Humidity blisters/scale rot

[beknluke]

Hi Guys
On some of these beardies from Nth QLD, they had one or two small redish sores on ther scales. These have spread throughout the animals are are lifting their scales. When you pic them away, you're left with a small sore of fleshy skin and a little bit of blood.
Up till now, my vet has been telling me that it's skin infections and that the spreading was a sign of their ammune system packing it in.
I had been told to put bepanthen on them etc, but I found that this only made them worse.
It started around their eye area, then on to the cheek, lower jaw, neck/beard, then front legs and belly.
After calling the Melb Zoo and being advised to call the Cairns Tropical Zoo, they told me that they are 'wet sores' (I am assuming that that is what most people call humidity blisters or scale rot??) and to scrub them with Betadine DAILY, maybe pop them all on antibiotics and hope for the best.
Has anyone else experienced this and what have they done to fix it - and DID IT WORK????
I really wanna fix these guys and this is driving me nuts coz it is making some of them go off their food coz they're so overrun with them.
They're previous living arrangements: In a pit in Nth QLD.
Current living arrangements: 4x2x2 melamine enclosures, newspaper, no branches, plants, water bowls or sand. Tanks are almost cleaned daily.
THESE HAVE JUST STARTED GETTING WORSE OVER THE LAST 2 WEEKS!!
If you need pics, I will try to take some later.
Thanx in advance
Bex

 

[serpenttongue]

G'day Bex, yes wet sores are pretty much another word for scale rot/blister disease. I would stop putting any medication on them, the sores really need to be allowed to dry up and become scabby, not stay moist. The best cure for this is sunlight-REAL sunlight(not UV tubes). There really is no substitute for sunlight. Try to get them outdoors for some lengthy periods of basking in an enclosure thats clean with no debris that can adhere to the sores. The sores should dry up and form scabs that will most likely drop off in time, leaving scars or exposed skin. The sores will look a lot better after a shed.

Keeping them indoors i would raise temps, take out anything that creates humidity(give them water once a week for a while), make sure there's no debris in the cage, including any flaky bits of bark on any branches and i would also make sure the cage floor is heated to keep their bellies warm.

For you to beat this i personally believe they need a completely new environment(that is a new cage) thats spotless and as much sunlight as possible. Doesnt matter if its a cold day, its the suns rays they need, not the suns heat.

Good luck
regards serpenttongue

 

[beknluke]

Thanx Serpentongue
Unfotunatetly I don't have any more enclosures to throw them in, just the same old ones.
Like I mentioned, I have nothing in these enclosures other than newspaper. They look pretty bare, but they have dealt with it for 4+ weeks now, and they can continue to teal with it if it will get them better.
I can't heat their enclousures from underneath, but I can try and get them out more in the sun. (I've already been trying to get them all out there for a few hours a week)
I will chuck them out there tomorrow.
Thanx again ST- and anyone else had experience with these??
Bex

 

[The Rock]

get in contact with geckodan, what he doesnt know about lizards isnt worth knowing. He is the man.

 

[beknluke]

Thanx Rock - when I see him online, I'll ask him