Shedding problems? Or normal???

My beardie just shed for the first time. She only shed her tail. Could it be a while until she sheds the rest of her body? Also, she hasn't been eating protein. Shes only been eating kale or applesauce. Could this also be from shedding?

beardeddragonlover21":3daqe5gj said:

My beardie just shed for the first time. She only shed her tail. Could it be a while until she sheds the rest of her body? Also, she hasn't been eating protein. Shes only been eating kale or applesauce. Could this also be from shedding?

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yeah, this sounds normal. they tend to not shed their whole body at a time. about the food thing, do you have live crickets (or other bugs, idk) available? like are you trying to feed them to her? kale tends to not be the best option because it binds with calcium-- you should try something like endive or collard greens if you can only feed salad. i take that your BD is young (because it's her first shed), so she should be having live bugs every day. however, they tend to get irritable during shedding so if she's not eating as normal that could be related.

worriedmanblue":zumj4wli said:

beardeddragonlover21":zumj4wli said:

My beardie just shed for the first time. She only shed her tail. Could it be a while until she sheds the rest of her body? Also, she hasn't been eating protein. Shes only been eating kale or applesauce. Could this also be from shedding?

Click to expand...

yeah, this sounds normal. they tend to not shed their whole body at a time. about the food thing, do you have live crickets (or other bugs, idk) available? like are you trying to feed them to her? kale tends to not be the best option because it binds with calcium-- you should try something like endive or collard greens if you can only feed salad. i take that your BD is young (because it's her first shed), so she should be having live bugs every day. however, they tend to get irritable during shedding so if she's not eating as normal that could be related.

Click to expand...

I've tried feeding her live crickets before but she never ends up eating them. What i feed her are usually Fluker's crickets that are dead. I have heard that they don't eat or act as they normally would when they shed. So, after she sheds I'll make sure to keep an eye on her and see if she starts eating as she normally would again.

Shedding in patches is completely normal, I actually started an FYI topic for newcomers about it with photos:
viewtopic.php?f=1&t=232433

Regarding her diet, as mentioned kale is not a great veggie as it binds calcium. When they shed, their appetite is usually affected in the sense they have less of an appetite and not particularly what they want to eat, but each dragon is different.
Please be sure to offer her live food. If she is not interested in crickets, try something else like silkworms, phoenix worms, or dubia roaches (not mealworms or superworms.) Canned/dried insects do not have the nutrients they need and her health and growth will be affected. If she has trouble catching crickets that may have turned her away from them. You can cripple a cricket by breaking or removing their large back legs and that slows them down and makes them easier to catch.

It turns out that my beardie (Hazel) has pneumonia. We just went to the vet today. She was also dehydrated. They had to give her fluids and antibiotics. We now have to feed her special food for about a week.