Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Can anyone take a look at this pic and let me know if you have seen this before, what is it caused from and how can I cure him?
This link to the photo gallery will tell more about the lip problem: http://gallery.pethobbyist.com/index.pl?photo=124884

Thank you - Thomas

Is he drinking daily? He looks like he may need some more water.

Quite often from my sprayer I use as well as out of his water bowl within his enclosure. In fact the first thing he does every morning is go right to his water bowl.

Tommy,

Has he just completed a shed? Have you noticed him biting down
hard on anything in his cage? I have experienced the same lip
problem in a Diego that I have. I also had a w/c Tamatave that
had a lip curl on one side. The Tamataves problem was due to
biting down hard, and injuring his lip. The Diegos problem was
due to a incomplete shed. I would take him to the vet for a
close examination. Although this curling will not kill him, it
may not go away. He looks like he is hydrated well.

Hey there Legend -

Check out the post I put right below lele's it will give you a good idea of what I've done in the past and how it comes and goes. He is very hydranated, I know that for sure! I have never seen him bite down on anything though.

Thanks - Thomas

Luna (veiled) has a weird mouth thing, too. I had posted about her "leaky lip" awhile back when I was worrying (thankfully unnecessarily) about MBD and "rubber jaw." It sort of looks like your panther's. Somedays it is more noticeable than others. Since she has been eating more the last few days she seems to hold her mouth open on that side a bit more. I use it to get her to drink (still hand watering - I envy that yours drink from a bowl!!). I put a little water on her lip and there and it goes into her mouth - then she asks for more. It is also how I prompt her to take her N-Cg twice a day!

Sorry...off on a tangent. Is there any concern/symptoms for MBD? Maybe it's just a quirky thing like Luna's - hope so!
-----
0.1 veiled - Luna
0.2 green anoles Jaida & Jetta
0.1 brown anole - Jamaica
0.2 house geckos - Gaia & Tia
0.2 felines - Kyndra and Líta

Hi lele -

I have actually noticed the same thing you mention and thats somedays you can't even notice it but other days it is worse. I have actually scraped it with my nail before and more or less broke a scab off to find a perfectly fine lip under it. I would blame it on having left skin behind after shedding though it doesn't happen that way it just appears. He is just over 18 months now and its been going on and off for about a year now. I really appreciate everyones comments on this and would love to hear more so I can have a better understaning of this.

Thanks in advance - Thomas

Tommy,

Sorry I did not get a chance to respond last nite, I was
busy. Both of the chams that I told you about were taken to
the vet. He debrided them, and told me clean the areas daily
with Iodine and a Q-tip. Cultures were done on both of them,
both fungal and baterial. Both were negative. The Tamatave had
the lip curl till he died, and it did not seem to bother him.
I would suggest that you take him to the vet for examination
and cultures. The Diego that I have is still alive and very
healthy, but he does have the scab problem from time to time.
He eats superworms, and once in awhile they cause a small
scab, due to the lip curl. When that happens I debride the lip and use the iodine
for several days to prevent infection. Let me know what the
vet thinks. Legendcham

Legendcham

I'm no vet but that looks suspiciously like a temporal gland infection or other type of jaw infection. These are very dangerous if not treated early. Get him to a vet immediately. The wound likely needs to be debrided, a culture taken, and antibiotics prescribed. The vet will also tell you how to keep the area clean. It's always good practice to examine your chams mouth and feet on a regular basis. When these things are caught early, thy're easy to treat. When allowed to fester, thy can be fatal.
Ed