Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I recently purchased a female beardie about 2 1/2 years old.
Husbandry is good, proper lighting, UV requirements, feeding on crickets - roaches - worms ans a wide varity of vegetables.
Basking is 103 - 107 with a cooler spot at the other end of the cage.
She has this condition with her skin that I just can't seem to find any threads that relate to. At first I thought it was a shed problem and that her skin was not shedding properly because she has some grey patches where is didn't finish shedding...but the concern I have is from her neck to the area around her ear looks like it has a massive shed build up. I give her a bath every other day to try to loosen the skin and help aid in the shedding...but it doesn't seem to help. It looks almost like a human scab that has been soaked in water...really gross. The main concern is that is looks dry and cracked as well and started crusting near her ear???
Any suggestions? Is this just shed or could it be something more serious like a skin infection? How can I tell? I would hate to rush her to the vet to find out it is only shed build up
Thanks in advance for your help

have you tried to carefully remove it after its soaked? If it is just old stuck shed it should come off fairly easily after a soak.

Pictures will be helpful as well.

Only other thing I can think it may be is yellow fungus disease...which tends to look more yellow in color but can appear grey or dried mustard brown coloration.

A google search on yellow fungus disease will reveal articles to give you more information about the disease as well as pictures.

It may also be necessary to see a vet to make sure its not yellow fungus or just stuck shed. Even if it is stuck shed a vet can remove it and treat for any underlying infections (built up old shed may have infections underneath as well).
-----
PHLdyPayne

Yellow fungus starts at the vent and spreads from there. So I doubt it's that. A picture would be real helpful. I would schedule a vet visit as well from your description.

I am going to call the vert in the morning. but I am very nervous because from what I have read...vets are very easy to dismiss YFD. DO you know if it is painful for her and if there is anything I can do to help her until the vet can see her.

She is eating VERY good and going to the bathroom fine. So I wasn't to worried until I noticed she had been nipped by my male and she looked like she bled a little. So when I looked more closely the skin looks so dry that it looked almost like it was cracking. I gave her a really good soak and I was a ble to get a bunch of it off...but was afraid to be prying to much at her if it was something other shed build up.
Link

She has been dark colored on the back of her neck since I got her...but this build up started about 2 weks ago. I let her soak in the tub for a bit and tried to take some of it off. Some did come off but I didn't want to keep prying at it.

Here are a few pics. She has neosporin on it right now so it looks wet. It actually looks worse wet than it does dry.

How do they get YFD...if she has it?

Thanks in advance
Link

It's not Yellow Fungus Disease. I don't want to start a debate so take this as my opinion. Yellow Fungus is an internal yeast infection caused by the killing of beneficial enzymes and other bacteria in the digestive tract usually by the dewormer Albon. The infection comes out of the vent and the external symptoms always start there and then spread. Albon is used extensively and rarely has this side effect. A probiotic greatly reduces the risk farther.

The pics are not good enough for me to have a really good opinion but if I had to guess I'm leaning towards and irritant of some type or a thermal burn.

I will try to take better pictures tomorrow. Her lights are to high for her to jump and get a burn and I don't use heat rocks for that reason. Any idea of what could cause an irritation like this and will keeping it clean and use something like neosporin help?
Thank you so much for all of your help

I would bring her to the vet. That's the best opinion I can give.

You mentioned you noticed the irritation etc after you had her bred? How long did you have her housed with the male? If he's been breeding her on and off for a couple weeks, those marks most likely are infected bite wounds from past mating attempts.

If its not that it looks more like thermal burns as BDLvr suggests. I also feel taking her to a vet experienced with lizards is a good idea. They can take a culture from the neck area to determine what it is, if infection and treat as appropriate.
-----
PHLdyPayne

I researched online last night for a vet that specialized in reptiles and found one about an hour away. I called this morning and the earliest they could get her in was Friday. I asked if the vert was familiar with YFD because of what I have read online. I was afraid that he might try to give her harsh meds that could hurt her kidneys. Any advice before I go would be great. I have 21 dragons but have never dealt with YFD before...this is a first for me.
As a precaution I have seperated her. I just feel so bad for her because I don't know if she is in pain or not.

Well I took my beardie to the vet this morning and was excited that he really seemed to know what he was talking about.
He did a sonogram on her heart to listen to it...it was so cute to hear her little heart beating.
He weighed her...still a whopping 486 grams yeah.
He did a fecal test...all clear no internal parasites found.
He did a few skin graffs and looked under the microscope...and this is where I became VERY confused!!!
She does not have YFD. He said she has mite eggs??? He said there are little oval eggs on her skin...which I just thought was sand because there wasn't that many to the naked eye. He said that it is probably from a feeder insect that we got and the mites ended up in her cage. He said the mites were pretty much eating her scales and laying eggs under the scales that were there. I asked what all the yellow stuff was that looked almost like gross ear wax. He said it was the damaged skin from the mites eating? I felt relieved that he knew what it was and said that it should be simple to fix...asl ong as it is not a genetic problem with bacteria imbalance or something???
That is when I got really confused.
He told me to give her a 5 minute bath in cat/kitten flea and tick shampoo every day and then follow with a 10-15 minute rinse.
He prescribed her:
silver-sulfadiazine; ointment to apply to sores lightly every day
clvamox drops; .1 ml twice a day (the bottle says something about amoxycilin...antibiotic)
ivermectin; exact instructions
give 1st dose of 1 drop. wait 3 days and if acting normal give 2nd dose of 2 drops. wait 3 more days. if still acting normal give 3 drops. If this goes well, repeat the dose of 3 drops every 2 weeks???
what the heck is that supposed to mean...if acting normal???
I came home and have been researching all night on this drug and now am terrified that I gave her the first dose.
Does anyone know anything about this drug being used for mites or have any advice???