Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I've had my Zonata for 5 years now (caught when young)and he has always shed rather quickly in one piece with no problems. He has been inactive the last couple months as usual and yesterday he started moving around and started to shed, but he's having a rough time with it. The skin is coming of in small pieces and he still has some on his head and most of his body, like he has taken off a strip on his back but I think most of his underside is still stuck on. I'm thinking that maybe it was too dry in his tank, I do keep fresh water in there but I don't keep his substrate(eco earth) too moist when he's hibernating. My question is, what can I do to help him out? I've watered his substrate to moisten it, I've put a second log(upside down)leaning against the other one to give him something to squeeze through. It's been two days and he's really trying. What else can I do?

~~Joannie~~

You can put him in a tepid water bath about 1/4 inch deep and let him have a good soak. Usually an hour is enough.

Also put a hygrometer in the habitat to measure the humidity.
www.zonatas.com/caremaintenance.htm
Give him a moist sphagnum moss hide.

My pyros enjoy a moist moss nest with their water bowl in it.

Since you have had him for five years and this is the first time this shed problem has emerged, is there anything different in your house concerning heating? Winter air central heating tends to dry the hell out of everything.
-----
Bob
Pyromaniac AKA Greatballzofire
Keeping cats allows man to cohabitate with tigers. Keeping reptiles allows man to cohabitate with dinosaurs.

Thanks I'll try the water. He hasn't liked being in the water in the past, but it's worth a shot. And yes it has been drier. I was just leaving him alone for the winter and hadn't kept it as moist as I normally do. He just woke up and started shedding, I didn't even see it coming and didn't have a chance to moisten it up in there for him. I definitely know better than to let it happen again.
Thanks ~~Joannie~~