Blue Tongue Skink Mouth Rot: 5 Signs and Cure

Today, in this article, we will talk about blue tongue skin mouth rot symptoms, treatment, causes, and prevention, along with some tips. Mouth rot is a dangerous infection for Blue Tongue Skink. In this post, we are going to discuss the root causes of mouth rot or stomatitis.

Blue Tongue Skink Mouth Rot

Bluetongue skink mouth rot needs treatment and is generally caused by poor living conditions, affected immune system, improper diet, stress over a long period, vitamin deficiency, and even injury. 

Let’s know in detail about the causes of blue tongue skink stomatitis.

Blue Tongue Skink Mouth Rot Causes

• Prolonged Stress.

Keeping a blue tongue skink in stress for over a long period can result in mouth rot as well. Generally, it is caused when they are kept in a small housing, incorrect temperature and humidity, and diet.

• Improper Diet.

Feeding a blue tongue skink with soft foods continuously can result in stomatitis. Offering only soft food will result in affecting their gums and mouth.

• Bad Maintenance.

It is always recommended to keep them in clean housing. Make sure to clean their poop every day. Cleaning their substrates, bowls, and decora once a week is necessary.

Along with that, make sure to do a complete tank cleaning once a month at least. If a blue tongue skink lives in a deplorable unhygienic living condition, it will cause stomatitis too.

• Vitamin Deficiency.

Vitamin deficiency can also result in stomatitis. Vitamin C deficiency seems to be the primary culprit of vitamins affecting gums and mouth in reptiles.

• Affected Immune System.

Blue Tongue Skink usually has an innate immune response followed by an adaptive response. Being an ectotherm, their immune system can be affected by poor temperature.

If their immune system is not healthy or affected, it will result in mouth rot. Keep them at a stable temperature. You can read the best temperature for blue tongue skink here.

• Injury

Any injury around the head area or a severe wound in the body can result in mouth rot. In case of damage, professional help and medical treatment are required. Consult your veterinarian.

• Genetics

Sometimes, blue tongue lizards inherit some health issues from their parents as well. If their parent had a mouth rot previously, it could also be the cause of your Blue Tongue Lizards stomatitis.

I would recommend you contact your breeder and ask if their parents ever had an infection around their mouth.

It is rare to happen, but sometimes, blue tongue Lizard mouth rot can result from genetic inheritance.

Blue Tongue Lizard Mouth Rot Symptoms

• Damaged or rotten mouth scales.

Damaged mouth scales are the indication of Blue Tongue Skink Mouth Rot. If their mouth scales look broken or rotten, get them medical treatment as soon as possible. Awful or damaged mouth scale is the symptom of stomatitis advanced-stage.

• I am missing teeth or teeth.

In stomatitis advanced-stage, their teeth or tooth is likely to be missing. If this is the case, then no one other than a professional veterinarian can help them relieve.

• Redness around the gum area.

In the initial stage of stomatitis, their gum area will have redness or red spots. If this is the case, follow the treatment mentioned below.

• Unusual gums.

When reptiles have mouth rot, their gum tends to be swollen and primarily tender. It is also a significant and common symptom in blue tongue skink mouth rot.

• Secretion from the mouth.

If a blue tongue skink has stomatitis, yellow cheesy secretion from their mouth will be visible. If this is the case, get them checked at the nearest veterinarian.

Blue Tongue Skink Mouth Rot Prevention

• It would help to clean their mouth using a cotton swab at least once in 2-3 days to prevent infection or disease. Don’t brush their mouth; just a quick swap is needed.

• Do a complete tank cleaning once a month using a good quality disinfectant that isn’t toxic to two reptiles.

• Spot clean their feces every day because terrible living conditions can also result in infections and diseases for reptiles.

• Feed them a diet that exhibits their natural wild diet. Avoid giving them any soft food.

• Please keep them in a large tank with the right temperature and humidity level throughout the year. Stress due to minor housing, wrong temperature, humidity, blue tongue skink & other reptiles has diseases.

How do you treat mouth rot skinks?

Here we will discuss a few things that you need to do to treat blue tongue skink mouth rot.

• The first thing you should do when you notice mouth rot symptoms is to consult a professional. Call your veterinarian and get an appointment. It is good to treat it on your own if you have experience, but for a beginner and intermediate, treatment of mouth rot in a blue tongue skink can be challenging.

• Take your skink to the nearest veterinarian. 

After getting a proper appointment from your veterinarian, give a quick visit. Your vet can help you get all the medicines, an adequate diet in such conditions, and the appropriate treatment. After getting them checked at your nearest veterinarian, follow the third step.

• Clean blue tongue skink mouth. 

If you don’t know how to clean a reptile mouth, I would advise you to use the cotton slab and dilute it to a 1% betadine mix solution. Use it at night and also after their meal.

• Review their housing and living conditions. 

It is necessary to keep them in a hygienic environment. Keeping them in poor condition can result in mouth rot. So, it is better to review their housing again and to do a proper cleaning. Complete tank cleaning is advised using a disinfectant.

• Recheck their diet. 

It is good to consistently reach their diet because soft food can also increase stomatitis in blue tongue skinks. Consult your veterinarian to get a proper diet chart until your skink mouth rot is treated completely.

Final Thoughts

mouth rot in blue tongue skink can result from Vitamin C deficiency, poor living conditions, affected immune system, and many more. A symptom like swollen gums or rotten mouth scale is an indication of stomatitis. It is recommended to get them checked at your nearest veterinarian’s office for proper guidance.

It is a must to treat them fast; otherwise, it can result in difficulty swallowing or chewing food. It is a must to clean their mouth every day after their meal. Do a complete cleaning tank cleaning once a month at least. 

I hope I have given you all the information needed on blue tongue skink mouth rot causes, prevention, treatment, and symptoms. Other than mouth lot, a blue tongue skink scale can also rot. 

It is advisable also to read this guide where I have discussed blue tongue skink scale rot preventions, symptoms, causes, and treatments. I hope I have given you enough information needed on this topic. 

If you have any questions regarding their stomatitis, feel free to ask me in the comment section. Also, check our comprehensive guide on how to care for blue tongue skinks. I hope I will get another chance to help you out through another piece of article as well as, till then take care and goodbye.