My boyfriend and I brought home mister Leo about a week ago. Leo is about 2 years old, and has been owned by boyfriend’s little brother—who, unfortunately, was not at all caring for Leo like he should be. Marcus’ (boyfriend) Mom sent Leo home with us. Leo has this odd yellow crusty bit that I originally thought was a stubborn shed, mostly because it looks almost white in some lights, especially when being soaked. Upon further investigation, I fear it may be yellow fungus. I asked his previous owner how long that spot had been there, and he said Leo sheds it completely off and then it comes back... and it’s been like this for at least four months. Leo isn’t lethargic or picky about eating... very sweet, very loving. We just weren’t prepared to get a baby that may have some sort of horrible disease (and truthfully, we don’t really have the money as I am starting a new job on Wednesday. We spent a lot on getting his set up a little better.).
Is this in fact yellow fungus, and if so, is there a way to treat it at home? There’s a lot of conflicting stuff I’m reading and I don’t want to hurt him or let him suffer. Leo is really easily stressed when messing with his set up and freaks out a lot of its messed with too much, so we are worried about what he will do if we remove everything and lay down paper towels... it almost feels like that’ll lower his quality of life before the fungus does.
If it comes down to it, I will surrender him somewhere if that is the only way to treat him. I want him to live a comfortable life for however long he has left.
Hi. It does look like it, but to be sure you should take him to a herp vet and have it tested to be sure. Most of the time they need to treat it from the inside. Also don't give baths as it will cause it to spread. You can put over the counter antifungal cream on it.
I think the scabbing is a bit worrisome. I think a vet visit is in order so a skin test can be done. If you call ahead they should be able to tell you what the costs would be. If it does turn out to be YF, it can be treated with a combination of topical antifungal creams and orally with Voriconazole or similar antifungal compound. It's important to start treatment early but it can be managed successfully. The treatment can be done at home and isn't incredibly expensive. I also suggest (either way) having some F10 sanitizer on hand to disinfect surfaces to help prevent spread and re-infection. https://beanfarm.com/products/f10sc-veterinary-disinfectant-100-ml-3-4-oz