My Leopard Gecko has large scabs on side of mouth?! URGENT PLEASE HELP.

**Hopemanniing** · 03-08-2021, 09:51 PM

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I'm sorry in advance, but this is going to be a long post, but I want to make sure I put all the info in. I've had my leopard gecko since she was a baby, she's about 3 1/2 years old. Ive never had any issues with her until this winter. She was having shedding problems on her nose and she was breathing out of her mouth. Each time I brought her to the vet they cleared her nose and it always got covered up again the next day and she continued to breath through her mouth. She then got some mouth rot, and I brought her back to the vet to get antibiotics. She refused to eat because her mouth was sore and has dropped a good amount of weight since them. She used to be 72grams and now shes around 64 grams. Her past shed it seemed the mouth rot had fully healed, and yesterday I get home to the sides of her mouth with scabs or possibly dried blood? I took her out, put some chlorohexdine on it and put her back in her tank. Came to check on her today and the scabbing has become much worse. She is currently on paper towels in 20 gallon long tank, with an under the tank heat mat, a 50 watt halogen light, two hides and a moist hide, and a bowl of water, calcium, and a bowl where i put some mealworms. I'm nervous she may be getting worse. I would appreciate it if someone could give me some advice. I called the vet and I'm bringing her the soonest the vet is available but I would like to know what im dealing with, I dont want anything happening to my baby. Thank you.

**Elizabeth Freer** · 03-08-2021, 11:51 PM

Hi ~

Please list the exact brand, name, and frequency of use of your leo's powdered supplements.

What are the temps of the ground underneath her warm dry hide as measured with a digital thermometer with a probe or a temp gun.
What are the ground temps of her cool end?
What dimensions is her heat mat as compared to the size of her 20 long?

**Hopemanniing** · 03-09-2021, 11:57 AM

Originally Posted by Elizabeth Freer

Hi ~

Please list the exact brand, name, and frequency of use of your leo's powdered supplements.

What are the temps of the ground underneath her warm dry hide as measured with a digital thermometer with a probe or a temp gun.
What are the ground temps of her cool end?
What dimensions is her heat mat as compared to the size of her 20 long?

Hi I have a bowl always in her tank of the Repashy’s superfood calcium plus. Currently I upped her hot side to high 80s low 90s, her ground temp is around mid 80s on hot side. and her cool side is around mid 70s. Her heat mat is the reptitherm the 10-20 gallon size. It’s under her hot hide and a little out of it as well. Sorry I hope that makes sense, I’m currently not home right now to give exact answers.

**acpart** · 03-09-2021, 09:49 PM

While you're waiting for the vet, consider using a q-tip and warm water to gently clean the mouth area and to see if you can get some of the gunk off. I had a gecko that constantly had plugged nostrils in the winter and the vet suggested using a little bacitracin on the nostrils to loosen the plug. It worked well. You may want to wait until you can get to the vet to ask about that, or you could try a little now.

Aliza

**Elizabeth Freer** · 03-10-2021, 04:18 AM

Originally Posted by Hopemanniing

I'm sorry in advance, but this is going to be a long post, but I want to make sure I put all the info in. I've had my leopard gecko since she was a baby, she's about 3 1/2 years old. Ive never had any issues with her until this winter. She was having shedding problems on her nose and she was breathing out of her mouth. Each time I brought her to the vet they cleared her nose and it always got covered up again the next day and she continued to breath through her mouth. She then got some mouth rot, and I brought her back to the vet to get antibiotics. She refused to eat because her mouth was sore and has dropped a good amount of weight since them. She used to be 72grams and now shes around 64 grams. Her past shed it seemed the mouth rot had fully healed, and yesterday I get home to the sides of her mouth with scabs or possibly dried blood? I took her out, put some chlorohexdine on it and put her back in her tank. Came to check on her today and the scabbing has become much worse. She is currently on paper towels in 20 gallon long tank, with an under the tank heat mat, a 50 watt halogen light, two hides and a moist hide, and a bowl of water, calcium, and a bowl where i put some mealworms. I'm nervous she may be getting worse. I would appreciate it if someone could give me some advice. I called the vet and I'm bringing her the soonest the vet is available but I would like to know what im dealing with, I dont want anything happening to my baby. Thank you.

Originally Posted by Hopemanniing

Hi I have a bowl always in her tank of the Repashy’s superfood calcium plus. Currently I upped her hot side to high 80s low 90s, her ground temp is around mid 80s on hot side. and her cool side is around mid 70s. Her heat mat is the reptitherm the 10-20 gallon size. It’s under her hot hide and a little out of it as well. Sorry I hope that makes sense, I’m currently not home right now to give exact answers.

Has your leo ever had an upper respiratory tract infection like pneumonia?
Are you seeing an Exotics vet specialist?
Have you been using the "standard" Repashy's Calcium Plus, NOT Repashy's HyD or LoD products?
Please share photos of your 3.5 yo leo's mouth.

