2-month-old's head is shedding?

[saintgeorge]

I am the new owner of a roughly 7-8 week old, 6.5" beardie called St. George. He (or she, the name is for a boy so we're just not bothering with the whole he/she/it thing) is my first, so I don't know what to expect when it comes to shedding. Is this a normal age to be shedding? This morning at around 9 I checked in on him and noticed that his skin seemed to be peeling around where eyebrows would be. Only his head so far has shed, and the old skin on the top of his head is barely on - you can see the new skin beneath easily. I'm wondering if, instead of shedding, he's a little hurt because a friend of mine was putting him back in the tank and bumped his head (gently) on the tank cover (wire mesh). There is no blood, and his whole head is shedding. He seems as lively as ever and has a good appetite (ate several mouthfuls of apricot, and 3-4 3/8" crickets) so far today. He has been moving around the tank.
If this makes a difference: Yesterday I changed the basking spot lighting from a 100-watt Zoo Med basking spot lamp bulb to a normal 75-watt incandescent bulb, as the basking area temperature was about 118? (ten degrees hotter than it normally was - we're going through a heat wave). It then dropped twenty degrees - cooler than I'd like, but I figured this was better than roasting him alive.

 

[Jiffy]

Hi and welcome to the site.
They definitely shed at that age, sometimes it seems as soon as they finish a shed, they start another. Can you post a pic so that we can tell for sure, and make sure it is not an injury?

 

[saintgeorge]

Sure. I took a couple of pictures of him when he hadn't shed so much. These are they (I'm still figuring out all the technicalities, especially image size, about PaintBucket - I got an account ten minutes ago):

And here is what St. George looks like currently:

Sorry about my lacking photography skills...

 

[kalipbean]

Yes, he's shedding. Sometimes they'll shed just their arms, and after thats done, just their body. Seems like my boy is always shedding at least one body part. It pretty much looks like he explodes, i come home and theirs just old skin everywhere! He looks great, beautiful color. Also, let them shed on their own, dont pull it off as it might harm the skin underneath. You can also bathe them a few times a week to help them shed and hydrate him.

 

[saintgeorge]

Just an update: St. George has shed off the flap of old skin on the top of his head.

 

[Jiffy]

Just an update: St. George has shed off the flap of old skin on the top of his head.

Glad he got the shed off.
I was just looking at your post, and I had typed up a reply after you had submitted the pictures, telling you about baths and using a soft toothbrush to gently help with the loose skin. I just noticed the post is not there. I think the computer ate it! :roll: :wink:

 

[saintgeorge]

Maybe you pressed "Save" instead of "Submit". Check in your drafts.
My computer likes to eat a lot. I often consider getting out a hammer and committing computericide. I feel your pain.