PLEASE HELP!! What IS this?!

[rubi9229]

I noticed this black ring on Pancake in the bath today. I tried touching it and her head TWITCHES every time I touch it. I tried stroking her other legs to make sure she wasn't just not enjoying being touched, but that wasn't the case. It must hurt, but I don't know what it is. I guess I need to take her to the vet again. Does anyone know what this is?! Please help. Freaking out.

 

[rubi9229]

Here's what it looks like now that she's dry. Still freaked out about it.

 

[AHBD]

She might have injured herself slightly on something in the enclosure or it might be some type of fungus or blemish. Whatever it is it doesn't look serious .Can she come in contact with any heat source ? Post a few pics of the enclosure.

 

[rubi9229]

She might have injured herself slightly on something in the enclosure or it might be some type of fungus or blemish. Whatever it is it doesn't look serious .Can she come in contact with any heat source ? Post a few pics of the enclosure.

Her enclosure is pretty bare at the moment (I'm building her some rock structures) and there's no way for her to come into contact with her heat source as it's all from above. I don't think she could've have injured herself which makes me extra worried about what it could be.

 

[KarrieRee]

Her enclosure is pretty bare at the moment (I'm building her some rock structures) and there's no way for her to come into contact with her heat source as it's all from above. I don't think she could've have injured herself which makes me extra worried about what it could be.
View attachment 81157

She may have rubbed that arm on the box

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

It is possible she rubbed her arm on something in the tank, not sure. How long has that area looked
like that?
If she flinches like that then it likely does hurt her some.
You could get some raw unpasteurized honey to put on the area for awhile to see if that helps to clear
it up at all.

Tracie

 

[rubi9229]

Hello,

It is possible she rubbed her arm on something in the tank, not sure. How long has that area looked
like that?
If she flinches like that then it likely does hurt her some.
You could get some raw unpasteurized honey to put on the area for awhile to see if that helps to clear
it up at all.

Tracie

I'm not sure exactly how long. I noticed both her upper arms looked a little dark when she got back from the vet a few weeks ago but I thought she was just dark from stress. She was getting sutures removed from her belly and they said she was being very "spicy" so I'm wondering now if she might have gotten hurt at the vet? After that i didnt really notice anything except I remembered passively thinking she might be shedding there as it looked dark right at the top of her arms and then very light right under the dark part. It was weird. I only noticed the black ring about 20 minutes before I made the post yesterday.
I will put some raw unpasteurized honey on it and keep watching the area. Thank you.

 

[Spider8ait1994]

I second the honey. It does look like she has a couple of loose scales just above the patch in the first image.
This is pretty odd and not something I’ve seen before. I would advise you definitely keep an eye on this to see if the affected area grows in size or changes in any way.
If it grows or starts looking worse I’d definitely take her to a reptile specialist vet to have it checked just to be safe but for now the honey is something to try (particularly Manuka honey. That can be expensive but it is the one that has a whole lot of advantageous properties for healing to the point that over here they use the stuff in sea turtle rehabilitation for wound treatment)

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

How are things going, have you tried using the honey on her arm yet? It should help to heal it up,
but if not, it would be a good idea to have a vet look at it to be sure it isn't a pocket of infection that
will turn into an abscess for some reason.
Is she eating normally still?
Let us know how she is doing.

Tracie

 

[rubi9229]

Hello,

How are things going, have you tried using the honey on her arm yet? It should help to heal it up,
but if not, it would be a good idea to have a vet look at it to be sure it isn't a pocket of infection that
will turn into an abscess for some reason.
Is she eating normally still?
Let us know how she is doing.

Tracie

It doesn't look any different but I did put the raw honey on it. Her appetite is good-- better than its ever been since she had surgery in March, actually. She's chill and alert. I'm going to give her another bath today and reapply the honey. I'm gonna keep watching her and try to get her an appointment when the vet opens.

I have the vet's cell number and could text him-- does anyone know if that's rude to ask for advice outside of making an appointment? Like if I just sent him a picture and asked what he thought?

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

That's good it isn't getting worse so far. Keep on applying the honey, daily & hopefully it will start
to look better. It sounds like she is doing well overall. Is she basking normally?
A lot of vets will answer a few questions on the phone or text. Have you ever met with him before?
Let us know how things are going.

Tracie

 

[rubi9229]

Hello,

That's good it isn't getting worse so far. Keep on applying the honey, daily & hopefully it will start
to look better. It sounds like she is doing well overall. Is she basking normally?
A lot of vets will answer a few questions on the phone or text. Have you ever met with him before?
Let us know how things are going.

Tracie

Actually she's not basking the same as she used to. She hasn't gone to where it's 98-100⁰F in her tank in quite a while and I think it's affecting her digestion (I'm seeing a lot of undigested food in her stool). She'll sit where the surface temperature is low 90s or high 80s or she'll go in her log under the basking spot which is in the 80s. Then when she goes to bed she stays in the log or goes back to sleep in her temporary cardboard hide on the cool side. However, I've noticed her mouth opening sometimes to regulate her temperature in areas I thought were low 90s which she usually only does under her basking spot. Maybe I need a new temp gun.

I wish I knew if the timing of all this correlated with her return from getting her sutures removed, since the vet techs did it and not the vet. I'm really starting to wonder if they hurt her since she was apparently acting "spicy" (of course she was, that must've hurt. I was shocked they didn't prescribe any kind of pain medication after her spay or before this).

I've met with the vet a few times and he gave me his number after he did her spay surgery. I've texted him a few times since then to ask questions about her recovery and make sure she's healing normally.

I actually texted him about the incision site yesterday to make sure it looked normal. They're closed on Sundays and Mondays but I am going call the office tomorrow to see if I can get her a checkup for Thursday or Saturday.

I'll keep it up with the honey and update if anything changes.

 

[xp29]

If you are using an ir temp gun they can be highly inaccurate on some materials. A much better option is digital probe thermometers. You can pick them up for 10 to 15 bucks at petsmart. Just put the probe in the basking spot for 10 minutes or so and compare to your temp gun. I bet you find a discrepancy.

 

[Hazel_Basil10]

Hello,
sorry to hear about your beardie! That looks like it hurts! I agree an ir temp gun can be inaccurate, I'd prefer to get a digital probe thermometer. It's the easiest and the most accurate way to see temps. hows it doing? have you scheduled and appointment for her yet? Glad to hear shes alert and eating!

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

Oh I didn't know she had been spayed. Do you think they injured her on her arm, by giving a
shot possibly?
How is she doing today?
I agree, maybe try getting another temp gun, or also using a digital probe inside of the tank just
so you can use a couple of methods to be sure it isn't getting too hot. There is usually a reason
why they wont bask.

Tracie