# shed on tail problem



## dannyb (Nov 11, 2008)

my tegu has shed twice in quick succession and now has 2 layers of stuck skin on his tail. ive been spraying his viv as usual(i keep humidity at 90%) i have been soaking him for hours,massaging oil in etc but still no avail. there isnt even loose bits that i can work at to try start it off. since the first bit got stuck ive been working on getting it off but then he shed again rather quickly so has doubled my trouble. he gets cod liver oil and liver in his diet. im now getting worried. ive kept reps for 16 yrs and have never had this problem before. it doesnt look like its constricting his tail but still worried. any ideas?? dan


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## ashesc212 (Nov 11, 2008)

I have my first tegu so I've never experienced this with them before. However, when my beardie gets shed stuck on her I find that using a small, soft toothbrush in the bath will occasionally work. 

Shed-ease in the bath water also seems to work for the beardie. Of course, I don't know how any of this would work for the tegu but its just food for thought.


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## DaveDragon (Nov 11, 2008)

Tegu's are similar to Beardies, as far as our experience goes. A few good soaks in 90-95 degree water can help loosen the shed. But it sounds like you've done everything we've tried. Our big Reds tail is the same way, he doesn't always shed the tail and ends up with a double retained shed at times.


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## Harveysherps (Nov 11, 2008)

Pure Aloe gel will help loosen it. Bobby says Cod liver oil added to meat once a week i think will help too. I may not have that right. I'm sure there's a thread. Somewhere on the forum.I'll see if I can find it.


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## DaveDragon (Nov 11, 2008)

Harveysherps said:


> Bobby says Cod liver oil added to meat once a week i think will help too.


I have heard that also. I think it will take alot of Cod Liver Oil to loosen the shed on our 10 lb Tegu.


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## KoreanDeathKid (Nov 11, 2008)

I put a lot of rough rocks in a plastic tub and put some warm water in it, so that when I put my tegu in the tub, he will be walking all over the rough rocks with high humidity. I've never had a problem with my tegu shedding by using this method.


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## DaveDragon (Nov 11, 2008)

He's still young. The adult shed is much tougher.


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## dannyb (Nov 12, 2008)

thanks for replys. my tegu is 3.5ft long and it is very tuff to get off. i'll get some aloe and try but dont hold up much hope. will a vets visit help in anyway??or will they just ampertate it?(obviously dont want this!!)i'll just keep soaking everyday and use the aloe.i'll keep u updated


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## ashesc212 (Nov 12, 2008)

dannyb said:


> thanks for replys. my tegu is 3.5ft long and it is very tuff to get off. i'll get some aloe and try but dont hold up much hope. will a vets visit help in anyway??or will they just ampertate it?(obviously dont want this!!)i'll just keep soaking everyday and use the aloe.i'll keep u updated



I'm sure the vet visit may help. If it's just retained shed and it's not restricting the blood flow, then I doubt they will amputate it. I imagine that if it's not taken care of for a while, however, that it may become a problem.


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## Harveysherps (Nov 13, 2008)

Hey I just remembered that Vet Rx can be used . You can rub it directly on it . It won't hurt it either. You can buy it here.
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## Kharnifex (Nov 14, 2008)

if your careful to the extreme you can use a needle to start working up individual shed scales in a line down the stuck shed that way when the tail grows the shed eventually comes off instead of compressing the tail.

i've done this once, and would not recommend it. it's dangerous and slightly unsafe. but can be done if your careful. better than losing the tail. but really in any normal situation, humidity and lubrications should work.


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## AMIE (Nov 28, 2008)

I have just rescued two black and white tegus and am learning a lot about there care. They have bothe shed twice in the last two weeks, is this dangerous? How often does normal molting occur?


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## VARNYARD (Nov 29, 2008)

I would not worry about the tail unless you start seeing it ringing and cutting off the blood flow, this is normal sometimes for the tail to retain a shed on the tip. It will shed off, just keep an eye on it. I would not pick at it with a needle.


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## laurarfl (Nov 29, 2008)

I had one do this...

I made sure he was on a good diet. I added oil to his ground turkey, plus I do choose to feed fruits. I know people differ on the fruits in the diet, but this is just my husbandry preference. I did the warm water soaks and rubbed mineral oil on the tail. It seemed as if nothing was working and I was starting to get really concerned. Then, one day, he just shed off two layers of thick shed and was fine.

Now I just keep an eye on him...he sheds his tail in a different fashion than my others. I watch to make sure his tail tip isn't constricted and there isn't any ringing, like Bobby mentioned. I always check tail tips on all of my herps on a regular basis anyway, whether they be lizards or snakes.


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## kjphoto04 (Feb 13, 2009)

Just wondering what RINGING looks like?


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