Shedding is a normal process of getting rid of old skin and replacing it with new. Young Chinese water dragons will shed more often because they are growing. In this post, you will find information on Chinese water dragon shedding, tips to help your dragon with shedding and shedding problems.
How do Chinese water dragons shed?
Before your Chinese water dragon sheds (in patches), its skin will turn darker in color. After that, skin turns grayish, before returning to almost normal color, and then finally shedding. You will notice shedding around the head first, and tail – the last.
How long do Chinese water dragons shed for?
Shedding in Chinese water dragons lasts for around 1-2 weeks in total. Hatchling Chinese water dragons shed 4-7 weeks after hatching, for the first time. They shed various parts of the body at a time.
How often do Chinese water dragons shed?
Chinese water dragons that are still growing will shed around once in 4-5 weeks. Older Chinese water dragons (3 years+), will shed every 5-6 weeks or less. Shedding rate will decrease after your dragon turns 5 years old and over.
Chinese water dragon shedding behavior
During the shedding period, your Chinese water dragon might refuse eating or eat less. Most Chinese water dragons also don’t like being held during shedding and might be skittish. Some will behave the same way.
Shedding problems in Chinese water dragons
- Stuck skin around toes, crests, head and tail tip – can cause bacterial growth or shutting of blood supply, leading to loss of digits/tail tip/toes
- Old retained shed (layers)
- Skin not shedding
- Infection of the skin – systemic or caused by high humidity levels
How to help your Chinese water dragon shed?
Tip 1: Retain high humidity levels in the cage
Chinese water dragons require high humidity levels in their cage. During the day, humidity should be between 75-80%. To mimic natural environment, the cage can be sprayed/misted in the morning and late afternoon.
Let the tank humidity fall to 60% between mistings, before misting again. During misting, humidity can raise to 90-100%. Constant high humidity will harbor bacterial/fungal growth. In the wild, Chinese water dragons bask a lot and dry out, which prevents any infections.
Very high humidity levels will create soggy conditions, leading to infections. To retain ideal humidity levels, you can manually mist the tank and your dragon 1-2 times a day. Or, you can use a misting system like this.
Reptile foggers producing warm fog, set on a timer are also great to keep humidity high. Some owners have issues keeping humidity levels high due to cage material or climate, and use both methods.
Tip 2: Make sure there is a soaking tub
Soaking or swimming tub is a must in a Chinese water dragon’s enclosure at all times. Chinese water dragons love swimming and soaking. Therefore, you need to have a tub that you will fill with water. Soaking will also greatly help with shedding.
Water in the tub should be filtered (you can use 1-2 filters), and refreshed once in 3-4 days. Without a filter, you must refresh it daily. Chinese water dragons also poop in water, and poop quite a lot.
Make sure that the water in a swimming tub is warm enough (80-85 F, or 26-29 Celsius, possibly a bit lower at night). Otherwise, it will cause muscle cramps and your dragon won’t be able to move, drowning as a result.
Tip 3: Don’t pull the skin, but check problematic areas
When your Chinese water dragon is shedding, don’t pull its skin as it can cause infection and open wounds. Open wounds can easily get infected if loose substrate sticks to it, or when swimming in a water (that they poop in).
Once shedding has finished in 2 weeks, check if there is any stuck skin around head, toes, on the spikes and tail tip. These are problematic areas. If skin gets stuck around these areas, it will disturb blood supply. This will then cause gangrene and loss of digits, crests, tail tip etc., that won’t grow back.
If you see any retained shed, start soaking the areas and gently brushing with a cotton bud/toothbrush to get the skin off. You can even use a shedding aid spray like this to help with stuck skin.
If you have just brought a Chinese water dragon home and see a lot of stuck shed, don’t panic. Start soaking the areas daily, and spraying shed aid if skin doesn’t come off.
Stuck skin can layer on top of each other and can be hard to remove. Keep soaking and spraying until it improves, and it can take around a week to soften bad skin shed.
Tip 4: Distinguish between shed and sickness
While it’s normal for a Chinese water dragon to eat less during shedding and become darker in color, look out for any alarming symptoms. This will ensure that your Chinese water dragon is not sick.
If you notice any dark spots, especially ones filled with fluid, take your dragon to the vet. Blisters might appear on the belly and the back. If you notice any, make sure to immediately treat with antibiotic cream/diluted Betadine.
Because you need to know whether it’s a fungal or bacterial infection, please see the vet. Blood testing might also be required to rule out a systemic infection.
Apart from skin infections, make sure that you don’t confuse shedding symptoms with sickness. Excessive lethargy, loss of appetite for a long period, sunken eyes are signs of a disease.
If you have any humidity issues or would like to read more about setting ideal humidity levels, please see this post.