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Wondering about Aloe Vera Gel for BTS shedding
Posted: Wed Jul 11, 2012 2:31 pm
by skeetersmom
A friend of mine raises bearded dagons, and he told me he gives them some (2 tablespoons) of Aloe Vera gel in their water dish as soon as he sees they are going into shed; this helps the shed. I was wondering, with all the people posting about shed problems - if this could be helpful.
Re: Wondering about Aloe Vera Gel for BTS shedding
Posted: Wed Jul 11, 2012 5:35 pm
by Fatal_S
Aloe vera is used topically for burns, wounds, and bug bites. Ingested aloe isn't really a good thing though. It's a purgative (diarrhea) and is especially bad for preggos and nursing mothers. There is evidence of it being carcinogenic when ingested over a period of time. I use it for sunburns all the time, but would not ingest it or give it to my animals.
I assume when he adds it to the water, it's so the animal soaks in it? I'd rather just rub it on the skin if I was going to use it.
Re: Wondering about Aloe Vera Gel for BTS shedding
Posted: Wed Jul 11, 2012 5:57 pm
by skeetersmom
Thanks for the double reply Fatal - didn't want to address the snake issue in the general catagory. With so much flying around out there - good to have a reliable source of info here
Re: Wondering about Aloe Vera Gel for BTS shedding
Posted: Wed Jul 11, 2012 6:08 pm
by Fatal_S
Apparently some people also use aloe in food and desserts. So it can't be too dangerous in small doses. I still think of it as a topical rather than an digestible.
Re: Wondering about Aloe Vera Gel for BTS shedding
Posted: Wed Jul 11, 2012 6:16 pm
by Lucifer_Spades
It should be noted that aloe is toxic when ingested by cats, rabbits, and birds. So personally I wouldn't risk something ingesting it when its toxicity is unknown.
Re: Wondering about Aloe Vera Gel for BTS shedding
Posted: Wed Jul 11, 2012 9:18 pm
by Lea
If you can get hold of it, try some emu oil cream. It is rapidly absorbed, non-toxic and has a very high moisture content, which helps lift the old scales, as well as providing a soothing moisture to the scales below. The skin naturally produces a thin layer of oil under the old scales as the new ones mature and harden, but sometimes it can be patchy and some areas stubbornly refuse to lift, even with bathing. Because it sinks in rapidly, the skink can't lick it off and what's more, a little goes a looooong way, making the cost of buying it from overseas, a reasonable one. There are actually large companies now buying it for overseas, so you may strike lucky and find it in a local health food shop.
Re: Wondering about Aloe Vera Gel for BTS shedding
Posted: Wed Jul 11, 2012 9:26 pm
by Lea
http://lbemuoil.com/pet-care/emu-oil-ultra-solid.html
Try out this site. It looks they have 100% pure emu oil in their creams and other products and the prices seem to equate to the pet shop shedding aids, too.
Re: Wondering about Aloe Vera Gel for BTS shedding
Posted: Thu Jul 12, 2012 1:35 am
by Linnea
they sell aloe vera as drinks here, i even tried it, so this thread is not making me very comfortable now xD
Re: Wondering about Aloe Vera Gel for BTS shedding
Posted: Thu Jul 12, 2012 1:55 am
by Lea
Linnea wrote:they sell aloe vera as drinks here, i even tried it, so this thread is not making me very comfortable now xD
Linnae, aloe Vera has been used for centuries as a general tonic for all manner of aches and pains and I'll health, with hardly a notation of adverse events through all the ages! I should think you'll be ok with a juice ... The government is hardly likely to endorse the sale of a known poison to humans.
But in the case of animals, particularly those with such vast anatomical and physiological differences to humans, studies have shown and been well documented to show they most likely are not safe for their consumption.
Re: Wondering about Aloe Vera Gel for BTS shedding
Posted: Thu Jul 12, 2012 6:11 am
by tylociraptor
Is Emu oil plant based or is it... actually used from emus?
Re: Wondering about Aloe Vera Gel for BTS shedding
Posted: Thu Jul 12, 2012 4:16 pm
by Lea
tylociraptor wrote:Is Emu oil plant based or is it... actually used from emus?
Lol, seems a funny question to those in Australia, but I know why you ask!
It's oil from freshly squeezed emu, stranded and sieved to become a fine paste, boiled over a hot stove and strained again to remove the thin layer of oil from the surface"
No, really!
Seriously though, it is extraction from emu fat. There are strict regulations on how it is extracted under Australian law, for example, the emus have to be free range, kept on a natural diet their whole lives and Not be fed any chemically altered products, including hormones. The fat rendered is aa by-product, so emu is not farmed solely for its oil, so it's more of a case of using everything from the emu and not wasting anything. To get PURE emu oil, the rendered fat also has to go through a refining process to remove any contaminants, like bacteria, this is usually by heating it to a high temperature, but it won't affect the quality of the oil.
Hmm, probably more info than you wanted, but I have looked into it before to see how safe it is for my lizards, so got to know quite a lot.