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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.

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.

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.

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.

 

 

 

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.

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.

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.