# HELP! Mouth Rot!



## Brockosaurus (Nov 15, 2011)

I think my Sulcata, Brock, has stomatitis (mouth rot)!
He hasn't eaten in a while but looks like he wants to because he will go up to it and put his face in it. I recently noticed some yellowish pus looking mould on the roof of his mouth, after some research I think it might be mouth rot.

Can anyone please tell me more about it like if i can get rid of it and prevent it from coming back? How i might be able to get rid of it? Is it really serious?

I haven't found any vets in my area that works on reptiles.

Any info will be greatly appreciated. 
Thanks.


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## Yvonne G (Nov 15, 2011)

Hi Brockosaurus:

Welcome to the Tortoise Forum!!

May we know your name and where you are?

This is from the Tortoise Trust web site:

"Stomatitis: If caught early, swab mouth twice daily with diluted Nolvasan or povidone-iodine (Betadine liquid). Severe infections need urgent veterinary treatment. Regular beak maintenance is important to prevent stomatitis. Some forms are caused by a herpes-group virus. Mixed colonies are much more at risk than small same-species groups maintained in isolation. Treatment is prolonged and often the prognosis is poor."


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## Brockosaurus (Nov 15, 2011)

I have some Betadine and am gonna start swabbing his mouth but i also read that vets actually take it out of their mouth so i did it with a toothpick and a q-tip. there was very little that stayed but i am going to try and get it all out everyday until there is no more. I am scared for my little guy


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## Maggie Cummings (Nov 15, 2011)

I looked at our Vet list and can't find one close to Alamo. Is that down by McAllen and Phar?


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## Brockosaurus (Nov 15, 2011)

Yeah its pretty close


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## nikki0601 (Nov 15, 2011)

This may be a stupid question but is this caused by the staining of food they get around their mouth? Mine always has a green stained beak, sometimes it wears away, like over night but as soon as he goes back to his moist greens in the morning and though out the day its stained again, try to clean it with water during soaks but seems I'd have to scrub it so I can never clean it well.. Sorry if it's like I hijacked this post, but figured my question contributes possibly to the orignal posters question, if not I'm sorry


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## ascott (Nov 16, 2011)

The green food stain is normal...as it will change colors depending on the goodies.....

I have nothing to add beyond what Yvonne has given as a reference....good luck in your care..you may want to post a pic or two for others to better offer suggestions....IMHO


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## dmarcus (Nov 16, 2011)

Hello and welcome.

I hope your little one gets better...


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## Tony the tank (Nov 16, 2011)

Ive used listerine for mouth rot on my snakes with good results...


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## Brockosaurus (Nov 17, 2011)

Tony the tank said:


> Ive used listerine for mouth rot on my snakes with good results...



Did you have to swab it too or is there a different method you use?


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## Tony the tank (Nov 17, 2011)

Well with the snakes..I would just pull there lips down or up scrub lightly with a soft toothbrush and rinse with listerine in a small squirt bottle... But with a tort I would guess you would have to use a soaked q-tip..I don't think they will swallow it at least the snakes hated it...But you need to be aggressive with it... Rinsing it 4-5 times a day...and if you can withhold food for a few days that helps also....but that depends on the size and general health of the animal...

Kept a bottle around incase one of the big boys nailed me..if you squirt it on there mouth they release pretty easy.....its alot quicker than waiting for them to release..

I use a carrot to check my torts mouth..they bite it and struggle to bite a piece off that gives me time to look around in there and extend there neck... But the same guise might be helpful to get a small brush in there to scrub it out good and swab it with listerine..

Good luck


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## Maggie Cummings (Nov 17, 2011)

I had a DBT that got tuberculosis with a mycoplasma that first showed itself as a soft mass in the roof of her mouth and when I took a q-tip to swab with Chlorhexadine the whole roof of her mouth came off on the swab. The point of telling you that is so you know that it could be something more than mouth rot. I would suggest that you need a Vet and a blood test to determine exactly what you really have. I know that money is tight but it could be serious...


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## wosman (Nov 17, 2011)

whats this "regular beak maintenance" part?
Does this mean I should be swabbing my tortoises mouth regularly or something?


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## SailingMystic (Nov 17, 2011)

Let me know if you want to speak to a good vet over the phone and email pictures -- take some pictures in case the vet needs to see them. Let me know! I'm in PA, but she's an awesome vet!


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## Brockosaurus (Nov 18, 2011)

Good news everyone! 

I found a vet nearby and he was really helpful. He told me that it was a fungal infection and he even showed me how to get his little neck out so that I could clean it with ease. The vet injected Brock with a few vitamins in case he was a little deficient. Things are starting to look up  Thanks for all your help and advice.


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## SailingMystic (Nov 20, 2011)

Yipppeeeee !! So glad to hear this!! Glad you were able to get him care! Whew  now you know...


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## Yvonne G (Nov 20, 2011)

Brockosaurus said:


> The vet injected Brock with a few vitamins in case he was a little deficient.



Darn it anyway! *"in case he was deficient"*?????????? Why do vets think that a tortoise needs a vitamin injection. This is so old school. 

Now you have to be very aware of skin problems with your poor stressed out tortoise. They DON'T need vitamin injections on a whim. If the vet did a blood test and determined that he needed vitamins, then ok, but not just *in case*!!!


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## Shelly (Nov 21, 2011)

emysemys said:


> Brockosaurus said:
> 
> 
> > The vet injected Brock with a few vitamins in case he was a little deficient.
> ...



You beat me to it, Yvonne.


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## Brockosaurus (Nov 21, 2011)

Well there was no blood test he just gave him the vitamins. 
What should I worry about now because the next day Brock was very sluggish, my girlfriend and I literally thought he had given up on life but today he showed us some signs of improvement, he was walking everywhere and when I put baby food in his mouth with a syringe he ate it (he wasn't eating it before, he would just leave it there in his mouth). 

Is there something else i should be looking out for?


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## Yvonne G (Nov 21, 2011)

Just watch his skin for signs its peeling off. Too much vitamin A causes skin to slough off and then the raw area gets infected. I would say lots of warm-water soaks are in order until he's back to normal.


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## Brockosaurus (Nov 21, 2011)

Ok thanks, we soak him on a regular basis because we dont want him to pyramid so were good there  
His skin is peeling off a bit around his mouth though and it does look like its starting to get infected but were also putting some diluted betadine in and around his mouth.


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