Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi all,

I have a three year old male gila that I've had for awhile now. He seems to be having problem shedding as most of the time the shed remains on him... lack of humidity is the problem I believe.

He is in a 48" x 24" x 24" cage with two false bottoms. The main level bottom has two holes cut into it so he can "go underground" to two plastic containers filled with pine shavings for substrate. I think the humidity isn't adequate.

My question is, is cypress mulch a good substrate for a "humidity box" down in one of the containers?

Any thoughts or advice would be appreciated.

Thanks,
brandon
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Dragons by Nature

Hey Brandon,

Cypress mulch would work great in the situation you describe.

Do you know what the humidity is in your cage? Understand that it is not unusual for Gilas to require a good bit of time to complete a shed (even with adequate humidity).

Best,

Mark

www.DrSeward.com

Hi Dr. Seward,

Thank you for the quick reply. I am sorry it has taken me a few days to respond, I was away.

The cage humidity is around 30% to 40% on average. He does have a large "cat box" with a few inches of water to soak in if he chooses too. I notice him doing that sometimes prior to shed. The shed seems to stay on for weeks at a time which is why I thought there may be problems. I usually soak him once he starts shedding which helps.. but I wasn't sure if the extent to how long the shed stays on is normal.

That is why i wanted to try cypress just for the "hide box." But I wanted to make sure that was safe in case he ingested a small amount or anything burrowing.

Thank you for your time and reply. I bought your book from you a year back and it was great!

brandon
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Dragons by Nature

Brandon,

You shouldn't have any problems using the cyprus mulch. If I remember your cage description correctly, you could put the mulch in one of the "underground" hides and your normal bedding in the other.

However, it is normal for the shed to come off in patches and for it to take a good bit of time.

Best,

Mark

Thank you Dr. Seward. I will take your advice and do one cypress and one shavings and see how that helps or if nothing else if he likes it. I will respond with an update in a few months as to how he's enjoying it and if it's helping. Hopefully like you said, everything has been okay and it's just the normal process for the gila and my inexperience.

Appreciate your time!
brandon
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Dragons by Nature