Food stains/Too thin?

[Jennifer0148]

Can butternut squash stain a bearded dragon? I gave him some in small squares with his greens this morning. I give it to him in a round, low, flat bowl and he tends to climb in and sit on part of it as he eats. Today I was checking him over and I saw light yellow over his vent, leg, and foot. I nearly crapped my pants because I'm terrified of yellow fungus so I tried washing it off. The part I did rub washed off, but since I had to go to work, I couldn't finish bathing him. Tonight I plan on using a toothbrush to gently brush the rest off. Could that have been from the squash? Because yellow fungus doesn't just wash off, right? This wasn't there last night. Or I was thinking it could be excess liquid he excreted that was tinged yellow. He has gotten into the habit of pooping while on his log and maybe he lied on a bit of the excess liquid and it dried on there?

As for his size, he is about 11" long and I got him a month ago as a birthday gift. Apparently, he came from Petco, so I'm sure the conditions he was kept in weren't the best. I'm worried that he's too thin. The base of his tail doesn't look fat enough and I think I can see his hip bones. He eats leafy greens and 50-60 crickets a day and I use Repcal calcium and vitamins.

Also, I was wondering about his legs and arms, too. Is it normal for some dragons to just have longer arms, legs, and toes? The one I saw at Petco today had short, stubby arms, legs, and toes. Does that differ from dragon to dragon like it does in humans?

I apologize for the paranoia but it's my first bearded dragon. I have an appointment set up with a good herp vet in about a week (he's out until then), so I'll be able to see what is going on, if anything.

I guess he has grown, though. Here is a before on top and a now on the bottom:

 

[Jennifer0148]

I hope I get some responses because this is driving me nuts. I came home tonight and saw most of the yellow was gone. There is a thin area along the vent, right at the opening, that is faint yellow. Not crusty. Just smooth like the scales. As I was bathing him he pooped on the paper towel I had in my hand and sure enough the excess liquid excreted was yellow. Can butternut squash "dye" that liquid? It was the same color as what I saw on him earlier. I imagine the opening of the vent is still slightly yellow because that's where the residue of the excretion stays. He must have "peed" on himself earlier and it ran down the leg, tail, and foot and stuck until I started brushing it off.

He also got mad at me for bathing him and puffed up and turned his beard black. I noticed there was slight yellow on his beard when he did that, but given other posts I've seen, I assume those are his colors coming in. Right? Because it didn't look yellow or crusty when he finished bearding.

What did worry me was that before bathing him, I saw him flat on his stomach and chin dragging himself along his repticarpet. Like he was scratching an itch. I've seen him do it but only when he's shedding. I shone a flashlight on him and noticed that his chest is starting to look a creamy, very light yellow color just like he did before he finished shedding back on March 19. Could he be getting ready for another shed? So soon? Do they itch through the whole process and drag themselves on the carpet like that rather than just when the skin is ready to come off? One scale on his lip shed a couple days ago and there seems to be a single yellowish scale on his chin, which I assume is also going to be shedding by itself. It doesn't look crusty but it doesn't seem ready to come off. It didn't when I tried. I used a soft paper towel, a soft toothbrush, and my finger to gently brush/rub that scale. That won't hurt or irritate him, right? I didn't do it too hard. Just a few times to see if it would come off. I'm at the point where any yellow I see freaks me out and makes me think it could be fungus.

I appreciate any guidance here because I'm just learning.

I'm so scared and paranoid. He's fine otherwise but I need some peace of mind.

 

[Rampagingraptor]

Sorry, meant to answer this sooner.
Its almost definitely just the butternut squash if it is coming off easily, and his poop would change colors from eating the squash, so I wouldn't worry about it too much.
You can take a close, detailed picture of the areas in question if you want them checked just in case, though. We can look at it to see if its fine.
Beardies tend to shed very often at that age, so I wouldn't worry too much about that. They also tend to rub themselves against thing quite a bit when they are shedding. I mean, I would be that itchy if my skin was falling off.
And your beardies arms and toes look just fine, I wouldn't worry about it unless he is stumbling, limping, or something like that.

 

[Jennifer0148]

Thanks for the response. I appreciate it. I worry about everything and probably will until I see the vet for his first check up next week. I'm still getting used to his personality and his behavior, so when something new happens, I freak out. Here are some pictures of what I described above.

Here you can see the yellow on his right shoulder and right side of his beard, as well as on the edge of his right side. I also drew an arrow pointing right at the somewhat brighter yellow scale that is worrying me. It's just that one that looks a little bit more of a bright, colorful yellow. Based on searches I did on here, I would assume it's his colors coming? Or is he preparing for a shed? It's such a light yellow overall that it has probably been there all along and I didn't notice because I wasn't yet compulsively checking up on him.

Here is the yellow on his vent. That same yellow was on his left leg and foot and his tail, almost the whole length of it, yesterday. It washed off except along the vent, which I assume is because that's where he excretes waste and there's residue there.

Here you can see the same yellow on his left side as is on his right side in the first picture.

Here is a wider shot so you can sort of see the yellow on both sides at the same time.

Thanks for the help.

 

[Rampagingraptor]

Honestly, most of it looks like stains or her color coming in. You can wash it off with a brush like you did before, but if it is yellow fungus, that wouldn't be a good idea as it could spread in the bath. Most of it looks fine, though, so I wouldn't worry too much about it. Just take her to the vet and see what she says.

 

[Jennifer0148]

Thanks. It doesn't wash off like the stuff on his tail. That was just squash-colored fluid. The yellow on the pictures is very light and smooth, not crusty or gross looking. I think it's just his changing color or getting ready for another shed. I will take him in soon. The vet is out until next week, but I have an appointment. I just want to be a good mom and make sure I immediately notice anything that's off.

 

[Rampagingraptor]

If it seems to spread at all, it would be a good idea to mention it. Do keep us informed!
I'm sure he will be fine, though.