Shedding?

[DebbieKelowna]

I adopted Clyyde about a month ago so I'm still getting to know him. He's 3 years old so from what I understand he will not shed very often. So I'm not sure if he is starting to shed or if it's something else. About a week ago I noticed a few whitish scales on his tail and today I thought around his mouth looked a little whitish. He's acting normal, eating and pooping normal so I'm just curious if the whitish scales are something to worry about.

 

[CooperDragon]

That looks like a shed to me. They tend to shed in pieces rather than all at once, so you'll notice just a hand go white or in this case the mouth and part of the tail.

 

[DebbieKelowna]

Ok that's good to know. So I should expect more to shed over the next couple weeks? I was told by the previous owners he gets a little moody when he sheds. Not sure what that means but he's been his normal relaxed self. Maybe when he has bigger sections of shed he will be moody. I give him baths about every other day so hopefully this will help if his shedding gets irritating for him.

 

[KarenInCA]

Hi-
From what I gather, some of them don't want to be picked up or held much when they're shedding. I've seen my guy shedding, and it just looks uncomfortable. Ours does not stop eating, although there are times that he will (without shedding) stop eating for a day, but then picks right back up to his normal appetite.
He also had a white snout for about a week, and this evening his face was shedding. I fed him, and he ate like crazy, but the shed pieces flopped around on his mouth..lol
Then I gave him a bath, and he happens to really enjoy baths anyway, but he wanted the spa treatment because of the shed, I think. He really wanted to absorb the water. After a while, I rubbed his face in the direction of the scales, and the shed seemed to come off easy enough, then he let me rub around his eye because that too was shedding, and he seemed to enjoy the rubbing. Then I took a soft toothbrush that we use just for his shed times and brushed him lightly with it. His one arm and face are shedding right now.

The only time Ive really noticed a difference in mood with Rin, was the first time we ever saw him do a full body shed. It was massive, and my husband tried to feed him, and when I got home from work, he looked up at me like, "WHAT IS THIS NOVICE DOING?? PLEASE HELP ME!" I was afraid he was going to bite he looked so uncomfortable, but I put him into the bathtub and he soaked up the water and calmed down. He was not in attack mode by any means, he just looked uncomfortable, I guess kind of comparable to how we might feel when we get a sunburn..just miserable.
Sounds like your guy will do just fine with his sheds. Give him lots of warm baths and see how he likes it. If you offer a washcloth to stand on, and another rolled up under his chin, he might just want his zen moments in the tub while he sheds.

 

[DebbieKelowna]

They have quite the personalities. I can understand that shedding would be uncomfortable for them. Clyyde seems to enjoy his baths and pretty much just spreads out on a towel for a good 20 minutes before he moves and that's usually because he has to go to the bathroom. So this should be an interesting adventure for us since this is the first time I have seen him shed. He's so mellow and chill I just hate thinking of him being uncomfortable. I guess we'll take it day by day and I'll try the soft toothbrush and gently wiping with a towel when the shed starts peeling off.

 

[KarenInCA]

They have quite the personalities. I can understand that shedding would be uncomfortable for them. Clyyde seems to enjoy his baths and pretty much just spreads out on a towel for a good 20 minutes before he moves and that's usually because he has to go to the bathroom. So this should be an interesting adventure for us since this is the first time I have seen him shed. He's so mellow and chill I just hate thinking of him being uncomfortable. I guess we'll take it day by day and I'll try the soft toothbrush and gently wiping with a towel when the shed starts peeling off.

When Rin pooped in the bathtub in the winter, I would remove him from the tub, and let it go down the drain and then let him soak again...it was pretty easy to do, if you're inclined to continue to let him soak. Since it's been hot outside, he now goes on some flat rocks to do his business, so baths are strictly pleasure. Sounds like Clyyde and Rin have the same types of zen personalities when it comes to baths.