Exposed pink flesh at hip joint, painful, possible growth?

[dugost]

Hi. I'm new to the forums and need some advice on an issue concerning my girlfriend's son's bearded dragon, Cricket. I'm providing some context on the situation in case it helps, also because we're fairly new to having Cricket as a pet, I think since last spring, and wonder if maybe we're doing something wrong.

Today I put her in a very shallow bath of warm water, something we usually do once a week, as per the previous owner's instructions, because this is apparently when Cricket likes to drink and then often (but not always) poops. Rarely does she do this in her vivarium.

In any case, she was fine and sipped some water until I gently splashed a bit of water across her back. Then she FLIPPED out. I thought I had hurt her by possibly catching the end of my finger on her toe but afterward her body language pointed to a problem at her hip.

She scrambled from the bath and hid in the corner, throat turning black and mouth open, but would occasionally freak out and bend back as if something was hurting her leg. Eventually she was calm enough to wrap up in a little blanket and I put her back in her vivarium without any fuss.

However, I noticed the skin where her rear leg joins her hip appeared cracked through the scales and a little pink flesh was visible. There also appeared to be a mass or some sort of growth near the crack as well.

This is something we've noticed in the past few weeks but attributed it to shedding and she never seemed to be bothered by it. It's now very concerning and looks like it may have bled a little bit.

I've included some photos that show the area close up as well as the opposite leg which doesn't have the same issue, and a photo of Cricket from mid-September before there was any underlying flesh visible in the crack between the leg and hip.



Can anyone tell me what might be happening and if this is a normal issue for bearded dragons? What can we do to treat the issue and help her heal?

 

[PatsyB]

You can clean the area with a little bit of diluted betadine. I'm really not sure what is going on there. Looks like maybe stuck shed that ripped away or something. Do you leave bugs in the tank? If so, it could have gotten bit by a bug.

I would have a vet take a look at it and make sure that it's nothing serious.

 

[Hdrydr31]

Yea I would agree it looks like stuck shed that has pulled open by the movement, the other leg looks like some stuck shed there too.. I do think having a reptile vet take a look and get it cleaned out and on meds if need be so it doesn't get infected making things worse.

 

[dugost]

You can clean the area with a little bit of diluted betadine. I'm really not sure what is going on there. Looks like maybe stuck shed that ripped away or something. Do you leave bugs in the tank? If so, it could have gotten bit by a bug.

I would have a vet take a look at it and make sure that it's nothing serious.

 

[dugost]

You can clean the area with a little bit of diluted betadine. I'm really not sure what is going on there. Looks like maybe stuck shed that ripped away or something. Do you leave bugs in the tank? If so, it could have gotten bit by a bug.

I would have a vet take a look at it and make sure that it's nothing serious.

I called our local pet supply and they don't carry any betadine (small town, not much for options) but I'll look online. There were crickets in there with her but only recently, We noticed the cracked skin a little while ago.

Yea I would agree it looks like stuck shed that has pulled open by the movement, the other leg looks like some stuck shed there too.. I do think having a reptile vet take a look and get it cleaned out and on meds if need be so it doesn't get infected making things worse.

I'm glad I shared the photo of the other leg too, then. Is there anything to be done about stuck shed? I'd like to prevent it happening on the other leg but I have no idea what to do but I do know we're not to pull any shedding skin from her body.

I'll be checking with nearby vets to see if any will take a look at her.

 

[PatsyB]

You can by Betadine at the drug store by the first aid stuff. It's something we can use on ourselves. Betadine is the brand name but you can buy the store generic version and it works the same.

 

[PatsyB]

When they are shedding you can give them more frequent warm baths to help loosen the skin. You can also use 100% pure aloe vera (again, you can buy at the drug store, it's by the laxatives). The other important thing to remember is after a bath you need to make sure you dry her real good. Standing water in the skin creases can cause infections.

 

[dugost]

You can by Betadine at the drug store by the first aid stuff. It's something we can use on ourselves. Betadine is the brand name but you can buy the store generic version and it works the same.

