If you’ve got a pet reptile, you’ll know that they shed their skin at least once a year. Although most living things shed their skin, including humans; reptiles shed theirs all at once rather than in bits over time. This can become quite irritating for your reptile, and you might notice when they are having trouble shedding as they could become agitated. Although you wouldn’t be able to give them a hand in the wild, you can help your pet reptile shed their skin…and it’s fairly easy to do!
Bathe Them in Mild Warm Water
The mild warm water will help to loosen up your pet reptile’s skin and make it easier for them to shed. You could even use a spray type bottle to spray your reptile over it’s body with the water. Once you’ve done that, you might need to dry your reptile off properly, in which case you can use a towel and then place them on their heat mat to warm up. You should never place them on a heating rock, as they can become severely burned! Remember to place their heat mat outside of their home to avoid burns also.
Use Baby Oil
Sometimes baby oil is suitable to help your reptile shed their skin. However, you will need to consult a special vet before doing so to make sure that it’s appropriate.
Make Sure They Have a Rough Object
The rough surface could be pretty much anything that they can rub themselves on to get rid of their annoying skin; a rock, a branch, a stick, or some kind of decoration. Your reptile will be feeling tight and itchy at the moment – imagine how you’d feel if your skin was flaking off but you couldn’t scratch it! A rough object will really help them to get rid of that annoying skin. You can find something like this and more at Pet Perfection reptile supplies and accessories!
Make Sure They Are Getting the Correct Nutrients
If your reptile isn’t getting all of the right nutrients, shedding can become very hard for them. Make sure they are getting any kind of food they need as well as any supplements. You should make sure you reptile has access to a clean water source every day too.
Make Sure You Are Caring For Them Properly
Are you spot checking their waste and tidying it as you go along? Are you changing their stale water? Are you cleaning out their old food? Do they have an appropriate heat source? Are you doing everything their particular species needs? If you answered yes to all of those questions, then you are caring for your reptile properly. If you’re not sure about the answer to some of them, you need to get sure pretty quickly, otherwise you might find that your lack of knowledge is fatal to your reptile!
Naturally you should want to make your reptile a happy reptile, so do everything you can to make sure they’re comfortable content. The less stressed they are the easier it is for them to shed, so do your homework and give your reptile some TLC!
