# Something on his tongue...??



## InsertExpletive (Aug 22, 2012)

Our B&W is male, and about 3 years old. He has a pretty good temperament and certainly likes to eat. We noticed an odd lump on his tongue (see photos)-- I think I first saw it about a week ago. I've been scouring the internet to try and figure it out, but I can't seem to pinpoint it. Of course, I'm not a vet, so I will probably take him to see one, but I thought I might ask around here in case anyone is familiar with this.

I thought it could be a form of mouth rot, but after reading the symptoms, it doesn't seem to match up. The rest of his mouth looks perfectly healthy, he hasn't slowed down on the tongue-flicking at ALL, and he eats just fine. He doesn't seem at all bothered. He's not lethargic, his mouth closes fully, no drool or mucus, no other sores of any kind.

His temps have been pretty good, though possibly on the cooler side-- we've had a heat wave here, and we took advantage of that while we are reconfiguring some of his heating/lighting situation. He eats a good variety of foods, including (but not limited to) whole rats, whole mice, ground turkey, boiled eggs, watermelon, strawberries, grapes, kiwi, apples, and green peas. I dust his foods with supplements every other meal.

Does anyone have any ideas?
[attachment=4865]
[attachment=4866]
[attachment=4867]


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## Ntyvirus (Aug 22, 2012)

infection from an injury maybe? dont know if its possible but can a tegu bite their tongue?


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## InsertExpletive (Aug 22, 2012)

Ntyvirus said:


> infection from an injury maybe? dont know if its possible but can a tegu bite their tongue?



I don't know... I've never known any reptile to bite their own tongue, outside of some kind of crazy accident.

I wish I could get a better look at it, but you know, that tongue moves so fast! And I'm not about to hold him down and pry his mouth open... o_o


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## Logie_Bear (Aug 22, 2012)

Has it gotten bigger or changed at all since you first noticed it?


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## InsertExpletive (Aug 22, 2012)

Logie_Bear said:


> Has it gotten bigger or changed at all since you first noticed it?



My mind may be playing tricks on me, but it seems like it is slightly flatter than the first time I saw it. Definitely not any bigger.


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## laurarfl (Aug 22, 2012)

That's weird. People can get growths on the tongue. I wonder if tegus can as well.


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## Orion (Aug 22, 2012)

Yes Tegus can bite their tongues. I adopted a female that was so aggressive that when I would walk by her cage she would lash at the glass and bite. Sometimes she would get her own tongue and it would be a minute or 2 before she would calm down and realize she was biting herself. 
The pictures aren't real clear on the tongue part. Could it be an infection?


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## txrepgirl (Aug 23, 2012)

Yes, they can bite their tounge. Our male blue/red hybrid Tegu bit down on his tounge one time and his jaws cramped up. I had to force his mouth open. Thank God he was fine. Do you feed frozen/thawed rodents or live rodents ? I was thinking about a infection, too. But it's good to hear that it's getting smaller  .


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## chelvis (Aug 23, 2012)

It looks like a tongue bite to me. That happened to my younger dog after he bite is own tongue. It got puffy and then in a day or two it went away. Its not uncommon for reptiles to do this, monitors are known for getting tongue injuries or those that feed live prey. I have also seen adult tegus that have bitten one of the forks of their tongue. In captivity this is not really an issue. Keep watching it to make sure it does not swell up more, if it does a vet might need to see him for some antibiotics.


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## InsertExpletive (Aug 23, 2012)

Wow. I never knew reptiles could (or commonly did) bite their own tongues. Seems entirely possible, then.

We never feed him live prey, but he certainly chomps things down, and when he eats (prekilled) rodents, of course, he thrashes them around pretty good before the chomping proceeds, so I suppose there's plenty of opportunity for his tongue to get caught up in the frenzy. He's not aggressive, so I imagine it would have to have happened while eating.

Sorry the pictures aren't super clear. I took them in the evening, so lighting conditions werent great for higher shutter speeds.

Anyway, thanks everyone for your input. I'll definitely keep an eye on it.


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## chelvis (Aug 23, 2012)

Those were actually great pictures, tongue shots are not easy to get.


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## InsertExpletive (Aug 23, 2012)

chelvis said:


> Those were actually great pictures, tongue shots are not easy to get.



Thanks-- I was trying to get some good shots of him eating and derping around... I think these were the best of his tongue (at least for illustrative purposes) out of 144 frames. haha!
[attachment=4887]

This one is slightly clearer... it's so weird :/

Also, I was handling him a bit today, and I noticed that it is sort of... floppy. The growth, or whatever, I mean. His tongue and everything else is perfectly fine, but whatever is on it is not perfectly flat-- it's like a flap.


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