Perfect. Thanks, I'll take a look next time I'm at the store.

When they are shedding you can give them more frequent warm baths to help loosen the skin. You can also use 100% pure aloe vera (again, you can buy at the drug store, it's by the laxatives). The other important thing to remember is after a bath you need to make sure you dry her real good. Standing water in the skin creases can cause infections.

I've done a lot of reading and watched a bunch of videos on care and feeding since I posted here. I've learned quite a bit and will definitely be bathing her more often to help loosen some of that stubborn skin. Hopefully it will help with the issues at her hips.

Regarding drying after bathing and standing water on the skin, I've come across people saying bearded dragons should be misted between baths. Some said daily, some said every second day. It's tough to find consensus on what to do but would misting them be considered leaving standing water on the skin?

 

[PatsyB]

It used to be believed that dragons absorbed water through their skin, more specifically through their vent. It’s been proven that the only way they get water is orally. Whether it be from bugs, veggies or from actually drinking water. Misting a dragon is setting them up for respiratory infections or skin infections. Misting may help with a dragon that is shedding but it’s better and easier to use a product that is meant to aid shedding like Reptile Shedding Aid or pure aloe. Just note, when using a product that has oils in it, do it at night when the lights go out so that the dragon doesn’t get burned.

 

[dugost]

It used to be believed that dragons absorbed water through their skin, more specifically through their vent. It’s been proven that the only way they get water is orally. Whether it be from bugs, veggies or from actually drinking water. Misting a dragon is setting them up for respiratory infections or skin infections. Misting may help with a dragon that is shedding but it’s better and easier to use a product that is meant to aid shedding like Reptile Shedding Aid or pure aloe. Just note, when using a product that has oils in it, do it at night when the lights go out so that the dragon doesn’t get burned.

Thank you. That's great advice. I'll skip misting her, give her baths only, and be sure to dry her off well. I'm just worried that I'm going to irritate that area by handling her more than usual. Hopefully not but I'll try using aloe vera from the plant I have here on the spots that look to have stuck shed.

I've seen someone use a soft-bristled toothbrush during bath time to help remove shedding skin. I definitely don't want to cause any damage by taking off stubborn skin prematurely but do you think this is safe to try with Cricket? She often seems to have a lot sticking around her hind end by her legs and base of her tail.

 

[PatsyB]

A soft bristled brush is great, I would just avoid that area where the sore is.

 

[dugost]

A soft bristled brush is great, I would just avoid that area where the sore is.

Thank you so much for your help!

 

[Hdrydr31]

Just carefully brush intact areas that have the stuck shed while in a nice warm bath, remember not to pull any shed off as you can cause damage to the scales below or to their skin.. In time and freq baths that stuck shed will loosen and will come off..

 

[dugost]

Just carefully brush intact areas that have the stuck shed while in a nice warm bath, remember not to pull any shed off as you can cause damage to the scales below or to their skin.. In time and freq baths that stuck shed will loosen and will come off..

Thanks. I'll give that a shot tonight after she's soaked in a warm bath for a while.

 

[dugost]

So after giving Cricket frequent baths and applying fresh aloe vera to the joint areas of the hips a couple of times a day, we've determined that it was not a growth under the skin but possibly a mix of shedding skin and a scab from a bit of bleeding from the exposed skin underneath. I stayed away from that area with the toothbrush while she was in a warm bath and it gradually loosened until yesterday when it came right off while she was in her enclosure. Cricket was not happy about it either.

While I was applying aloe (dripping it down onto the wound, not rubbing) she became agitated and uncomfortable then either tore off the shed with her mouth or it simply came off when she flipped out. It happened very fast and now we can see that there's thankfully no growth but she's left with an open patch of exposed flesh.



It looks painful and we're worried about it getting infected. I'm hesitant to give her another bath in case sitting water will cause problems or the water will irritate the skin. Plus I don't want to try drying that area off. I'm also unsure if I should apply any more aloe or spray diluted betadine on the area.

Is a crack in the scales and exposed flesh a common thing for reptiles? Will the scales grow back over in time and what should be be doing to treat the area?

