Lizard Shedding

Iguana

Shedding is the normal process of skin renewal.

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.

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.

If the dead skin isn't shed, it may constrict the growth of the living tissue and result in tissue necrosis.

A healthy iguana will shed every 4 to 6 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 and decreased food intake. Absence of shedding which cannot be linked to seasonality may be an indicatior of an underlying problem, possibly associated with an inadequate diet, disease, stress, bacterial infections, parasite infestations, or other medical problems.

Other Lizards

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).

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.

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.

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.