As with most reptiles, bearded dragons shed their skin. It's also referred to as molting or peeling. This process occurs when bearded dragons are small in order to help with growth. Once your dragon grows, the process happens for a number of different reasons such as grooming or calcium levels. Bearded dragons will not shed their skin in one whole piece; they'll shed it in several pieces. See below for more shedding information, as well as helpful tips on what you can do to help your dragon shed their skin.
How Often Do Bearded Dragons Shed
Bearded dragons have no pattern of shedding. A lot of factors can make your bearded dragon shed more or less, such as diet, stress, and UVB levels. Shedding can happen multiple times per year in an adult dragon, or they may only shed a few patches once per year.
Signs Your Dragon Is Shedding
Your dragon may show signs of shedding before actually shedding their skin. These signs include:
- Loss of appetite
- Acting differently
- Not wanting to be held
- Lethargy
- Inflamed skin around the eyes (indicating skin is about to shed around eyes)
- Patches of raised skin
While your dragon is shedding, they will begin to rub themselves against objects inside their enclosure to help remove the loose skin. Your dragon may also scratch excessively to loosen and remove the skin.
What You Can Do to Help
You may feel compelled to pick at the skin to help remove it faster, but never do this, as you can cause injury or even infection to your dragon. Place your dragon into the bathtub with a shallow amount of water, or put a small amount of water into the bottom of their enclosure. The water can help hydrate their skin and can make your dragon more comfortable. Keep textured items in the enclosure to help give your dragon something to rub up against during times of shedding. Things such as rocks, a small water dish for bath time (that should be cleaned daily), as well as branches are all helpful for your beardie during shedding time. If your dragon has skin still hanging after a few weeks, try to use a toothbrush to gently massage and rub the skin away during a bath.
Your beardie will shed here and there. Be sure not to try and pick at the skin, and make your dragon as comfortable as possible during this time. For more tips, talk to a professional at pet stores like Snakes at Sunset.
