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.
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...
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.
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
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.
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!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.
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