How long does shedding take???

[emleebee]

Okay, I keep thinking that I have this dragon thing mostly under control, and then I get another question!

How long does a shed normally take??? Tia's tail has been turning grayer and grayer and whiter for over a week and a half, but nothing is coming off and the rest of her body doesn't seem to be getting ready to shed! She's somewhere between 3 and 4 months old, and she last had a shed at the beginning of August (I got her August 3rd and she had a couple of shreds of skin left but was pretty much entirely shed). Is this normal??? (She also seems to be pigging out on her crickets, not slowing down). Here's a picture from Aug 21st, her tail is a bit whiter but she pretty much still looks the same.

 

[bunnyrut]

depends on the beardie and their age. the tail does take longer to shed. they can puff out their bodies to stretch the skin, but they can't do that with their tails.

as long as she has a good amount of time under her light and is getting calcium she'll shed when it's ready.

baths will help with the shedding process.

as she gets bigger the time between each shed will be longer, and she will start to shed in patches instead of the whole body.

 

[Ophiophilist]

Yup, the answer is "as long as it takes!" I wouldn't worry about shedding unless there's a visibly stuck spot after the rest has come off. I do notice that it takes up to a week after they hit that "maximum ghost" stage to actually shed. And once they do shed it can take a few days for it to all come off. Baths are great and just be sure not to pull any of the shedding skin off.

 

[disturb3d0n3]

Yep tails definitely take the longest! My baby girl sheds in weird sections.. Will be her back then tail and now her head. It's rather cute to see her try to rub her head to get the shed off. If only they were like geckos and shed all at once. My iguana is a total nightmare! All her spikes going down her spine.

 

[disturb3d0n3]

Oops I got it backwards.. Her back is last, here you can see how silly she looks.. We say she looks like a wannabe turtle

 

[emleebee]

Well the shedding has finally started! Her tail and little bits off of her face (which I didn't even realize was getting ready to shed!) are coming off and her hind legs are turning grey. Little girl is not very happy about it!



She's giving me the death glare! Poor itchy cranky dragon!

 

[disturb3d0n3]

Aww She's so cute. As the other's have said no matter how much you have the urge to help pull the shed off, refrain from doing so. Even if it's stuck shed lots of baths should help.

 

[mrspoodie]

I am so glad you posted those photos! I am a new beardie mama and was having some major concerns about why in the world my boy was changing colors (we've only had him about 3, 4 weeks). Now I see he is getting ready for a shed!! Phew! Your girl is adorable

 

[Goonie]

[Moved from General to Health]