so my beardie is shedding his legs and tail and hes really close to being done. The only thing left is the tip and the base of his tail. He seems really lazy and not even trying to shed it. Ive been giving him soaks but hes not even trying to get it off. what should i do?
My beardie doesn't try to get her shed moving along either, so I soak her in the tub and very slowly and very carefully peel away the parts that won't come off. She doesn't seem to mind at all. I usually let her hang out in the water for about 10 mins and then pull her out refill it with warm water again and then put her back in for the "spa style peel". Then she gets extra cuddle time and running around with a few extra crickets. Hopefully you are able to do the same!
ok sounds good. im gonna try it. The base of his tail is loose so ill help him with that but the tip is still on there pretty good. should i rub anything on there to loosen it up?
Rubbing or gently massaging unshedded body parts during a bath really helps to loosen the sheds. If there's little to no tension when you pull on the shed, just peel it off. If it seems like it's still sticking to scales, you can try rubbing a drop of vegetable oil onto the shed and letting it soak in. I've heard it helps soften and loosen sheds.
It's alright to put a few drops in the bathwater, but it can give the dragon diarrhea because it's a laxative. Letting it soak into the shed skin for 5-10 minutes is good.
Lol, you CAN put it directly on his tail, which I'd suggest, cause of the whole laxative thing. Even if your dragon doesn't directly drink the bathwater, they absorb some of it through their vent, so it might have the same effect.
Much luck!
Another technique i just remembered is wetting a towel with warm water and wrapping it around the shedding body part. Let it sit for 5-10 minutes and it should loosen/soften the shed for you to gently pull off.
In this case, the shed simply might not be ready. Sometimes it can take weeks for a shed to come off, which is fine as long as it doesn't appear to be cutting off circulation (their fingers/limbs may appear puffy or swollen).