Evie is getting ready to have her 3rd shed (her first 2 went very well) but this time around she is having some issues. She has been rubbing her nose on everything and actually scratching her head with her back legs like a dog does. I have been giving her baths, but she just hasn't started to actually shed so I can't help the process along yet. But something has happened this time around different than the previous sheds. Her nostrials were covered with skin, and when I was giving her a bath I used a Qtip to put warm water around her mouth and nose. (the area around her mouth is the only part peeling away) When I was peeling away a piece of the skin (very carefully of course) it pulled the skin off from her nose and actually pulled skin out of her nose! The same thing happened on the other side too! Once it was gone I rubbed the side of her mouth and under her eyes and she went into a daze I was wondering if this has happened to anyone else, or if it will happen every time she sheds now.....Here is a photo of the skin.
The two pieces that came out of her nose are on the outsides. The long skinny part was in her nose. (the middle piece was a normal piece) And I put the Qtip there to show size, and it is a little yellowish colored because I cleaned off her little squash face she got from dinner
Yep, this is normal. Their nostrils are somewhat like their ears. The skin inside comes off too. That's probably why they're in such a bad mood when their face is shedding. Can't breathe, can't hear... :mrgreen:
I have a five year old beardie, we just rescued him a couple of months ago. He's just starting to go into a shed and we're new at this. What did you put on the q-tip? I was told never to pull the skin off, but does this mean it's ok if it's in the nose or ears? Also, how do I know if I need a shed aid in his bath water?
I don't add anything to her bath water. (I'm not sure if you need to or not. It may also depend on the age of the beardie on what/if you should add anything) I just let her soak and then use a Qtip (just dipped in warm water) and put that over the area where she is shedding to help loosing the skin. I was told that it is okay to help out with the shed as long as you do it in the water and you are not yanking the skin off....the times I have helped she has been emerged under the water and I am able to get the shedding skin off while she is in the water. You will be able to tell when you are pulling the skin if your beardie needs to soak more or if you should just leave it alone.
I do this because Evie seems to have some issues with her sheds being itchy and she is just so happy after she is done with it. So I just like to speed up the process. She also doesn't like when her old skin is in her home, so by doing this in bath time, the clean up is easy!
*in the photo the color on the Qtip is from me cleaning her chin off, she had squash for dinner*