Strange thing on chin

[kmj4690]

deleted

 

[CooperDragon]

Welcome to the forum and thanks for taking her in and giving her a good home!

That does look like a scab or old wound to me. It doesn't look like it's swollen which is good. Hopefully the area will shed and start to go back to normal on it's own but keep a close eye on it, looking out for the dark area spreading further and looking out for swelling. Do you see any problems on the inside of her mouth? Is she eating without any obvious problems or discomfort?


When they close their eyes it does mean they want to be left alone but they aren't annoyed enough to run away or get aggressive (my interpretation based on my observations). You may see this less and less as she gets used to you being around and feels more comfortable in her new home but it may take a while.

 

[AHBD]

Hi there....good that she's eating + accepted your handling of her. That may be a spot rubbed raw or it may be a thick stain [ I doubt ] of poo or other sticky substance. Give her a warm soak + rub it lightly if you can. After drying, apply some raw honey [ from a health store or beekeeper ] It'a a natural antimicrobial. If you use honey, be sure there are no loose crickets in the tank that would be attracted to it.

 

[kmj4690]

Thanks for the tips! I will keep an eye on it but I just looked again and it looks like a part of it is coming loose. Like when the edge of a scab starts to come up. It certainly isn't swollen or infected from what I can see. I gave her a bath a few hours ago and she was very scared - clearly had never had a bath before but I'll add honey to the grocery list.

Also, good to know about the eye closing behavior. When she was in the tub I very lightly brushed her with a toothbrush to clean her up and she closed her eyes. Do they also do this when they are content/comfortable? Still learning how to read her.

Last question for now - what is normal consistency for dragon poop? Hers has been very very liquid. And incredibly smelly. Is this normal? Her previous owner fed her mice (yes...mice) so maybe she's just getting that stuff out of her system?

 

[CooperDragon]

Ugh, poor thing. The loose, smelly poop may indicate a parasitic infection. Try to clean up after her as quickly as possible and keep her enclosure/furniture sanitized using a steam cleaner or some F10SC to help prevent re-infection. I'd also pick up some probiotic like Acidophiliz+ and get her started on that. You'll probably want to bring a fecal sample to an experienced reptile vet for analysis and possible treatment for parasites but I'd wait at least a few weeks to let her settle in to her new home as the parasite count can be higher than normal around relocation. A normal looking poop should be relatively solid (some excess water is normal sometimes) with a white urate bit attached. Similar to this:

The color will vary depending on diet, but that's what it should look like in general. It should also not be clear the room stinky. Stinky to an extent but not overpowering.

 

[kmj4690]

Good to know. I ordered some Acidophiliz+ to get her on that. I'm concerned because it wasn't just "clear the room" stinky, but more like clear the house. All down the hallway, it smelled so awful. She has a vet appointment in a few weeks once she gets used to her new home but hopefully the Acidophiliz+ will help with this and any parasites. Poor girl.

 

[CooperDragon]

Yeah my guess is parasites so a test is probably very much warranted. Extra hydration and some probiotics along with settling in should help to an extent. If the vet can get a good read on which parasites are present then treatment should be pretty effective as well.

 

[kmj4690]

Thanks for the tips everyone. Her poop looks much better now. Her chin seems to be peeling more and she keeps rubbing her face on the hammock/rock/towel in her viv. She looks like she's about the shed so I assume she's trying to get it going? Hopefully the wound looks okay under it.

Another question - she just started head bobbing today. I gave her a bath today and placed her in the viv with a soft towel and she's LOVING the towel and is licking it and laying all over it. She is now standing on it and bobbing her head about 5 times every 30 min or so. There are no other animals around - is she doing it at me or just in general? It is slower bobbing and doesn't look aggressive, is she just claiming the viv as her home?

 

[AHBD]

It could be....there are many different reasons for the head bob. But that's good that she's doing better.