gecko shed

[viper99]

my geckoes have some shed left on thier feet and they have been biting at it and i dont want them 2 bite off thier toes what can i do to get it off their feet before they bite them off

[Herpkid101x]

just give em a bath or just pull it off SLOWLY with some twizers like i do

[BlueClover]

Originally Posted by Herpkid101x

just give em a bath or just pull it off SLOWLY with some twizers like i do

Soak them for a while before you do that to help loosen up the skin. What kind of geckos? Either your tank isn't humid enough or you need to add a humid hide to prevent this from happening again.

[viper99]

they are madagascan ground gekos

[BlueClover]

You can either start spraying the cage because they aren't currently humid enough or you can add a humid hide. For now, if there is still some skin, I like to let my gecko walk around in shallow water for a few minutes and then use a wet q-tip to encourage the skin to come off. Make sure the skin is wet and is ready to come off or you could hurt the gecko. Double check to make sure you get it all off, you don't want it hanging around too long

[PDXErik]

Will they actually bite their toes off?

[BlueClover]

Originally Posted by PDXErik

Will they actually bite their toes off?

No. But the shed can restrict blood flow and they can lose their toes.

[oxquo]

Do You have a moist peat box for them? If not get a medium sized box, tupperware works great fill 3/4 with moist peat. Generally I soak the peatmoss and then microwave for 2 minutes to kill any bacteria or fruit fly eggs. Then cut a hole in the lid of the container just bigger than your gecko. You may have to let them examine the box without the lid for a day or two before putting the lid on and if using underground heating put box on the cool side of the tank. Your geckos will use the damp peat to moisten and scrape their sheds off on their own and often just as a fast cool down zone.

If cutting the hole in the lid with scissors you can use a candle or soldering iron to smooth the edges of the cut on the plastic as well.The peat should be replaced atleast every second shed, but mine use it sooo often I replace once every two weeks. Coconut fiber works too, greenhouses sell it and it is very sterile and neutral in pH. A coconut brick goes a very long ways so break off a little at a time and let it expand in hot water, once cooled use it as you would peat moss. If they shed again you will see them rolling in the peat and even using the hole in the lid to scrape against. The peat box can be misted along with the normal tank misting.

[Reptile Corner]

Figuring out how to safely remove the shed is important, but it's more important to know why your gecko is having shedding problems.

Most pet stores will recommend sand as a substrate and even some credible reptile stores will still recommend having a heat lamp over your leopard gecko. In our dry cold Canadian homes, sand and lights contributes to dehydration in geckos that live under ground during day light hours. Since leopard geckos do not use sunlight to warm their body in the wild, it is unlikely to see your gecko use a lamp as a basking area. A heat pad is a much more natural way for a gecko to absorb heat and will prevent a dry tank which you will most certainly get by using a heat lamp. Closing the top of your tank with glass or plexi glass or plastic will trap some ambient heat in your tank. By keeping your water bowl over the heat pad, you can also bring up the ambient humidity in your tank which they also need. Afghanistan and Pakistan are considered dry areas although these geckos live under ground where the humidity is high.

If your ambient temp is less the 80f and less then 80% humidity, I recommend using any substrate other then sand. Even calci-sand is only digestible if you provide correct temperature and humidity. Sand is difficult to digest and will bind with saliva. Sand is also dusty and dry and causes shedding problems with most reptiles.

Alot of gecko keepers will provide a hide box with damp soil. Sphagnum moss seems to be popular although most mosses become acidic is not changed often.

Good luck