# Months of stuck shed on tail. Coconut oil preference?



## Blakkdragon (Oct 7, 2020)

I'm going fish oil and coconut oil. I was just wondering if anyone knew if it matter what kind of coconut oil. I have some virgin that I'm going to use? Any opinions on that?


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## Debita (Oct 27, 2020)

I am STILL having probs with tail shed, and found no help with topical coconut oil. I've been really bumping up the fish oil in the diet....we'll see. Mine has been going on for months too. I live in AZ and there's negative humidity here (lol), especially in the mountains! I use a mister that goes on/off all day, and I'm still struggling. Good luck - there are people supplementing Vit B-complex. I tried it - got no results at all, and he REALLY struggles to eat it!! Let me know how your efforts are going.


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## Member1421 (Nov 17, 2020)

I add half a powder-ground vitamin b complex pill when I notice the shed coming on and he has shed pretty great since. Ob-v make sure humidity is in check, perhaps higher during shed, and 90-100% in the hide. I'm in SoCal, super low humidity, but manage to keep the humidity higher than 70% with no auto misting system.


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## Debita (Nov 18, 2020)

My male recently shed, but still doesn't want to let go of that tail. I again bumped up the b-complex. Honestly, I think it works but I am heavily supplementing fish oil (opened 4 Kirkland fish gel caps for one meal), and also started using Puriya Wonder Balm applied to the whole area that's stuck. I know it's expensive, but until I started using that (it also has natural anti-fungal, anti-microbial, and anti-septic properties) I wasn't getting any stuck shed off at all. I get it at Amazon. Now, it appears, the very stiff pieces are starting to give. I peel off a lot, to help it along. He often tries to get away from me when I do. He has nothing that looks like infection, or open cracks, I'm hoping it doesn't get to that.


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## Member1421 (Nov 18, 2020)

Can I ask what kind of shellfish you feed, and how frequently?


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## Member1421 (Nov 18, 2020)

Debita said:


> My male recently shed, but still doesn't want to let go of that tail. I again bumped up the b-complex. Honestly, I think it works but I am heavily supplementing fish oil (opened 4 Kirkland fish gel caps for one meal), and also started using Puriya Wonder Balm applied to the whole area that's stuck. I know it's expensive, but until I started using that (it also has natural anti-fungal, anti-microbial, and anti-septic properties) I wasn't getting any stuck shed off at all. I get it at Amazon. Now, it appears, the very stiff pieces are starting to give. I peel off a lot, to help it along. He often tries to get away from me when I do. He has nothing that looks like infection, or open cracks, I'm hoping it doesn't get to that.


Sorry, shellfish and seafood


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## Debita (Nov 19, 2020)

His diet consists of frozen/thawed adult mice, ground turkey (the fattiest kind), gizzards/hearts, and now, he gets a lot of fresh salmon. He won't touch veggies, or fruit, or bugs. I have given him some shrimp, and other pieces of fish here and there, and he always takes it. I supplement with calcium w. vit D and the b-complex when he's shedding. He also gets the fish oil I mentioned earlier - a lot of it. He had his first rat about 2 weeks ago, he loved it....supplies are running low for some of the feeders so I thought I'd try a rat. He downed it - no problem.


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## Member1421 (Nov 22, 2020)

I know you've been doing this for a while, but whenever I thaw out the next day's food, I always add some veggies to the mix, as well as some bluey diet gel I keep mixed up in the fridge. Once the meat portion thaws I mash it all together with a fork and portion everything out into small balls of food that don't allow for any picky eating. Today was seriously the first weird day where my portions were off and I was in a hurry so it wasn't an option and he didn't eat the edamame I put in there. He did, of course, cleverly find all the squid, turkey necks and cherry pieces. I was coming off duty today from work and my wife mentioned he began shedding, and to my surprise, his tail was the first thing he shed! That was surprising. One thing I think seems to be working for the enclosure I have is the hide he is in. My substrate is comprised of peat, play sand and some reptile dirt mix I forgot the name. There is also some medium bark in there with some NZ moss. 

I am not sure what type of hide you have made, but I see a lot of people using stacked patio bricks, which seems a little on the lacking side in terms of realism and ability to create a natural habitat to encourage burrowing. I am in no way saying you are doing this, but my little dude has created some sort of underground lair in the roughly 18" of sandy substrate I piled up for him in the back, and I think he has also been dragging in moist substrate from the outside, too. I have no idea what he has going on in there as I have yet to do that big of a reorder in there, but the humidity stays above 70% in the daytime with the heat lamp on, and goes higher at night naturally. He wakes up at around 530 a.m. shortly before his lights come on and is sleeping by noon. Not sure if that's weird, but his sheds (prob 3-4) have been great so far, and getting better each time. I don't know if that really helps, but I also have a great variety in terms of food for him I think helps. I'll add them here. I go to a natural dog store near my house and buy prepackaged frozen raw dog food and the selection is fairly priced and has lasted well. Any time I am at the grocery store I buy little things here an there. I also chopped up some frozen feeder hamsters (not proud of that) for variety. 

Ted Bundy diet (meat portion): 

Beef hearts/organs
Ground whole rabbit/bones, hearts, gizzards, organs, etc.
Ground whole duck/bones, hearts, gizzards, organs, etc.
Ground lamb from the grocery store
Whole turkey necks with bones, hearts, gizzards, organs, etc. 
Ground chicken from the grocery store
Whole ground cute hamster
Salmon
Tilapia
Sardines
Mussels
Shrimp with shell
Squid

Obviously there are other things like fuzzies, eggs and things like that, but I think the variety helps. I don't use cod liver oil or anything other than the B-complex right when I notice him shedding. His tail shed completely with a huge piece hanging off his body today before I gave him the B-complex this morning to help the rest along. Best of luck and hope this helps others with shedding/diet/hide/humidity questions.


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## Debita (Nov 22, 2020)

That was great thanks!! All of that is helpful info! I do think that variety is the best thing you can do for them, and I haven't done sardines or squid or mussels yet, but I'm wanting to procure more of that fattier fish. So - thanks for that. We do love our lizards don't we??

I'm open to any and all info - no matter how long I've been doing this!


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## Roadkill (Nov 25, 2020)

I'd stay the heck away from coconut oil. I think it's the current fad thing in folklore medicine/husbandry. As a diet issue, there's actually a fair bit of wrong with it. As a topical....it might help a little because you're trying to do something, but it's really a biological fat you're laying down on the tegu, which whether it helps or not, can become a metabolic substrate for fungus and bacteria, and the last thing your tegu needs to deal with when you're possibly dealing with serious dysecdysis is an infection.


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## LizardStudent (Nov 25, 2020)

I have never used coconut oil as I was unsure if it would end up causing more problems than assistance. However, if my little one is having shed issues then I let her soak in the tub and then afterwards I rub some baby oil onto the tough areas and massage her down with it in order to lock in the moisture from her soak. I then keep her out for a little bit as opposed to going back in her tank so she won't bury herself and rub most of it off. I also have found that loads of wet spagnum moss really does help, especially with the natural antifungal and antibacterial properties. Other than this, if her tail just won't come off then while she's under her basking lamp I'll take a warm damp washcloth and wrap her tail in it as she basks to give a sort of sauna effect to the problem area


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