Mouth sore?

[FrankiesMom]

Hello. A while back I ran across something on here about a tortoise that got mouth rot or something like that and sadly did not survive. I am now in a panic as 2 days ago Frankie (7 month old leopard tortoise) was eating some dandelion pieces that were outside his food dish and laying on top of his substrate (cypress mulch.) He seemed to have gotten poked by some of the sharp pieces of the substrate, spit out his food, and stopped eating. There wasn't any blood or anything but he hasn't eaten much since. He normally inhales hibiscus flowers and hasn't touched those. Could he have hurt his mouth or is it likely just a coincidence he's not eating much? Do they automatically get mouth rot if they injure their mouth? Prior to this incident, he was a litte piggy and eating a ton...and had actually finally started eating his Mazuri diet that I had been trying to get him to eat since I got him in March.
Any thoughts on this would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Yvonne G]

I know this isn't going to be easy, but you're going to have to get a look in his mouth.

No, there's no chance that it's mouth rot.

 

[FrankiesMom]

He's so tiny. I wouldnt know how to hold his head or open his mouth.
I love it when he yawns so maybe I can get a good look then.
How do you get a tiny torti to open his mouth?

 

[Ben02]

He's so tiny. I wouldnt know how to hold his head or open his mouth.
I love it when he yawns so maybe I can get a good look then.
How do you get a tiny torti to open his mouth?

I’ve found away to check the mouth but they need to still need to be eating. You put the tiny tort on your chest, hold a piece of Mazuri above his head and he should reach his head up to eat it. You can now see the rooth of the mouth. It’s worth a try.

(If you need this explained more please ask, I rushed a bit as I’m in transit)

 

[katieandiggy]

It’s actually quite easy once you know how. I tipped my tort up vertically and naturally the head comes out from the shell. Get a finger and thumb behind the neck to hold the head out. Then use the other hand to gently lower the bottom jaw.
(I tube fed my tortoise for a week and first time it was a nightmare, once you master it it’s quite easy on a small tort)

 

[LeeB60]

How do I hold his head, open his mouth and get the syringe in it all at the same time???...lol