Hi,

I am very worried about my spurthighed tortoise, Tommy. Although most of his tongue is a healthy pink, at either side there is a line of white.  I took him to my normal vet last week (not a reptile specialist) who has given me betadine diluted solution to try and scrape off this substance twice daily.  However, it seems very hard and will not come off.  I am keeping him warm, giving him daily baths with Reptoboost and he is eating well.  The vet has not prescribed him antibiotics, but I am wondering whether she should have?  I have googled "mouth rot", but I wouldn't say he has the described pus/cheesy substance, so could it be something else?  I am obviously concerned that any infection may have got into his bones as I understand this can be fatal.  I think he probably woke up too early this year, was too cold, and this is maybe what caused it?  I will try and get a close up photograph to post, but in the meantime, can anyone please help?  The vet wants to see him again on Wednesday, but I am wondering whether I should just take him direct to a reptile specialist vet instead. 

Not the best photos, but you can see the white sores on one side of his tongue.

I don't think it's mouth rot and it's difficult to tell from the photos where the problem lies. I would be inclined to take him to a reptile vet if you have concerns about him or the vet you have used previously.

HTH
Darren

Thanks.  It has been suggested that it could just be dead skin from high urea levels?

Hi there. If this tortoise has only recently woken from hibernation, then it may simply be a case of  slow build up of to normal levels of blood sugar and cell levels. My torts look like this when they wake for first week or so then everything "pinks up". With mouth rot you can actually physically remove cheese-like substance with a cotton bud, and torts rarely eat due to pain, yours looks to be tucking in to his food. I am sure he eats other stuff as well as peas, but if not, then you need to widen his diet and add calcium and vitamins. You are probably well aware of this. If in doubt, read up the caresheets on LHS margin of this page. It would be great if you could post back any developments or advice given by a vet...then we all learn just that bit more to help our torts.

Regards, David nr York

Thankyou David,

Perhaps I have just never noticed this before.  I am keeping a close eye on him.  As you say, he is eating well and tucking into all the dandelion flowers I could find on the common for him!  He adores peas, but he does have a more varied diet than that, including Komodo complete holistic tortoise diet.  I am slightly incapacitated at the moment, having torn my ankle ligaments, otherwise I would have had him to a tortoise specialsist vet by now.  As it is, i am going to see how he goes over the next few days and if the whiteness is still there next week, I will make arrangements to take him.  I am still giving him drops of Betadine on his tongue, which i am guessing won't harm him in any case?  What do you think?  I will take a look at the care sheets for diet as you suggest and consider what else he might like!  And of course I will keep you posted.  Thankyou so much for your advice, I really appreciate it, Lisa