A bearded Dragon shedding will often confuse new owners as to when to expect this to happen
Bearded dragons shed their skin like many reptiles do and sometimes they do need a little help with the process which I will cover in this article for you
Depending on a few factors like
- temperature
- humidity
- diet
- Growth from baby to adult
Keep on reading to discover why a bearded dragon will shed its skin and how to take great care of them
Table of Contents
Why a Bearded Dragon Sheds its Skin
Bearded dragons have scales instead of skin
They are quite literally outgrowing their skin and need to shed it to move further along the growth process
There is a scientific name for shedding and its called ecdysis
The best way for you to understand this concept is by thinking about what happens to humans
We, humans, are constantly shedding dead skin cells and they will be replaced with new cells very quickly
For reptiles including bearded dragons, it happens all in one go
Young Bearded dragons will shed their skin more often because they are growing
Bearded dragons will age very quickly and they will shed many times during this process
When a bearded dragon sheds it will do this in pieces that will essentially flake off
sometimes beardies have a problem getting it off so you may need to help them out along the process
As a Bearded Dragon Sheds, you might see them rubbing against something or puffing to help shed the skin a little better
Just know that the shedding process isn’t painful so don’t think you’re hurting them
How Often do Bearded Dragons Shed?
A bearded Dragon shedding its skin will happen more or less depending in its age
- Hatchling (0 – 6 months old) will shed the most around every 2 weeks or more
- Juveniles (6 – 18 months old) will shed every 3 to 4 months or so
- Adults (1 and a half years old + ) will shed twice a year
My bearded dragon is 5 years old and he sheds only once a year but a friend of mine has one as well and she sheds twice a year so it really depends
Bearded Dragon Shedding process
Again depending on the age of the bearded dragon they will shed more or less often
They will begin to rub against things and move into their water bowl sometimes to aid with the shedding process
Your bearded dragon might also puff up during this process as well as puffing up sort of pushes out the skin as if you were to puff out your cheeks
Sometimes you may need to help them out during this process so here is what you do
Helping them shed
for the most part, they won’t need your help as this is a natural thing that most reptiles are quite capable of doing.
However, sometimes you will need to help them because they might have some skin stuck on their face or something
Good habitat setup
The reason why this is so important is that they are going to rub against whatever is in their enclosure
logs, rocks, sticks, the glass, or whatever the tank is made out of
These things will help your bearded dragons shed better
Make sure they have a lot of things in their enclosure. This is not only great for shedding but its also going to help them because it mimics their natural habitat
Anytime you can mimic their habitat they will thrive much better
Natural habitats of course include good lighting, the right humidity, water, and food content
Calcium is going to be important for the health of your bearded dragon
I personally use a calcium supplement for my bearded dragon’s health and I also make sure they have gut loaded protein from dubia roaches and crickets
Bearded dragons are used to not having a lot of water but in nature, they will have lots of things to use to help them shed so remember to mimic what they would see outdoors
Mist them and make sure their humidity is good
Misting bearded dragons is actually a good thing to do because it will help their skin shed better
the more hydrated they are the better they will shed. This will make them much more comfortable during the shedding process
i only mist my bearded dragon-like 2 times a day. Some new bearded dragon owners will go too far and almost soak them in water for days.
You don’t need to do that at all. Remember they have been doing this for a long time without the need of humans
Give your shedding beardie a bath
OK so if they are really having issues with shedding you can bathe them
You want to grab a dish or something to put them in with lukewarm water
from there you want to only fill up the water no higher than their shoulders
If it’s too high they might puff up and try to float
Place them in the water but DON’T start pulling off their skin
let them rub against you and you will see they will rub their skin off
Don’t keep them in there for too long. 30 to 40 minutes is long enough
A friend of mine recommended this product here that will help your bearded dragon shed
you don’t really need to use it but if your beardie is having a particularly bad time with shedding you can use it
if you do buy it just put it in with the bathwater and it will help quite a bit
Bearded Dragon Shedding Behavior change
Bearded dragons will sometimes show a little bit of change when they are shedding
sometimes they will slow down their eating habits
Its normal for them to not want to eat anything during the shedding process
New bearded dragon owners start freaking out a little because their little beardie isn’t eating i know i was freaked out a little bit
Don’t stop offering food to them during the shedding process, they will sometimes still eat something small
Your Bearded dragon will also start looking darker as they start to shed
Grey patches of skin will start to flake off and underneath that will be shiny new skin
If you catch your bearded dragon eating their old skin this is something they would have done in the wild because food in the wild was scarce. They would eat their old skin to stay somewhat nourished
Look for your bearded dragon to have bulging eyes
this is something they do when they shed as well
like puffing their beards and bellies they will bulge their eyes to loosen the skin around their face
Don’t be too worried if your bearded dragon acts weird during this process just let them figure it out on their own and if they have problems you can aid them with baths and misting
A Tired bearded Dragon Shedding
When my bearded dragon was shedding his skin he would become very still and lethargic
I was wondering why this happened and I came to find out from my vet friend that shedding is actually quite an intense process and requires a crap ton of energy
Something I’ve noticed
Don’t try to pick them up too much during a shedding period because they can get a irritated as shedding can be itchy and cause discomfort in your beardie. Don’t be surprised if they don;t want to be handled by you
What if my bearded dragon isn’t shedding?
This is going to be pretty rare and might not happen often or at all but in case it does happen you need to know what to do
Bearded dragon shedding issues come from a lack of care from their owners most of the time
If your bearded dragon can’t shed its usually because of a habitat that is not full of different things that would be in the wild like rocks, logs, branches, and stuff like that
The lighting might not be good enough. Make sure you change the bulbs every 6 months even if they haven’t burnt out yet
Poor hydration can lead to Bearded dragon shedding issues
Lastly, temperature issues can cause bearded dragon shedding issues
if the temperature is too low or too high all the time and the humidity is off they will have a harder time shedding which is why you need to know how to set up their habitat properly
What to do when Bearded dragon isn’t shedding
Now there is a condition that my vet told me that some bearded dragons can get if the enclosure is not kept up properly which is dysecdysis
Usually, they are caused by skin infections from the enclosure being dirty
One thing you should never do is just pull the skin off
If the skin isn’t ready it will hurt them
If you’ve ever been scraped up before imagine picking a scab before it’s ready. it hurts like crazy
It can take time for the skin to come off right
assuming you check the temperature and humidity to make sure its right
give them a bath like mentioned before with the shedding shampoo
mist them 2 times a day and make sure their enclosure has lots of stuff in it for them to rub against
How long does it take for a bearded dragon to shed?
i forgot to mention this earlier but you should know how long it should take so you know when it might be time to get worried
the older a bearded dragon is the longer it’s going to take to shed its skin. They are literally growing bigger and bigger until they reach adulthood
There is simply more skin to shed as they get bigger
baby bearded dragons will shed rather quickly within around 3 days
a juvenile will shed after about 2 weeks give or take
adult bearded dragons will shed after about 3 weeks to a month
if the days are off by a couple don’t worry too much just try misting them or giving them a bath to accelerate the process
Summary and things you should note
- If you notice your bearded dragon is puffing its because they are trying to help themselves shed. This is one of the reasons why bearded dragons puff
- Male and female bearded dragons With both shed the same as far as i’ve seen in my experience
- shedding skin scientifically known as ecdysis
- New owners will not be used to the idea of a bearded dragon puff. Bearded dragons can puff for many different reasons but mainly either feel threatened, excited or they might be trying to float
