Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I have a concern. I noticed that about the time Sandy laid this last clutch she would look at her reflection in the glass of her cage and bang her mouth against the glass. Well when I was giving her a bath and then when I was feeding her last night I noticed that the upper part of her mouth sticks out over the bottom just a tiny little bit. I know it wasn't that way before so I was wondering, could it be swollen from banging on the glass?? I get paranoid over little things but I want my dragons healthy and happy!

Yes, it could be swollen from banging it on the glass. However, in my experience there are a few other things that could also cause the jaw to get deformed or stick out and look swollen. The first thing that comes to mind is mouth rot (Stomatitis). This is really uncomfortable to the beardie and they often rub or bang their mouths against something to relieve the pain and itching associated with it. You can tell if a beardie has mouth rot by looking in their mouth. If you see a whitish substance that kind of looks like cottage cheese then it's mouth rot. Also look at the gums to make sure they are nice and pink - which is healthy.

The second thing that comes to mind would be MBD (Metabolic Bone Disease). Severe calcium deficient beardies often have deformed jaws because the bones in the jaw lack the calcium to hold their shape and you get what looks like a rubber jaw. Often the upper or lower jaw will stick out.

Just a few ideas. If your beardie is healthy, getting plenty of calcium (especially when egg-laying) and getting UVB, then there's nothing to worry about.

Veronica
Beautiful Dragons

I feed this dragon Rep Cal pellets and I dust them with Calcium/vitamins at least 2 to 3 times a week. She just laid the 3rd clutch yesterday and I had noticed her banging on the glass Sunday night. I then noticed her mouth yesterday. I know it wasn't like that Friday or Saturday. I keep a pretty close eye on them. Would MBD or Mouth rot show up that fast???

It probably would show up slowly. However, with my beardie that had mouth rot, it "seemed" to show up over just a day or two. But the vet says that it takes several days. It just may be that your beardie saw her reflection and got very aggressive - especially since she just laid a bunch of eggs. It sounds like you are very good to her and I doubt very much if there is anything wrong with her. It never hurts to keep a close watch though. If she gets any cuts on her mouth from the "banging" I would disinfect with Nolvasan ointment or Neosporin.

Veronica
Beautiful Dragons