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| | + | [[Image:Lizard_shedding.jpg|300px|thumb|right|'''Viviparous lizard (''Zootoca vivipara'') shedding its skin''' (© Piet Spaans, WikiMedia Commons)]] |
| | + | __TOC__ |
| | + | ==Introduction== |
| | + | Shedding is the normal process of skin renewal. The frequency depends upon the rapidity of growth, age, nutritional state, size and environmental factors. For most lizards, the skin sheds in patches, except for the alligator lizard which sheds in one piece. |
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| − | ==Iguana==
| + | A change in colour can be noted prior to shedding; the overall shade of the lizard gets progressively dimmer and duller around the head and limbs and grey/ white patches of skin begin to appear, progressing from head to tail. The shedding occurs on all parts of the body, including eyelids. |
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| − | Iguanas change colour prior to shedding; their overall shade gets progressively dimmer and duller around the head and limbs and grey/ white patches of skin begin to appear, progressing from head to tail. The shedding occurs on all parts of the body, including eyelids. Lizards tend to rub themselves on surfaces to loosen the dead skin.
| + | ==Behaviour== |
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| − | To fasten the shed, it might be useful to bathe or spray the iguana with water. Indeed, in the wild, humidity in the air helps keep the old skin supple and therefore easier to peel off.
| + | Lizards tend to rub themselves on surfaces to loosen the dead skin. Their [[Lizard Behaviour|behaviour]] may become more aggressive, especially while being [[Lizard Handling and Restraint|held or touched]]. |
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| − | Generally speaking, don't pull the skin if it isn't ready to come off. Iguanas and other lizards will rub themselves against things to help loosen and rid themselves of skin. Mostly, though, they just sort of look like they are wearing raggedy clothes, with strips and patches of skin hanging loose and flapping around. If the skin is ready to come off, you can help it do so by gently pulling at it. If the skin is not ready to come off, there will be resistance, and the skin you remove will be damp.
| + | While reptiles may still eat when in the very early phase of the pre-shed period, they usually lose their appetite as the period progresses, greatly reducing their food intake or refraining from [[Lizard Feeding|eating]] alltogether. |
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| − | Often times, spikes need help to shed completely; gently working at them over the course of several days, loosening the skin at the base and spraying them with water will help. If shed is left on, it may constrict the growth of the living tissue from which the spikes are made, resulting in the tissue dying and the spikes falling or breaking off.
| + | ==Possible Complications== |
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| − | The same problem can happen with toes and the narrow tail ends. If old shed is not removed, it can constrict the toes and tails, killing the tissue by strangling the nerve and blood supply that feeds it. Many books and vets claim that carpet fibers are dangerous for this reason yet, in all my years of free-roaming iguanas on wall-to-wall carpeting, I have never had such a problem. I have taken in many iguanas, however, with two, three, up to five layers of retained skin shed on toes and spikes...many of who lost toes and spikes as a result. Part of your regular weekly, if not daily, overall examination of the iguana should be checking toes, tails, and spikes to ensure that they are clean, free of skin, fibers, and human or pet hair.
| + | To fasten the shed, it might be useful to bathe or spray the iguana with water. Indeed, in the wild, humidity in the air helps keep the old skin supple and therefore easier to peel off. |
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| − | Sometimes the grommet-shaped pieces of skin around the nostrils may not come off and, as your iguana nears its next shed, you begin to hear a sort of distant whistling sound as it breathes. After the next bath, work at this area gently to remove any such retained shed.
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| − | A healthy iguana will shed every 4 to 6 weeks. Iguanas aged 2 to 3 years may easily shed more often. It is not uncommon to have an iguana be in the middle of one shed when the next shed starts. During these times, they seem to be little more than skin-producing machines, inhaling food and producing prodigious amounts of both poop and mounds of shed. It is common for such growth to slow down during our winters, and during this time of slowed growth and reduced food intake, iguanas will often not shed. Where I live in Northern California, the last shed usually occurs in November, with the first shed of the new year occurring in January or February, depending upon our weather patterns.
