Need some advice :(

So, I havent posted on this site in FOREVER. But i need some advice. And everyone on this site is so helpful, i thought this would be a great place to hopefully get some good advice.

I'm a nanny, & one of the kids has a pet bearded dragon. The kid loves him and feeds him well and all that. but has no idea about the way his enclosure should be or the shedding process or anything to do with his skin really...

I went through some tough things with my BP when she was a baby. So i feel that i know enough to recognize a bad shed. And i'm pretty sure there are atleast 2 layers of stuck shed, randomly around this poor little guys body.

I know some tricks and things for snake sheds, but I have no idea what to do for this little guy. I read that bathing them can help.. But i think this guy needs a little more help than that...I'm not sure what exactly to do or even what type of things to look for. The kid is willing to learn if i can figure something out.

I'm afraid he either has or is going to get scale rot & i'd like to prevent that if possible.
I'm going to attach a few pics.
It'd be super awesome if yall could let me know your opinions on how bad this actually is and what you think would be the best most productive thing to do for him...
I wont take offensive to anything, as this is not my animal. I am just trying to help the poor little guy :( so please, be as blunt as needed :p

I tried to take pics that showed the areas i am most concerned about... his feet/legs, tail & stomach all very obviously have shed that needs to come off. the stomach is where i'm worried about scale rot.

http://i1351.photobucket.com/albums/...s1057987a.jpeg
http://i1351.photobucket.com/albums/...s05e82f7a.jpeg
http://i1351.photobucket.com/albums/...ps786c8e29.jpg
http://i1351.photobucket.com/albums/...psb7e79311.jpg
http://i1351.photobucket.com/albums/...ps53d239a1.jpg
http://i1351.photobucket.com/albums/...sa694c333.jpeg
http://i1351.photobucket.com/albums/...scf55945c.jpeg
http://i1351.photobucket.com/albums/...ps4f24982e.jpg

Im not a beardie pro, but remember reading to soak them like twice a week, just in general. In would try a soak in shallow water and see if that helps. Good luck with the little guy.

Yeah, were going to start soaking him.
Thanks :)

I agree with the soak; it'll help the shedding process. Take a look at the caresheet, as it has some nice general advice for beardies: http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...a-vitticeps%29

Beardies don't get scale rot quite as easily as snakes do, but it's usually caused the same way: wet or dirty substrate that is left in the cage for too long. Retained shed doesn't in and of itself cause rot, but it can contribute by holding in that moisture.

The most important part of shedding is to be sure that the shed comes off the toes and the tip of the tail, otherwise as it dries out it can cut off circulation and cause the tissue to die.

You didn't describe the enclosure, but in my opinion, based on the problems we see with beardies at our clinic, the top 3 things that need to be perfect with the enclosure are substrate, temps, and a UVB light. Substrate should ideally be ceramic tile, or something similar; sand can easily cause digestive issues and blockages. Temperatures need to be high enough, 95 basking and 85 cool side. Important to have that gradient so they can properly thermoregulate. Night-time temp can be 65-70. The UVB bulb is very important to prevent Metabolic Bone Disease, and it's recommended you replace bulbs after a year, whether or not they burn out, as they lose strength over time.

In general, this guy doesn't actually look too bad. He looks to be a good weight, just has some shed issues. :)

Try giving him a warm bath every day or at least every 2 days. It helps them shed better and also hydrates them because they are known to not drink water from their bowls.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Sita

I agree with the soak; it'll help the shedding process. Take a look at the caresheet, as it has some nice general advice for beardies: http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...a-vitticeps%29

Beardies don't get scale rot quite as easily as snakes do, but it's usually caused the same way: wet or dirty substrate that is left in the cage for too long. Retained shed doesn't in and of itself cause rot, but it can contribute by holding in that moisture.

The most important part of shedding is to be sure that the shed comes off the toes and the tip of the tail, otherwise as it dries out it can cut off circulation and cause the tissue to die.

You didn't describe the enclosure, but in my opinion, based on the problems we see with beardies at our clinic, the top 3 things that need to be perfect with the enclosure are substrate, temps, and a UVB light. Substrate should ideally be ceramic tile, or something similar; sand can easily cause digestive issues and blockages. Temperatures need to be high enough, 95 basking and 85 cool side. Important to have that gradient so they can properly thermoregulate. Night-time temp can be 65-70. The UVB bulb is very important to prevent Metabolic Bone Disease, and it's recommended you replace bulbs after a year, whether or not they burn out, as they lose strength over time.

In general, this guy doesn't actually look too bad. He looks to be a good weight, just has some shed issues. :)

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X2
Beardies don't shed in one piece like ball pythons do either. They shed in sections. From the pics it looks like the Beardie just has a very dirty underbelly. I agree with the notion that a bath would help. :)) If you can get a soft brush you can brush very VERY gently in the direction of the scales on the underbelly to help loosen up some of the stuff stuck under the scales.

Yall are awesome :) Thank you so much for your replies.

I'm showing the kid that actually owns him your responses.
He says were going to get his enclosure all fixed up & make sure he gets regular baths :)