Shedding problems

[beantickler]

Ok so my guy has a spot on his tail about 2 inches long and the entire diameter of the tail about 2 inches off the base. It looks like its restricted for these 2 inches and im a little worried. I had him in the tub for 45 mins today just rubbing away at it but it didnt do much good. Is mineral oil a bad idea?

 

[beantickler]

I bought some repti shed spray today. Gonna give this a shot before i try the mineral oil...

 

[snibborsirk]

How's the humidity in your gigantoid enclosure??! You able to keep it pretty high? I've had a couple of reds and always had trouble with their tails shedding - never had issues with black and whites - not sure why. I know this doesn't help but I feel your pain!

 

[beantickler]

I'm actually able to keep it over 90 for 15 mins... over 80 for an additional 30 and usually never gets the chance to drop below 75 on a normal day. I run a fogget and 2 ultrasonic misters in his pond...

 

[beantickler]

Fogger... fogger is on every 2 hours and misters rotate every hour...

 

[snibborsirk]

Man you're making the rest of us look bad with your enclosure! Have you tried the ground turkey/beef liver/cod liver oil combo for a regular meal? From what I've read this stuff is great for getting good sheds. My Chacoan can't get enough of it and sheds flawlessly.

 

[beantickler]

I feed ground turkey and a berry or 2... ill try the oil... how much we talking here? What ratio of oil to turkey?

 

[snibborsirk]

It's 3 parts ground turkey to 1 part beef liver and then 1 tablespoon cod liver oil per pound of turkey. Something about these 3 combined promotes healthy shedding. Around here I had to get frozen beef liver from the grocery store and cod liver oil from Walgreens. It's like $12 or so for a good sized bottle. For me this was 1 lb ground turkey combined with approx 1 slice of the precut frozen liver - and then the tablespoon of cod liver oil. I chop the liver up into small pieces and mix it all up in a bowl then divide it out into freezer bags. Warning - it's very sticky with the oil!

 

[Walter1]

Didn't occur to me that part of the remedy would be in the diet. Obvious, now that you mention it.

 

[beantickler]

Ok sounds good... im going to add the oil to the food after its on his plate just because i make his food in advance and freeze it. I have bags of frozen turkey already mixed with beef and chicken liver.

 

[beantickler]

And yes... I way over sized his enclosure... i actually think it was a bad idea and would most definitely build it smaller if i was to do it all over.

 

[beantickler]

Huge huge enormous improvement... I can't even describe the improvement with his shedding. The most incredible part is his color. My boy is as red as a fire truck now. His skin is shiny and healthy now. I will get some pix today if i can. Thanks again for that sound advice man.

 

[beantickler]

I already have a freezer full of his food so i have been poking a hole in 1 pill a day and dripping it on his food instead of pre mixing it in.

 

[snibborsirk]

Awesome - glad to hear that! Yes def post some pics. I'm almost done with my premixed frozen supply and I'll probably start adding the oil when feeding as well - the mix sticks to you like glue when getting it out of the bag!

 

[beantickler]

Here's a few after his bath today.

 

[beantickler]

hmm... his color looks like crap in these pix... in person this boy is awesome... maybe the sunlight is washing him out...

 

[Walter1]

hmm... his color looks like crap in these pix... in person this boy is awesome... maybe the sunlight is washing him out...

Not at all. I think he's beautiful. The dorsal white spot pattern is sharp against the red