Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hey all!

Well, we've successfully kept our new veiled family member healthy for 3 weeks. YAY us!!! Humidity is under control, he's eating like a pig, FINALLY got him to drink some water today(in front of me).

My questions today are regarding shedding:

Should I withhold food so as not to stress him out? Or will he eat normally? Should I mist him more or less than normal? Is there anything else I need to know about shedding?

For food, every day he's eating about 12 pinhead to midsize crickets, gut-loaded and dusted about 3 times a week. I tried to get him to eat a meal worm, but he wasn't interested.

Thanks for any help,
Diane

Some chams don't eat as much during a shed, but if your humidity and watering is correct the shed should go pretty quickly (less than a day). Younger chams tend to shed in just a few hours and you may even miss the event. Before the shed starts you may notice the cham's color looks sort of cloudy and washed out. That is the old skin starting to lift away from the new skin underneath. When the skin starts to shed it basically lifts away in large patches. The cham will be a bit irritated by this especially when it is around the eyes and face, and they tend to crawl around and rub themselves on branches. Keep the cage nice and humid, gently spray with warm water and it will help things along. If dead skin gets stuck around toes and eyes you can help the cham by spraying with warm water or GENTLY rubbing at it with a soft cloth or Q tip. Difficult long sheds are a sign of dehydration, but older chams can take several days to complete a shed. Places where the cham doesn't "flex", such as the casque, dorsal spines, and top of the head don't shed as easily.