Reptile & Amphibian Forums

...and he looks miserable. Is he in any discomfort? Is there something I must do for him? I feel sorry for him. How long will the molting last. Why do his eye sockets look wrinkly like he's dehydrated? Is there anything I have to watch out for? Thanks-Maggie

Try giving him a lukewarm shower for 15 minutes or so, while
he is in the process of shedding. Some chams shed all at once
and some take forever to complete a shed. But one thing is for
sure, the added humidity of a nice shower will help him. I would
not put oil on his skin, also do not peel the dead skin.

Legendcham

Like you, I am a new chameleon owner. I got my male panther in late December. I haven't had him long but I'll share my limited experiences. He has shed for me 3 times. Each time his shed lasted for 2-3 days. The first day the skin looks all white and dry like paper. Most of it comes off the 1st day. The next day one or two small pieces of shed skin are stuck to the tail or leg. I help the animal shed by using my spray bottle and spray him down for a few minutes. The skin gets soft and comes off easier I think. It also helps hydrate him of course.

As for the eye, I didn't notice my chameleon's eyes get wrinkled during the shed. Perhaps you'd want to mist your chameleon to help with the shed and to further hydrate your animal just in case. I'm curious to hear the comments experienced chameleon owners will say about the wrinkled look of the eyes.

Anyways, I wouldn't stress out about your chameleon shedding. These animals do it naturally all the time, right?

Good luck.

Ken