Is this the beginning of Izzie's first shed?

[IzzieC]

Hi! Izzie is approximately 9 weeks old (maybe a little younger, we aren't exactly sure). She looked perfectly normal at bedtime last night....then this morning she has this going on (see picture). I am a new chameleon owner, so I have never experienced how a "shed" progresses. Is this how it starts? * She is eating great and acting normal* **Those are water drops on her veil from her morning misting session in the one picture--you see the white scaley part around her eye**

 

[brownie64]

Yah she is shedding. Welcome to our forum she is cute.

 

[Peachypink]

Hi! Izzie is approximately 9 weeks old (maybe a little younger, we aren't exactly sure). She looked perfectly normal at bedtime last night....then this morning she has this going on (see picture). I am a new chameleon owner, so I have never experienced how a "shed" progresses. Is this how it starts? * She is eating great and acting normal* **Those are water drops on her veil from her morning misting session in the one picture--you see the white scaley part around her eye**

Yup, that's shedding. She's growing up!

 

[IzzieC]

@brownie64 As a new chameleon "Mom" I was nervous when I turned on her lights and she greeted me looking a little strange...lol..thank you for your help!

 

[IzzieC]

Yup, that's shedding. She's growing up!

Yay!! I am super excited!!! We can tell she has grown since we brought her home, just wasn't quite prepared for her "first shed" (with us anyway). Thanks for your help!!

 

[Crashbandit05]

It will be awesome watching her skin "explode" as she sheds!

 

[IzzieC]

It will be awesome watching her skin "explode" as she sheds!

So it will progress to her whole body?!!? How awesome!! How long does it usually take?

 

[Crashbandit05]

The younger they are, the faster they shed, I'll attach a pic of my guy in mid-shed.

 

[IzzieC]

Did that happen all in one day? So far, it's just Izzie's head....

 

[Peachypink]

Did that happen all in one day? So far, it's just Izzie's head....

Mine shed recently and it was fast. He was perfectly normal in the morning then a few hours later, boom, zombie Cham. A few hours later he was done.

Here's his shed...

 

[Crashbandit05]

It happened in a span of hours. He started in the morning and finished by afternoon.

 

[IzzieC]

Mine shed recently and it was fast. He was perfectly normal in the morning then a few hours later, boom, zombie Cham. A few hours later he was done.

Here's his shed...View attachment 162565

Cool! We are taking pics as she goes along! It seems to be progressing fairly quickly...her head is totally shedding now...and we can see spots on her body that are starting. She looks totally miserable...lol...and is wondering why we keep looking her I am sure!

 

[jajeanpierre]

Cool! We are taking pics as she goes along! It seems to be progressing fairly quickly...her head is totally shedding now...and we can see spots on her body that are starting. She looks totally miserable...lol...and is wondering why we keep looking her I am sure!

Don't read too much into how she looks because chameleons always look miserable with their little down-turned faces. I agree a baby peering out of their raggedy shed looks pretty pathetic, but that is me projecting my feelings, not theirs. I have never found shedding to bother them at all except when a baby gets tangled up in a shed or it is is bothering their eye. If a shed is causing a problem, they scratch it off. Sometimes you have to help them when it gets wadded up around their feet.

I honestly don't think shedding bothers them at all. Babies can have a problem for a bit because the shed is so dramatic and they can get tangled up in it (rare), but if you are keeping the humidity right, a baby starts and finishes a shed in an hour or two. I've heard snakes are cranky before a shed but snakes end up pretty much blind when they shed so they are entitled to be a bit touchy and aggressive I think. Being blind is not a safe thing to be for a wild animal. I've never found a change in my animals' behavior around shedding. They eat, they drink--it's just a non event unless it sticks around an eye turret (which they scratch off themselves) or wads up around their feet.

Half an hour after I took this picture, there wasn't a scrap of shed on this baby. Enjoy your baby!

 

[IzzieC]

It look her most of yesterday to rub and maneuver all of her old skin off...it was neat watching the whole process from start to finish. It's amazing how yesterday morning @ 7:30am it was just around her eyes....then by mid-day it was her entire body. Thank you all for the comments, etc.

Off to take my Izzie outside for some fresh air and sunshine!