Bathing, And dead, or loose skin

[DragonKeeper4787]

Hello, I just got a new bearded dragon from someone who didn't know a lot about them. The past 2 days were fine but i noticed he had a ton of this dead skin kinda. So I bathed him in room temperature water for 5-6 minuets (he was very stressed and tried escaping every 15 seconds.) and then peeled the skin off. He had no problem at first but when I went near his legs he tried biting me. His beard has been black for the last 15 minuets and hates his reflection. What can I do?

Ps: he doesn't like to eat when he sees his reflection, and head bobs at it. I fed him mealworms and crickets. The pictures aren't the best because i took them on my laptop, sorry!

 

[KarrieRee]

I'm currently replacing the basking bulb, because the school wants it back.

Ok so your keeping the T 8?
Basking bulb you want a CLEAR bright white basking bulb --- examples are Exo Terra Intense basking bulb or a Zoo Med Repti basking bulb
Remember the T 8 bulb needs to be replaced in about 5 months --- please mark the box w/ the date -- that info needs to be passed on to the person taking care of the dragon -- those bulbs expire please make sure it is changed out --- the dragon will stop eating and become sick if he is not getting proper UVB or the basking temps are off
that stick on is not good for actual basking temps -- you need two digital probe thermometers you want actual surface temps - place the probe on the spot where he basks for 10 min or so get the temp

 

[Kingston]

He will bob his head at his reflection to show dominance because he can't tell that his reflection is him. Also, the dead skin was shed, and you should NEVER pick shed, unless a vet recommends it because it is stuck, they can get it off themselfs.

 

[AHBD]

Hey there, it's nice that you're posting here and getting good info to help your dragon. I just wanted to echo what Kingston said, never pull off the shed. You can cause a lot of pain and some damage to the new skin underneath. Unfortunately misinformation has spread around by inexperienced people that a slow + lingering is a " stuck " shed that needs help when it's just perfectly normal shedding. The only time you might have cause for concern is if it winds tightly around the toes or a strip around the tail that causes visible indentation, then it can cut off circulation . In those cases you can just apply a little aloe or some people use shed ease. Other than that you really don't need to do anything.

 

[DragonKeeper4787]

Thank heavens ok I get that now. After bathing he bit me because I was pulling off skin. Thanks for telling me! I won't make that mistake in the future, btw he's fine.

 

[AHBD]

O.K., good to hear ! Hope he lives a long + healthy life and you get the enjoyment of owning one of these buggers.