How long?

[GillietheAmbilobe]

Hey. So I've had my chameleons for a couple days now. He is doing really well and started his first shed with me yesterday afternoon. He is almost done now, but I was just wondering how long it usually takes for a chameleon to complete a shed?

 

[jajeanpierre]

It really depends. Sometimes they shed pretty much all at once and are finished in about a day. It is really pathetic to see a little tiny baby in that state, all raggedy and having a bit of trouble moving around with all that dead skin getting in its way. Other times they shed in stages over a long period of time.

Contrary to what others write here, I've never seen any behavior change in a shedding chameleon unless the shed is getting in their way, such as all gunked up on their feet making holding things difficult or it is bothering their eyes. They shed the skin on their eye turrets so sometimes there is a problem with shed getting in the eye or interfering with their eyes. A little extra misting and the chameleon should be able to solve the shed/eye problem on their own. I might wipe down their heads to removed sheets of shed that may be hanging around their eyes. I will gently pull/rub off the shed that is wadded up on their feet. I think a snake might have a personality change during a shed because their eye caps also shed so there will be a time when they are visually impaired. A visually impaired animal is a vulnerable animal so I would expect a personality change. Chameleons don't shed eye caps and their vision is never impaired during a shed. I've bred both male and female chameleons in various stages of shed and a shed has never affected their breeding vigor. I've not noticed any decrease in appetite, either.

A reptile sheds their skin by filling the space between the new skin layer and the old skin with lymph fluid. That separates the two layers. Then the fluid dries out and the old skin, now completely separated from the underlying layer, just pops off.

You do have to watch for places not shedding properly and constricting around toes. Keeping that part quite moist will stop it from constricting. A properly functioning thyroid is important for a good shed.

 

[Scout]

About a day, sometimes less, sometimes more, increase the humidity to help him out.

 

[wodesorel]

A visually impaired animal is a vulnerable animal so I would expect a personality change. Chameleons don't shed eye caps and their vision is never impaired during a shed.

My leopard geckos get grumpy as heck, and they don't have eye caps. I imagine it has to feel weird for them, wearing a second layer around for a brief period of time. Chams or geckos don't usually like to be touched, and then they get stuck for a few days wrapped up in tight old skin that's touching every part of them. I've noticed mine don't want to move around much once they've gotten cloudy.

And yeah, snakes can get dangerous because they are practically blind before a shed. Mine doesn't get aggressive (though some do), but he does think that anything moving is his dinner which makes doing anything near him a game of keep away. Not so much grumpy as clueless! He also hates to move around when he's cloudy.

 

[NickyChameleon]

My leopard geckos get grumpy as heck, and they don't have eye caps. I imagine it has to feel weird for them, wearing a second layer around for a brief period of time. Chams or geckos don't usually like to be touched, and then they get stuck for a few days wrapped up in tight old skin that's touching every part of them. I've noticed mine don't want to move around much once they've gotten cloudy.

And yeah, snakes can get dangerous because they are practically blind before a shed. Mine doesn't get aggressive (though some do), but he does think that anything moving is his dinner which makes doing anything near him a game of keep away. Not so much grumpy as clueless! He also hates to move around when he's cloudy.

Heh. My snake bit me once. Mushu gets sooooo mad when he sheds. Looks like someone stabbed me with a mechanical pencil.