# shedding question, what to expect



## Guest (Mar 5, 2011)

I am pretty new to tegus compared to alot of people on here. Have had them for 8 months or so and everything has been going fantastic. Alot due to this forum and knowing what to expect. I am a firm believer in prevention over treating. I have gone through great sheds with my younger tegu but my female is going through her first shed with me and I am curious if anyone with an adult can share what I should expect as far as it coming off. My young tegu sheds in some good chunks. Feet come off perfect and leave gloves almost and the tail sheds like a snake. Should I expect the same from and adult or will it not be quiet as neat due to her size? She came to me a little messy from other sheds so I hope this shed will clear some of that up. Just wanna make sure if something isn't going right I can adjust during her shed not after. She gets a good soak bath every other day and a swim once a week. She soaks on her own and the humidity is in the high 70's. I offer fruit every meal and she chooses when to eat it, and gets cod liver oil. I searched but my question I think is to specific with generic words. Thanks in advance.


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## rrcoolj (Mar 5, 2011)

I have found with adults it is defiantly more difficult as far as shedding goes. They never come off in one piece despite high humidity, soaking, and calcium dusting foods. Often times I have to soak my tegu quite a few times before the shed comes off completely. Toes and the tail is usually a milestone for me but again i have found that simply giving them a nice warm soak will aid in shedding even if you have to do it a few times. Some people use ll sorts of tricks to aid in shedding. i have heard baby oil works well.


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## Guest (Mar 5, 2011)

I was able to get both feet off really well after he soak from eating. I will keep up the baths and cross my fingers the rest goes well and not get discouraged. Thanks.


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## Toby_H (Mar 5, 2011)

Since small Tegus grow so fast, they 'break free' from dead skin (shed) and the growing live scales stop fitting into the scale shape of the dead skin. This causes the dead skin (shed) to loosen and fall off quickly/easily.

Adult Tegus do not grow nearly as fast and eventually essentially stop getting bigger. Thus they loose the aid of 'breaking free' of loose sin as well as loose the aid of scales not lining up between live and dead skin/scales. 

Instead in adult Tegus the only "force" making the dead skin come off is the fact the skin is no longer alive. 

So in adults the "cure" is to ensure healthy skin/scales. Soaking, high humidity and oils in their diet are the three best aids that I am aware of. massaging minerial oil or baby oil is a good idea for areas that are potenailly problemed areas.

My adult Tegu seems to always be shedding in one place or another...


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## jntann (Mar 6, 2011)

Hi my arg. b&w is going on 4 years old it just came out of hibernation, i feed it mice it is in a big outside cage so it gets lots of real sun light. and has a fountain in its cage with a pool of water. and sheds with out any problems I let it out in the yard a few times a week it rub its underside on the dirt as it crawls and help the skin come off. and it digs in the dirt and that helps with toes. It has a regular walk, then it has I am rubbing off skin walk. good food, sunlight, water to swim in. and dirt to crawl in, thats all you need...... for shedding


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## jntann (Mar 6, 2011)

the top of her head is shedding




baby Dino is yawning.....


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## chelvis (Mar 6, 2011)

I have never had a problem with my tegu sheding. I use a humidity box for my tegu, it doubles as a basking ledge and a hiding spot and he'll curl up in there a week or so before he sheds. I think i have the one tegu who does not like to be soaked in water, he fights it each time so i just gave up. I also keep a small half cinder block in his cage so he can bask on but noticed he also likes to rubs on that and he seems to be large skin sheds off that way.


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