Why do lizards shed their skin

And that makes it a bit more uncomfortable for them than when you shed a few flakes here and there. But you can come to their rescue with some ways to help your reptile through shedding, making the process quicker and more comfortable for them. Here are the best ways to help your herp through a skin shed. The skin your reptile sheds will be extremely dry. In some cases, the dryness makes the skin stick in place. Hydrating their skin with a soak in warm, shallow water will help loosen difficult pieces of skin.

It is true that all reptiles shed their skin, but do you know why? Interestingly, the different kinds of reptiles in the Rocky Mountains do this in their own way. Have you ever been out on a hike or walk in the mountains and come across an old snake skin lying on the ground? That is always super neat to find, especially if the skin is intact and fresh. Snakes and all reptiles shed their skin as they grow.

Diagnosis Abnormal skin shedding can be diagnosed by close examination of the reptile. Treatment You can treat many cases of abnormal skin shedding in reptiles in the comfort of your own home. Living and Management If moisture levels within the terrarium must be kept low, add a hide box containing a layer of moist sphagnum moss to provide an area of relatively higher humidity.

Help us make PetMD better Was this article helpful? Yes No. Share this article. What did you find helpful? What was not helpful? If skin is left on the tail tip extreme caution must be used in removing it because the tails of many lizard species fall completely off even with gentle handling.

Some lizards eat their shed skins. If the skin is left on the toes or tail tip, a lack of humidity may be the problem. The humidity may be increased with a humidity box see above or by misting the cage periodically. Turtles Turtles periodically shed the skin of their head, neck, and legs. Small pieces of dead skin flake off from these areas. If excessive skin flaking is noted in aquatic species, the water temperature, and cleanliness should be checked See Aquatic Turtles: Care in Captivity for more information , and a water conditioner such as Novaqua should be used.

If the new skin is red and sore under the dead skin, an infection or nutritional problem may be present and veterinary attention is required. Aquatic turtles may also shed the dead outer layer of each scute of the shell. Under the varying conditions of captivity nutrition, temperature, ultraviolet light, water quality this may occur at irregular intervals but should be considered a normal condition.

Amphibians Amphibians shed their skin either in pieces or whole. Some species eat their shed skins. Usually the skin pieces are just found in the cage, but some frogs undergo elaborate gyrations to remove the old skin and a keeper may mistake this normal behavior for some type of convulsion.

Excessively flaky skin may represent a skin infection or parasite. Also, some amphibians may have difficulty shedding. In both of these situations, consult a veterinarian. Frye, Fredric L.

Biomedical and surgical aspects of captive reptile husbandry. Veterinary Medicine. Jacobson, Elloitt R.