# Tegus skin is dry?



## Kuro (Nov 6, 2019)

I have a juvenile Argentine b&w tegu who has some cuts on his tail and feet, which also feel raspy. I've been giving him daily soakings and 2 mistings to help but so far nothing. Is this normal or does he need more humidity? I got him from a pet store and hes had them ever since I first got him.


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## Walter1 (Nov 6, 2019)

Try fish oil in his food and moist sphagnum in his hide. Will do the trick.


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## AlphaAlpha (Nov 10, 2019)

looks like long term skin dehydration to me..... It will probably take a few sheds for it to disappear but with correct humidity, baths, a moist hide and cod liver/fish oil in food you should soon see some improvements.


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## James Smith (Nov 15, 2019)

What kind of substrate are you using? The substrate should be able to hold moisture, so your Tegu feet remains moist. A rule of thumb to check this is: Push your finger down on the substrate and it should be damp to wet but not muddy. He will also need a dry side to give his skin time to air out but not dry out. Good air flow is very important as well for shedding. I typically stay away from wood Chip substrates because of it issues, and I will allow you to do your own research to figure out wood chip substrates challenges. I stick to a 3:1 ratio of peatmoss to topsoil with a top layer of sphagnum. The sphagnum will help hold the proper moisture level in the soil beneath it. A good control of this will keep the humidity level at or around 75 to 80 percent, which is ideal for your Tegu's skin care health. Keep careful watch of this because it could easily become a serious issue. Take care and God bless, and please keep us updated on his or her health.


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## Rusty7486 (Dec 15, 2019)

I would follow all of the advice previously stated,especially about the substrate and fish oil.

This is one extra thing you can do that might help. Buy some vitamin a&d ointment, aka diaper rash cream. You can find it in the baby section of grocery stores or wherever.

Maybe once or twice a week, after a bath put some ointment on his feet. It'll help lock in moisture. This can also help with shedding problems. It's something you only want to do sparingly though, as I have heard that doing this every day can result in a fungal infection.

Hydration is the main factor for skin care. Adding more fruits to its diet and making sure it's well hydrated is the number one way to help with skin problems.


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