shedding!

[Guest]

...So of course after bragging about my tegus perfect sheds, yesterday I noticed it was wearing skin socks on its front feet. :doh
I haven't had to deal with this yet on my tegu. For my beardie I would soak him and then pat him dry, same with a ball I was taking care of. Is this the same for a tegu? I gave it its first (bath tub) bath yesterday, adorable btw, which helped loosen up some skin on the tail.
My tegus calming slowly, I can pet it but when I reach to touch its feet or grab it it runs and/or tail whips me. Should I grab it anyway? The reason I haven't yet is because I don't want to stress it out more and I'm not sure if it will somehow interfere with the taming process.

 

[Guest]

Mine was like that too .... He wasn`t going to ever jump in my hand . I waited till he seemed occupied then just picked him up ... At first I only held him for a very short time . Then like the next day I just messed around in his cage and left him alone .. Slow goes it .. Try not to break the tail off ...

 

[Toby_H]

Soaking in water occasionally helps. I've heard soaking too much will draw oils out of the skin which is counter productive, but 1~2 bathes a week does not seem to be enough to allow any such problems...

Mixing Cod Liver Oil into his ground Turkey will also add oils to skin helping dead skin to come off...


As for handling, I 'worked' in his cage as often as possible in the begining. As often as possible/practical I would use one hand to encourage him into the other hand or on my other arm.

Letting him stand in my hand or on my arm and keepign him in his enclosure is a great way to build confidence.

 

[eddyjack]

I am no expert by any means and I hope I am not hurting mine in any way however, I put mine in a warm bath everyday. I let her do her business then clean it up (easy to do in the tub) then refill it again with warm water, feed her and let her soak as long as she wants. Up until a month ago and since I got her back in April, she was shedding every 5-6 days like clockwork.

 

[tora]

Yea I'm with the poster above me, but if I don't bathe him after every meal he brings meat into his enclosure and tries to eat it later on. :doh

 

[eddyjack]

They are the funniest little creatures! Mine has tried to stow away a little food at times as well. She looks at me in such a disappointed way when I uncover her cache and take it out, it is quite funny. They are so much fun to interact with.

 

[tora]

Yea unfortunately the meat gets mixed with the cypress. lol.
I don't want an impacted tegu! I need to find my cam cord, it took my guy 20 min to eat an already dead mouse because he wanted to thoroughly destroy it before hand. >_<
He made sure there was mouse all over his head and had to drag himself through what got torn out of the poor critter. o_o

 

[Guest]

Which is the VERY reason I have to rinse off ours after every meal.