CWD questions

Question

CWD   QUESTION: Hi. I have not had my CWD for very long and he has started to go through shed. He sheded off his head and neck fine, and now is bright green and some blue around his mouth. but the rest of his body hasent shed, its just really brown and dry looking. Wen i noticed him first starting to shed increased his humidity to %80 all the time, mist him and his cage twice a day and his fogger on longer each day. He has kept his body skin for about 4 to 5 days now so i gave him a good soaking today in the sink thinking that would help but he still looks the same. Is it suppose to take him this long to shed? He lives in a 5ftx3ftx2 1/2ft enclosure, he has a 36in 30watt 10.0 UV tube light, 75 watt day baking light, a 50 watt night time heat light, 4 gallon water dish with waterfall, 90F top baking light and 78F at the bottom of the cage, the cage comes to 75F at night for him to sleep in. Should i keep soaking him? dose they take this long to shed?
Alos my CWD dosent like crickets....its weird. if i try to get a cricket even close to him he will freak out and run and jump, but he gets all excited wen i show him a meal worm and gobbles it up no problem. Is he really scared of crickets??

ANSWER: Hi Luke,
It can take them a while to shed.  They aren't like geckos that shed all at once.  Generally they shed in body parts, IE: head, one leg, other leg, etc. Usually the CWD will soak in their water pan.  Is the water too chilly for him?
Give it more time on the body shed and be sure to soak daily for at least 30 minutes.. If, in a week or so, it still isn't coming off, you can use a small amount of vaseline or aloe lotion to see if that helps loosen it. Don't try to pull it off though as that can cause skin damage.
Did you read through the link I gave you previous? There are other foods to offer.  Not sure I mentioned it before but, try breaking the hind legs off the crickets so they can't jump.

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QUESTION: Thanks for the info. All the places i looked at never gave an amount of time they shed just said they shed in parts. I will start soaking him more as the old skin looks dry. i have pulled the legs off crickets and even tried dead ones and he still dosent like them. i would like to give him earth worm but i heard they are not good for him and all the other worms just seem to be to high in fat to give him, and all of the other insects, like cockroaches, are to big for him to eat. Im just going to keep trying the crickets, maybe not feeding him for awhile then just give him crickets, maybe hunger will help him get over his fear.
Can soaking him in the sink for 30min stress him out to much? i know he wasnt happy about me doing it to him today for 5min

Answer
hi Luke,
Try putting a rock or even a folded hand towel in the sink so he can sit on it. Many times, its the color of the sink that they don't like.  White seems to be one color many don't care for at all. As tiny as he is, a cake pan would do for him!!  If he still stresses, then only do it as long as he tolerates it. Sometimes it can take a few sheds to get all the old shed off.  Its important to keep an eye on tail, toes and spikes for any stuck shed as those areas are thinner and stuck shed can cut off the blood supply to the area. With all the plants, etc in his cage, you should have a nice humid place for him so he should shed soon.
Earthworms are fine for him.  Just be sure they aren't too large. Best if you find a store that sells them.  You can see they are ok to feed at: http://www.triciaswaterdragon.com/diet.htm#earthworms
You might want to check into silk worms.  They are a good food for them.  Also, some places on line carry smaller sized superworms which are also a good food for them. The problem with both the silk worms and silk worms is that they cannot be shipped when its really cold out..so depending on where you live, it may be a problem.
Have you tried giving him some greens such as collard greens, turnip greens, etc?  Also some shredded (g4rated) butternut squash.  Some CWD will eat the greens and veggies.
If he is going to continue to only eat the mealworms, its a good idea to raise your own as then you will have a good supply of the freshly shed ones which are much better/safer for them as they don't have the hard outer shell when they are freshly shed mealworms. Those are the ones that are white.
Are you are measuring your temperatures right at his level, where he lays under the basking light? If not, that can give you a false reading as to the basking temperature.