Actually, I ended up just putting him in a container with a bunch of wet paper towels. He hates it and is shoving his face into the corners trying to get out. I can even see him trembling with the effort to shove his face through...
Anyway, before that I tried to peel the scale off using tweezers to catch an edge and pull the whole thing off. It didn't work. First, he wouldn't stop moving his darn head and if I gently tried to restrain him, of course he pulled away and tried to escape from my grasp. He officially hates me.
I got this clear plastic box and shredded some paper towels and wet them with warm water (even though they'll eventually cool down anyway..) and filled 3/4 of the box with them. Then I poked some holes in the lid. (four very small ones so no moisture nor Xavier can get out) Then I put Xavier in the box and shut the lid really quickly. I'll wait about 30 minutes I guess and check up on him to see if he's worked it off yet. If not, I'll try the tweezers again.
Can't you just hear him saying,"Let me out!"??