Your leo's immune system could be less than adequate due to sub-optimal temperatures. I'm glad you've increased the heat. I recommend keeping the heat increased. Temps like the following chart indicates should always be available.

Temperatures - A temperature gradient from warm to cool maintains your leo's health. Here's a temperature guide for all leopard geckos as measured with the probe of a digital thermometer or a temp gun. Set your thermostat at 91*F/32.8*C.

Tape the thermostat's probe and a digital thermometer's probe together, but offset a little. Place them right on top of the substrate underneath the warm dry hide. If you use a UTH + a CHE you'll need 2 separate thermostats, because ground and air temperatures are substantially different.

Warm dry hide ground temperature: 88-92 F (31.1-33.3 C) inside a leo's warm dry hide.
Warm humid/moist hide: Place the humid hide 100% on top of the heat mat. Keep temperatures similar to the warm dry hide.
Cool dry hide ground temperature: 70ish-75 F (21.1-23.9 C) Usually the cool end ground temperature matches the room temperature where the enclosure sits.
no greater than 82ish F (27.8ish C) surface temperature - 4 inches (10 cm) above ground on the warm end
no greater than 75 F (23.9 C) surface temperature - 4 inches (10 cm) above ground on the cool end

Leave your heat mat on 24/7 IF ambient room temperatures drop lower than 67ish*F (19.4*C). If NOT, during the night turn off overhead lighting/heating (~12 hours on and ~12 hours off)

Your Reptitherm 10-20 gallon heat mat covers only a tiny spot in a 20 long enclosure! Common heat mat recommendations are either 1/3 to 1/2 ground coverage. I recommend getting an Ultratherm 11 x 17 inch heat mat. That will NOT be overkill. Reptile Basics (336-308-5767) and the Reptile Supply Co (916-226-4089) based in Lodi, California carry 11 x 17 inch Ultratherms for about $22.

The heat mat should be hooked to a thermostat. I also recommend placing both the warm dry hide + the moist hide directly on top of the heat mat.

I think it's better to lightly dust supplements onto the feeders rather than leaving supplements in the enclosure for free access.

Here's the Repashy's Calcium Plus (all-in-one multivitamins) schedule that GU's acpart (Aliza Arzt) has used for all her leopard geckos ----> breeders and non-breeders. You may need 2 different powders.

-----> February 2019 -- "I've been using an 'every other' feeding schedule with Repashy's Calcium Plus since 2009. Adults get fed Mondays and Thursdays. They get Repashy on Thursdays.

"I fed juveniles and hatchlings 3 times a week. (They would be getting mealworms so there would always be some in their bowls.) For juveniles I'd dust with Repashy's Calcium Plus at every other feeding. For hatchlings 0-2 months old & any slow-growing leopard geckos under ~6 grams, I would also dust every other feeding in addition to keeping plain calcium in the cage 24/7."

Aliza

Repashy's Calcium Plus (all-in-one multivitamins)
(withOUT UVB)

Metabolic bone disease (MBD) symptoms include uneven (lopsided) gait, walking on one or both "elbows", bowed limbs, belly dragging, and an underbite. Difficulty chewing should be closely monitored.

1. Feeding & Supplementing HATCHLING leopard geckos - 0-2 months old & any slow-growing leopard geckos under ~6 grams ~ Feed 3x per week.

Feed Tuesdays, Thursdays, & Saturdays
Dust prey with Repashy's Calcium Plus (all-in-one) multivitamins at every other feeding
ALSO: Keep a bottle cap of plain calcium in the cage 24/7.
[See dusting chart below]

2. Feeding & Supplementing JUVENILE leopard geckos ~ Feed 3x per week.

Feed Tuesdays, Thursdays, & Saturdays
Dust prey with Repashy's Calcium Plus (all-in-one) multivitamins at every other feeding
[See dusting chart below]

3. Feeding & Supplementing ADULT leopard geckos ~ Feed 2x per week.

Mondays ~ feed (no dusting)
Thursdays ~ feed & dust prey with Repashy's Calcium Plus (all-in-one) multivitamins

\/ \/ \/

R = Repashy's Calcium Plus, Cc = pure precipitated calcium carbonate (withOUT vitamin D3)

Week 1 Repashy dusting (for HATCHLINGS & JUVENILES):
M-------T-------W------Th-------F-------Sat-------Sun
............R..................................... ......R...................

Week 2 Repashy dusting (for HATCHLINGS & JUVENILES):
M-------T-------W------Th-------F-------Sat-------Sun
..................................R............... ...........................

-----> For hatchlings 0-2 months old & any slow-growing leopard geckos under ~6 grams: Aliza also places a bottle cap of pure precipitated calcium carbonate (withOUT vitamin D3) in the cage 24/7.

For link 144 click: Repashy's Calcium Plus (all-in-one) multivitamin Schedules for Leopard Geckos -- December 2020 (update)