There's a vet that treats exotics but only a couple of times a week so we're going to call back for advice and possibly an appointment. It's an hour away, though, and I worry about travelling with Cricket now that it's cold out.

 

[Canicke]

hi - hold off on the baths. I would try applying some Neosporin ointment (triple antibiotic) - maybe with a qtip. poor baby.

 

[dugost]

hi - hold off on the baths. I would try applying some Neosporin ointment (triple antibiotic) - maybe with a qtip. poor baby.

I'll definitely hold off on bathing her until it heals. I don't want to rub anything on it, the skin looks so tender. I may try to thin out an antibiotic ointment or cream so I can drip it over the area.

Does anyone know if the skin will heal and eventually build up to scales again? I can't seem to find any info that describes how healing reptile skin works.

 

[Jess.MarksWife]

Hello, sorry to say that this looks exactly how my beardie did a while ago. Come to find out, it was a burn from extra sauder on the basking light bulb. The sauder got hot and melted and dropped right on him. We've been battling this for several months. Gave him betadine baths, pit neosporin on his leg and no improvements. It's just gotten worse over time. I guess my only regret is, not taking him to the reptile vet because the closest one to me is over 2 hours away. He's not doing so well now..infact, we believe is he dying. He's very lethargic, will not eat, stays laying low in his tank. I wish you all the best in getting yours better.


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[BeardedHippy]

Hi, its worth noting that as bearded dragons have such slow metabolisms, wounds can take months of care to heal. Its best not to irrigate the wound, so no baths. Betadine and neosporin are great, plus the neosporin acts as a barrier to keep germs out of the wound, however oral antibiotics from your vet may be needed. You also need to keep your dragons environment as sterile as possible, so no substrate, just clean paper towels and remove poops/spilled food as quickly as possible. The same applies to Jess.MarksWife, it may not be as bad as you think as the lethargy comes naturally at this time of the year, a trip to the reptile vet for oral antibiotics is needed

 

[dugost]

Hello, sorry to say that this looks exactly how my beardie did a while ago. Come to find out, it was a burn from extra sauder on the basking light bulb. The sauder got hot and melted and dropped right on him. We've been battling this for several months. Gave him betadine baths, pit neosporin on his leg and no improvements. It's just gotten worse over time. I guess my only regret is, not taking him to the reptile vet because the closest one to me is over 2 hours away. He's not doing so well now..infact, we believe is he dying. He's very lethargic, will not eat, stays laying low in his tank. I wish you all the best in getting yours better.

I am so very sorry to hear about that happening to your beardie. That sounds absolutely awful. The poor thing. I really hope he gets better and heals properly.

In our case, I don't think it's a burn but the result of caught shed that was possibly pulled off too early somehow. We don't take anything off, we let her do the work. She's been very lethargic since I applied an antibiotic ointment to her wound. I'm hoping she's just resting, possibly brumating, as she hasn't had much of an appetite at all lately which happens every so often.

Hi, its worth noting that as bearded dragons have such slow metabolisms, wounds can take months of care to heal. Its best not to irrigate the wound, so no baths. Betadine and neosporin are great, plus the neosporin acts as a barrier to keep germs out of the wound, however oral antibiotics from your vet may be needed. You also need to keep your dragons environment as sterile as possible, so no substrate, just clean paper towels and remove poops/spilled food as quickly as possible. The same applies to Jess.MarksWife, it may not be as bad as you think as the lethargy comes naturally at this time of the year, a trip to the reptile vet for oral antibiotics is needed

I'll call the vet on Fri when they're next in to see about any advice they have and medications. Thank you. I'll also remove the reptile sand from her enclosure tomorrow and be sure to keep it as clean as possible.

I'll see about using some betadine or possibly an antibiotic cream instead of the ointment. She was in a lot of distress as I applied it with a q-tip, even after warming it a little to make it a bit runny. With a cream I can dilute it with distilled water enough that it can drip onto the area, which she handles better.

I appreciate everyone's advice!