Bearder dragon

Question
Tracie I have a full grown male bearded dragon aged 3 years and 3 months, he has been on a hunger strike lately and I feed him meal worms etc. Last night I have him some worms and I do not even apply force when putting the worms in and I noticed that his mouth is bleeding (only a bit), I opened his mouth and it looks like it is on the inside but then the blood protrudes under his skin leaving him with a blotch of blood. I am very, very worried about this as I do not know what the problem is. Do you think it is mouth rot and looking at your previous comments is  Betadine safe to use. Please help me!!!

Answer
Hello Petro,

Wow, that doesn't sound good!
Would you happen to have any pictures of that for me?
Yes, betadine is fine.  Do not use peroxide.  Dilute the betadine though, until it looks like weak tea.  Then, dip a swab into the solution & try to clean his mouth out.
It could be mouth rot, but, let's go over your tank setup to see what your lighting looks like.
Are you using UVB lighting?  What type & brand of UVB light, a fluorescent tube bulb or a compact or coil light?
What are the temperatures in the tank, & what type of thermometer do you use?  A round stick on type, a digital probe or a temp gun?
Mealworms really should only be fed as a treat, as they are fatty.  I recommend crickets, roaches, or superworms as better staples.

Let me know how he is doing.

Tracie