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| − | If your iguana is not shedding and it is not the winter slow-growth period, there is a problem. It may be that the environment is wrong, the diet is not nutritious enough to promote growth or normal skin renewal processes, or your iguana is sick. The iguana may also be psychologically stressed. A review of the environment and diet is necessary, as is a review of any other factors that may affect how the iguana responds psychologically/socially to his environment. Slow growers should also be seen by a reptile veterinarian to ensure that they are not suffering from bacterial infections, parasite infestations, or other medical problems.
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| − | ==Other Lizards==
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| − | Much of the information in the iguana section pertains to other lizards, whether they shed in one piece (alligator lizards) or in many pieces. As with iguanas, a change in overall color will occur, usually a dulling. A healthy lizard will shed completely within a week or two. An unhealthy or stressed lizard will take much longer (see Problem Sheds).
| + | A healthy iguana will shed every 4-6 weeks during 1-2 weeks but young iguanas (2 to 3 years) may shed more often. Occasionally, a new shed may start before the previous one has ended. Shedding will slow down or stop during colder weather. Absence of shedding which cannot be linked to seasonality may be an indicator of an underlying problem, possibly associated with an inadequate [[Reptile Diet Composition|diet]], disease, stress, bacterial infections, [[Lizard Mites|parasite infestations]], or other medical conditions. |
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| − | Like iguanas, other lizards with movable eyelids will puff out their eyes in the days before their head shed starts. This can be particularly alarming, especially on chameleons (Chameleo, etc.) whose already large, protruding eyelids may swell to several times their normal size, immediately deflating when gently touched.
| + | If the dead skin isn't shed, it may constrict the growth of the living tissue and result in [[Lizard Avascular Necrosis of Digits or Tail|avascular necrosis]]. |
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| − | Many lizards who, in the wild, live in more arid areas are often kept too dry in captivity. In the wild, they would make use of more humid microclimates, burrowing down into the sandy ground, or heading into rocky crevices or burrows where moisture remains despite the heat of the day. In captivity, we also need to provide them with these microclimates, either by keeping a patch of sand or other substrate damp (as for many agamids), or by providing an easily accessible humidity retreat box.
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| − | In the wild, some larger lizards (monitors and tegus, for example), will soak in standing water or in river shallows. In captivity, standing water can be provided by putting into their enclosure a tub of water bowl, one large enough for the lizard to comfortably sprawl in, but deep enough so that when the lizard is fully submerged, the water doesn't overflow the tub and soak the enclosure. With large lizards, the need for such a water tub must be accounted for when designing and building an enclosure for the lizard.
| + | [[Category:Lizard_Physiology|S]] |
Viviparous lizard (Zootoca vivipara) shedding its skin (© Piet Spaans, WikiMedia Commons)
Introduction
Shedding is the normal process of skin renewal. The frequency depends upon the rapidity of growth, age, nutritional state, size and environmental factors. For most lizards, the skin sheds in patches, except for the alligator lizard which sheds in one piece.
A change in colour can be noted prior to shedding; the overall shade of the lizard gets progressively dimmer and duller around the head and limbs and grey/ white patches of skin begin to appear, progressing from head to tail. The shedding occurs on all parts of the body, including eyelids.
Behaviour
Lizards tend to rub themselves on surfaces to loosen the dead skin. Their behaviour may become more aggressive, especially while being held or touched.
While reptiles may still eat when in the very early phase of the pre-shed period, they usually lose their appetite as the period progresses, greatly reducing their food intake or refraining from eating alltogether.
Possible Complications
To fasten the shed, it might be useful to bathe or spray the iguana with water. Indeed, in the wild, humidity in the air helps keep the old skin supple and therefore easier to peel off.
A healthy iguana will shed every 4-6 weeks during 1-2 weeks but young iguanas (2 to 3 years) may shed more often. Occasionally, a new shed may start before the previous one has ended. Shedding will slow down or stop during colder weather. Absence of shedding which cannot be linked to seasonality may be an indicator of an underlying problem, possibly associated with an inadequate diet, disease, stress, bacterial infections, parasite infestations, or other medical conditions.
If the dead skin isn't shed, it may constrict the growth of the living tissue and result in avascular necrosis.
