# Stuck shed- need help



## Guest (Nov 4, 2010)

Okay. So my young tegu has a stuck shed quite bad that i am having trouble getting off. I have been soaking her for the past two weeks pretty thoroughly and her humidity is usually between 60 and 70%. Does anyone know of any tricks that really work to quite the really stuck on shed off without hurting her?

Thanks,
Stephen


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## Guest (Nov 4, 2010)

iv heard that putting oilve oil or baby oil on a rag and rubbing the skin off works.im not sure that it was olive/baby oil for certain tho.


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## Guest (Nov 4, 2010)

Go with olive oil  just in case


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## tora (Nov 4, 2010)

When mine goes into shed I put unscented baby oil into his bathwater, his skin stays moist for days.


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## Guest (Nov 4, 2010)

If I notice any skin on my tegu's toes or tail, I dab a rag with olive oil and GENTLY rub it on the problem spot. I works like a charm.

And with an eye toward prevention: the humidity in your enclosure sounds good, but I suggest adding a humid hide to the cool side if you haven't already. I was worried about humidity until I saw this suggestion here. I use a rubbermaid plastic container (big enough for him to turn around in) with a hole about the width of his shoulders cut into the side. I fill it about 3/4 with a mixture of moistened cypress mulch and sphagnum moss, then partially bury it into the substrate. He spends a lot of time in it just before and during sheds, which have gone very well since I made the change.

Good luck!


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## Toby_H (Nov 4, 2010)

^^ Good advice on the moist hide...

Adding fish oil (Cod Liver Oil) to his meals a couple of times per week also helps... I personally feed my Tegu live fish occasionally which is also a source of the same oils...

As others have mentioned, olive oil, baby oil or mineral oil gently rubbed on the dead skin will also help soften it so it will come off.


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## Guest (Nov 4, 2010)

Thanks for all the advice. I am starting the olive oil and cod liver oil regimen tonight. I have to say, I am kinda impressed with how quick and willing people are to respond on this forum. On some others i've seen, i'm lucky if i get a reply in under a week.

I'll let you all know how it goes and plan on getting her a nice humid hide this weekend. 

Thanks


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## tora (Nov 4, 2010)

lol lucky you feel that way, most of the time my experiences aren't so good. 
I rarely get a reply on anything.


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## txrepgirl (Nov 4, 2010)

Hi Stephen. Here is some info for you to check out if you want to. Hope it helps. 

<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.anapsid.org/shedding.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://www.anapsid.org/shedding.html</a><!-- m -->


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## Guest (Nov 7, 2010)

Okay. So the olive oil trick seems like it's starting to work, but she seems to be going into hibernation. She's sleepingg more and hardly eating/if at all. I'm worried that she will enter full blown before i can get the shed off. Some days she doesn't come out at all. Should I wake her up everyday so i can apply the oil?


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## tora (Nov 7, 2010)

When they're hibernating they don't really grow enough for it to be a problem, so I wouldn't worry about it.


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## Toby_H (Nov 7, 2010)

tora said:


> When they're hibernating they don't grow, so I wouldn't worry about it.



When they are hibernating, they grow very slowly, but they do still grow a bit...

In my Tegus first year it went into hibernation in Oct/Nov at 16" and woke up April/May at 18"... 

Just make sure it's hide stays somewhat moist...


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## tora (Nov 7, 2010)

I meant that it doesn't continue growing like a weed so I wouldn't worry about things getting cut off. I agree about the moist hide, but don't freak out thinking that the stuck shed will leave your tegu missing toes and his tail just because of a little stuck shed & go and dig him up. An inch or two isn't that big of a deal. :/

Or do you disagree? Sorry about forgetting to add 'really' to my comment, I'll change it so there's no confusion.


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## James Ledbetter (Sep 21, 2020)

So I'm reading here that baby oil in a tub of bath water. Is baby oil safe for the lizard? My son has a red and the end of its tail wasn't shedding. We put olive oil in the tub and it seemed to make a significant difference. However, its also a pain to clean out of the tub. Baby oil may be easier. I am also concerned as to whether we should take him to a vet. Now that the shed has come off, it seems like the scales have come off and are exposing what may be a tail regeneration. See attached pics. Any advice would be greatly welcomed.


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