Gum Swelling Worsens

[HeatherN]

my gu' has gum and eyelid swelling

My Extreme Giant, Tarot, had gum swelling issues awhile back, which mostly subsided. but lately he hasnt been eating much. he usually attacks the food with gusto, the starts refusing it after several bites by rubbing his face of the ground. he licks it like hes hungry, but instead rubs. the only time ive ever encountered this response with another lizard is with one of my beardies who kept getting bitten on the inside of his throat, causing pain when eating.

hes housed in a 4x2 as an 17 inch long juvie. basking 100-115 F, cool side 85. hes under a power sun with regular natural sunlight exposure. 50%-70% humidity on ecoearth. thats what the little dots on his face are, since i just woke him up. he eats various meats with calcium supplements minus D3.

the swelling also seems to be causing grey-ing on his jaw scales similar to the graying of his outter "lips". no pain reaction when palpated. theres nothing stuck in his gums, and no visible open lesions or pus. the swelling is firm, almost like bone.

you can see his jaw wont even close all the way sometimes, as well as his graying
[attachment=5431]

swollen eyelids are apparent, they stick out very far when his eyes are open
[attachment=5432]

thank you for reading, i cannot find i herp vet in this town, might have to take him to my prof of herpetology!

 

[james.w]

What exactly is his diet? What supplements are you using?

 

[HeatherN]

im using zoomed reptical without D3. he eats dubias, pinky mice, and ground turkey as of late.

 

[james.w]

It could be calcium related, as in not enough calcium. It could also be something very small stuck in his gums causing irritation.

 

[TeguBuzz]

I'd think it's some sort of irritation like James said. You may not see anything in there but the smallest bit of substrate can cause swelling in the gums thus resulting in inflammation of the eyes as well. Your best bet would be to take it to a vet or your Herp professor as you mentioned. If push comes to shove, try washing the gums out on a regular basis until swelling goes down; back when my gu had a similar problem, I did the same thing and swelling went down within a week and a half. I too did not see any substrate or chips in there but I guess there was something in there. Good luck and keep us posted.

 

[Pyr0kinesis]

To me it looks like his mouth\lips are drooping which if i recall is a sign of Metabolic bone disease.

 

[HeatherN]

thanks guys, doubt mbd though, he gets too many sources of calcium and UVB. thats what i had initially thought it was a while ago and increased his supplements and outside time. also replaced his bulb.

on another note, i took those pictures to the herpetology grad students, they couldnt tell me anything (dont blame em, a toughy), but they did refer me to a good vet maybe 30 mins away. unfortunately, hes out of town. plus i dont have a car. so i may have to try the prof first, or solicit a ride from someone. my midterms are next week too! my luck.

 

[tegus4life]

If nobody else knows what it is, you should probably go to a vet as soon as you can. Better safe than sorry and you don't want him suffering any more than he already has.

 

[HeatherN]

yeah he doesnt seem to be in too much pain (or any most of the time - outwardly), and his mouth hasnt been that open, he had just woken up in those pics. the only time i worry he's in pain is when he eats. but he did eat today, decent amount, wouldve preferred him to eat more.