs if there is any dirt or sand down inside the cuts. Try not to get any of the antiseptic in her eyes or nose, both Betadine and Hibiclens will burn. After you get the cuts all cleaned out with the antiseptic, you should gently pat her completely dry with a very clean washcloth (buying a box of large, sterile gauze pads at the drugstore or Walmart is best to use for wiping/cleaning out the wounds with the antiseptic and patting the cuts dry). After she's dry you need to apply a triple antibiotic ointment to the cuts, like Neosporin or Bacitracin. I'd do this twice a day, the cuts should hopefully scab over fairly quickly.

Hopefully you can get the cuts to heal before she lays again, but if not then you're going to have to clean her wounds out with the antiseptic before putting her into her lay box, but do not apply the antibiotic ointment to her before putting her in the lay box, that will only create a huge mess and get sand and dirt stuck inside the wounds. I don't know what your schedule is like as far as having her in the lay box, but I would clean the wounds out with the antiseptic before putting her in the lay box, dry her well, put her in the lay box for a few hours, and then take her out and clean the wounds out with the antiseptic again, dry her, then apply the antibiotic ointment and let her sleep in her regular enclosure for the night (no loose substrate in her enclosure, only tiles or paper towels, carpet, etc.). Then in the morning wipe the antibiotic ointment off, clean the wounds out with the antiseptic mixture again, dry her, then back in the lay box, etc. and just repeat until she lays all her eggs, then continue the treatment until the wounds scab over.

My only concern is actually how deep her cuts are, because she may end up getting sand, dirt, etc. inside and making the cuts worse with her digging. I have never done this myself, but maybe someone else can chime in about using paper towels, a blanket, newspaper, etc. in her enclosure to allow her to lay her eggs underneath and not actually using a Kay box with dirt or sand at all. I've seen this before, also I've seen Alfalfa pellets used, which would be much cleaner than sand or dirt...

Yes goose gets them in the same spot each time! How do you post a picture? She is in her terrarium to lay her eggs and is in calcium sand. I'm so worried they will get infected and cause health issues. I read somewhere that you can use warm saltwater to disinfect but I don't know how well it will work. How much of the solution do you use and how much water to dilute it?
 

AHBD

BD.org Sicko
Here's how to post pics :
https://www.beardeddragon.org/useruploads/ Then use the XIMG to upload

I echo Ellen's question, where is she digging that she has cuts on her face ? There must be some way to rearrange her digging area. If by some small chance these are self inflicted [ from her own claws ] then there's not much you can do to change that. One of my females snagged her mouth while digging intensely and cut her lip open quite a bit. When I saw the blood in her laybox as I was checking on her I thought the worst, that there was some type of internal bleeding. but it was her face. She went on to finish laying her eggs, I cleaned her up + applied raw honey to it. A small piece of her lip was gone but the wound healed so quickly that she was eating the very next day. She had a scar for the rest of her life though.

So you can use raw [ unpasteurized ] honey on it, no worry of it getting in her eyes or mouth because it's 100% beneficial , non toxic and can be used with better results than creams + ointments on any part of the body including directly in the eye. Lots of clinical documentation of the benefits of raw honey as a wound dressing.

Oh, and it's not harmful at all + very common for dragons that are less than 2 yrs. to lay eggs, that's an old thought started at random by someone that they are harmed by it.
 

AHBD

BD.org Sicko
Can you get some raw honey ? You can get it at any health food store or even a beekeeper. It will last for long time and can be used on any cut/scrape. Please post pics of her set up as well, that might show what she is scraping her face on while she digs.
 

anicole1020

Member
Original Poster
AHBD":9hrevlri said:
Can you get some raw honey ? You can get it at any health food store or even a beekeeper. It will last for long time and can be used on any cut/scrape. Please post pics of her set up as well, that might show what she is scraping her face on while she digs.

Yes I will post a picture in about an hour
 

anicole1020

Member
Original Poster
92930-1708274209.jpg
That's what her terrarium. She digs under her house, the sides of the water dish, along the back wall and sometimes under her wood stand
 

anicole1020

Member
Original Poster
anicole1020":1coy5xvr said:
AHBD":1coy5xvr said:
Can you get some raw honey ? You can get it at any health food store or even a beekeeper. It will last for long time and can be used on any cut/scrape. Please post pics of her set up as well, that might show what she is scraping her face on while she digs.

Yes I will post a picture in about an hour

92930-1708274209.jpg
 

destiny1998

Extreme Poster
Photo Comp Winner
Hi. I just want to say calcium sand is bad and can cause impaction. Please remove. Non adhesive shelf liner, paper towels or tile are easier to clean and don't harbour bacteria.
 

anicole1020

Member
Original Poster
destiny1998":14u8ow8j said:
Hi. I just want to say calcium sand is bad and can cause impaction. Please remove. Non adhesive shelf liner, paper towels or tile are easier to clean and don't harbour bacteria.

Hi, I understand where you are coming from but I was recommended by a vet that it is the most "natural sand" and safest for them where as walnut sand can hurt the digestive system and regular sand can also hurt. I clean her tank every day sometime twice and make sure to replace it as often as possible to make sure no bacteria is growing. I appreciate your concern and you looking out. Do you know of a good cheap antibiotic?
 

AHBD

BD.org Sicko
Is it possible that she's trying to get under her water bowl ? Have you watched her dig, like what areas she digs in the most ? Maybe there's a narrow area inside of the little cave on the left side. Can you see inside of it, turn it over + check to see if there's an area where her head could get jammed + cause those marks on her nose ?

And although they do need treatment, they are not really infected and anything can easily be washed off since the wounds do not appear to be deep. You can use a bit of diluted betadine [ mix with water to the color of iced tea ] and dab it on, but don't get it in her eyes, or you can use plain water + then apply the raw honey if you get some. Raw honey is a natural antibiotic.....just put that on it. I've used it on all my dragons that ever had any type of wound including eye infection + use it when I myself get a cut.

But I agree that the sand should be taken out, [ it's going to stick to the sores ! ] you can put down newspaper temporarily [ she'll enjoy shredding it ] and then get some non adhesive shelf liner when you can get to Walmart.
 

anicole1020

Member
Original Poster
AHBD":2tw50efh said:
Is it possible that she's trying to get under her water bowl ? Have you watched her dig, like what areas she digs in the most ? Maybe there's a narrow area inside of the little cave on the left side. Can you see inside of it, turn it over + check to see if there's an area where her head could get jammed + cause those marks on her nose ?

And although they do need treatment, they are not really infected and anything can easily be washed off since the wounds do not appear to be deep. You can use a bit of diluted betadine [ mix with water to the color of iced tea ] and dab it on, but don't get it in her eyes, or you can use plain water + then apply the raw honey if you get some. Raw honey is a natural antibiotic.....just put that on it. I've used it on all my dragons that ever had any type of wound including eye infection + use it when I myself get a cut.

But I agree that the sand should be taken out, [ it's going to stick to the sores ! ] you can put down newspaper temporarily [ she'll enjoy shredding it ] and then get some non adhesive shelf liner when you can get to Walmart.
I ended up purchasing vetericyn to spray on the wound, it was recommended by a vet when I called and also the owners of the reptile shop. Thank you so much for your help today I was so worried about what to do with goose and I don't have enough money to take her into the vet. I will totally remember your advice when my other lady lizard ,duck, starts to do the same thing! Hopefully her cuts heal up soon within a couple of days from the honey and the vetericyn spray!
 
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