# Coconut oil- BAD will burn skin



## Leezard (Jul 13, 2020)

Hey there! So we have been dealing with some serious shed issues and we had gathered that the problem was with his diet. Prior to discovering it was his diet we tried to remove his tail shed using coconut oil as we'd seen it suggested at least 100 times for stuck shed. We kept using it and noticed his tail getting CRISPY not softened. So I stopped using it and decided to focus on diet after a vet visit this spring. Come to now we have a shed free Bilbo (minus his tail as it's burnt and will require time and soaking) and were able to see the actual skin that had been so severely burned around his toes. (I briefly tried loosening his toes with coconut oil) and now we see it is BROWN AND BLACK. Literally toasted his skin. My poor buddy has been taking Betadine baths (prescribed by the vet) and has been tricked into eating fruits and veggies using the food processor. He popped all of his body shed off in one day and we were shocked to see how awful it had gotten. This has been a major major learning experience for us but now that the shed is gone we can finally start from scratch and make sure this never happens to us or anyone else again. Fruits and veggies are super important for Bilbo so if your gu is picky and also has bad sheds try investing in a food processor! And DO NOT USE COCONUT OIL IN ANY CAPACITY. After more research on coconut oil I've found a few dozen stories of animals burning to death because of coconut oil!!! Please please share on any and all platforms this is such BS that it is still being used. Some science on coconut oil: it melts at 76 degrees Fahrenheit and while it's smoking point is high up in 350 degrees Fahrenheit many people may think it's safe to use, but the reality is that drying/crisping point is right in between 98-120 degrees making it a horrible choice for reptiles basking in high temperatures. It is bad bad bad bad bad


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## Walter1 (Jul 13, 2020)

Leezard,

It's so nice to hear from you and grateful for your sharing your hard-earned experience. I've always been a moist sphagnum hide and fish oil booster. Good to know fruits are very helpful. Keepers might try ripe blueberries and strawberries. They're sweet. Nanners are high in potassium and counterproductive for calcium assimilation; however, my adults get about one very nanner/year each, skin and all. 

*Most valuable is what you learned about coconut oil and in time.*


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## Leezard (Jul 13, 2020)

Thank you for that advice with the strawberries that's a fruit we haven't tried yet!!! And yes it was a really important lesson to learn I hope other's see our story as well


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## AlphaAlpha (Jul 13, 2020)

I've actually thought this myself as a lot of dark tanning lotions have coconut in the ingredients........... but didn't really have any experience behind it


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## Leezard (Jul 13, 2020)

AlphaAlpha said:


> I've actually thought this myself as a lot of dark tanning lotions have coconut in the ingredients........... but didn't really have any experience behind it


Yes I still don't know why it took me so long to put two and two together but the evidence is right there in the photos, coconut oil burns not moistens


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## TripleTegus (Jul 15, 2020)

That's definitely a crazy experience. Good thing you realized in time though. The food processor is definitely a good idea. I use it to make a mash for my tegus, usually a mixture of ground turkey with chicken livers, hearts, and gizzards, with a handful of spring mix for veggies and whatever fruit we have at the time. I also noticed they like to eat whole grapes so u should try them also.


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## Walter1 (Jul 15, 2020)

I second grapes.


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## Leezard (Jul 15, 2020)

He used to looove grapes idk what changed in him all of a sudden he refused to eat them so now we do one grape stuck inside a ball of mashed turkey and romaine lettuce and he likes those!


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