Don't try to remove them give him a piece of sandstone,limestone,basalt,granite, etc and he will rub them off on his own. Make sure is doesn't have sharp edges that could injure him.
Definitely femoral pores. These are pores linked to glands that produce a waxy substance which is used as a scent marker.
Normally as a dragon moves about this waxy substance will scrape off onto rougher surfaces and deposit the dragons unique scent.
In the case of dragons that may not be as active for one reason o another or who don’t have any rougher surfaces in their enclosure this waxy substance can build up and harden and end up plugging up these pores.
When that happens you’ll see the surrounding area looks swollen and it may feel like there’s a firm lump under the skin and/or visible protrusions like those wind up kids crayons.
Definitely don’t squeeze them out yourself because that can introduce bacteria or result in bleeding as it is generally a very vascular area (meaning there’s a lot of blood vessels present that can be damaged)
You can address this by providing rough surfaces in the enclosure such as textured logs or something like a bit of sandstone and giving the dragon a soak in warm water to soften these plugs. You can also use a soft bristled toothbrush at that stage to give a very gentle scrub which can help to clear away the softened plugs.
If none of this seems to be working and the swelling and protrusions are continuing to get worse a vet trip would be in order to have them cleared out in a safe sterile environment.
They are femoral pores & they are likely darker because his hormone levels are higher due to breeding
season. The color of the pores vary depending on the time of year.
They don't look inflamed & if they aren't bothering him, I really wouldn't worry about it. You can bathe
him to soften them up some if needed but no need to squeeze them, or mess with them.
Definitely femoral pores. These are pores linked to glands that produce a waxy substance which is used as a scent marker.
Normally as a dragon moves about this waxy substance will scrape off onto rougher surfaces and deposit the dragons unique scent.
In the case of dragons that may not be as active for one reason o another or who don’t have any rougher surfaces in their enclosure this waxy substance can build up and harden and end up plugging up these pores.
When that happens you’ll see the surrounding area looks swollen and it may feel like there’s a firm lump under the skin and/or visible protrusions like those wind up kids crayons.
Definitely don’t squeeze them out yourself because that can introduce bacteria or result in bleeding as it is generally a very vascular area (meaning there’s a lot of blood vessels present that can be damaged)
You can address this by providing rough surfaces in the enclosure such as textured logs or something like a bit of sandstone and giving the dragon a soak in warm water to soften these plugs. You can also use a soft bristled toothbrush at that stage to give a very gentle scrub which can help to clear away the softened plugs.
If none of this seems to be working and the swelling and protrusions are continuing to get worse a vet trip would be in order to have them cleared out in a safe sterile environment.
Hi! Rocko still has these protrusions... They are larger now. I have been giving him baths nearly daily and 3 times a week with a mineral electrolyte mix to help. I have been applying coconut oil after baths and gently rubbing with a towel. I put a large coarse rock in his tank. He does not rub on the rock or any other items in his tank and generally lifts his tail and bottom up while moving.
What do I do know??
Please get some coconut oil on the pores -- get them nice a soft and use the toothbrush when they really start protruding like a candle stick they should come out
You can post another picture for us just so we can see. Most of the time, they will naturally rub down
& they wont hurt anything. They can become inflamed if they are messed with too often also.
Here
Here are some updated photos. I was putting coconut oil on him and tooth brushing after soaking in bath most days. Nothing had been changing. Then I put pure lanolin (which is what I use on my kids bums for rash and any burns we may get) on his underside after a soak, left him alone and 2 days later he began to lose the plugs. I have not treated at all and they have been coming out on their own.
Oh the indignity! LOL Have you soaked him? You can get some organic castille soap to gently
scrub him down. There might be some old retained shed on his underside, too. You can also use
some aloe vera gel or silver cream on those areas to soften them up right after a warm bath. There
is maybe only 1 pore that you could consider trying to remove. The one on the rightside that is protruding
slightly. It really is somewhat normal though for them to be a little darker in color.
Try getting him soaked & scrubbed down some, to see if you can get some of the darkness off to some
extent, then work on softening them up.
Be very careful if attempting to tweeze one out. It is very sensitive on those areas & if you are too
aggressive, you can hurt him & it can become damaged & infected.