Unshedded Patches

[wazfra]

My female Sandy is shedding very well at the moment, unfortunately Charlie isn't. He's shed all his skin barr 2 patches. The long strip of dead skin on his tail looks extremely tough and is very light in colour which makes me think it's quite a thick layer. The patch on the right hand side of his back is a lot duller in colour but is still worrying me.
The vet checked him over when I had Sandy's nails clipped but he wasn't the exotics vets and wasn't too sure about the tough skin.
Any tips or advice on how I should remove this skin or any products out there that I could use in the aiding of it.

 

[kinky]

i hear the oil from vitamin e capsules is good but make sure its not on his skin when basking cos it can cause sunburn. you can also buy 'shed ease' or something like that. most reptile shops/sites should have it. don't try to pull the shed off though.

 

[gulfbrzdawn]

Hello,

Yes, as kinky said "Do not" remove the shed yourself, you can damage the new scales beneath it by pulling it off too early. Have you tried warm water soaks yet? Soaking you beardie (for 20 min)all the time, not only for hydration, but also during their sheds will help with the ease of the shed and also bring comfort to your beardie. How old is he? If he is an older dragon, their sheds tend to take a bit longer than the younger ones.

You could get some Shed Ease and see if that helps. You can also try putting 100% aloe vera(no alcohol) on it to keep it from drying out.

Let us know how he's doing!

Dawn

 

[wazfra]

Thanks guys, but I bathe him everyday (which he seems to love) My female hates it and I don't bathe her yet she sheds perfectly. He's only 14 months old! Now, I did go home on my lunch break and noticed that his skin started to loosen up a little under his front leg which is were that tough patch is so with any luck it'll be off soon. And don't worry guys, although I am a rookie to beardies I've been reading excessively about them and know not to go pulling.

I'll try one of those ointments you guys were talking about and let you know the outcome!

Cheers!

 

[gulfbrzdawn]

That's great that your seeing some of the shed starting to loosen....real good sign! Just keep the warm soaks up and he should be fine.

 

[herpfreak]

I agree, no pulling off skin. However, while he's in the tub, you can use a baby toothbrush (or a used (and disinfected), softened toothbrush) and gently rub in circles around where the bad shed is. It will help loosen it a bit.

 

[wazfra]

All is good, he's shedding on both parts now! what a relief!

Anyway, I'm just wondering, does anybody else's beardies go off food when they're shedding? My female is ravenous and she's half the size of Charlie plus she's shedding to boot! I offer him EVERYTHING and he's just not interested. Also, my female will not eat anything other than mealworms now, should I starve her of them until she eats something else? I've heard too many of the are not good.

 

[herpfreak]

Yes, refusing food while shedding is normal.

No mealies! They are high in chitin (the hard shell), which causes impaction. Budo was impacted by mealies... trust me, it was not fun. Babyfood feedings every day, massages, time on the heat pad, daily baths. And he ended up liking the daily baths so much that he now refuses to poo anywhere but in the bath, so I'm stuck giving him baths all the time. Anyways, stay away from mealies. What other feeders are you offering? You could try other worms. PWs and silkworms are high in calcium and low in fat and chitin, making them great staple feeders. Horn worms (goliath worms) and butter worms are high in calcium but also high in fat, and low in chitin. So, if your beardie won't take PWs and silkies, you can try some "treat" worms such as horn worms and butters. They're better than mealies, at least. Lots of calcium and not as much chitin.