Laticauda shedding problems

[SLOSU]

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Hi, I've had my female Laticauda for 9 months. She actually hitchhiked here on some plants from Hawaii. She was doing great up until last weekend when she started having problems with shedding. I read about putting geckos in a small container with paper towels to help. But the problem is, I don't think I can catch her without hurting her. Since she wasn't tame to begin with, I've never been able to get very close to her and her enclosure is 24x24x36 with lots of places to run and hide. The humidity levels in her vivarium range from 50-84, with the higher levels being reached at night. Is there anything I can do to help her without actually catching her? I can get the humidity levels to stay above 70 all day if I turn her UVA/UVB/heat light off but then sometimes they get over 90. I read too much humidity can also be bad. So I'm not sure if doing that is a good idea. I bought some tropical mist Zilla spray but haven't tried it yet. Has anyone used this before? Any suggestions? She's shed before with absolutely no problems so I'm really upset and confused as to why this is happening. Thanks in advance.

[Elizabeth Freer]

Welcome to Geckos Unlimited, SLOSU!

A 24 x 24 x 36 inch enclosure is GREAT for her! The humidity when the heat bulb is on sounds adequate.

I wonder whether your Phelsuma laticauda is vitamin D3 or multivitamin deficient.

• What brand, type (compact fluorescent bulb or linear UVB), and strength UVB are you using?
• What is the usual temperature gradient day and night?
• What is she eating (bugs, a complete powdered diet, if both -- how often each)?
• Is she getting any powdered supplemental multivitamins or D3?
• Does she have a favorite place to chill?

[SLOSU]

I use a 100 watt reptisun Mercury Vapor Bulb. I feed every other day alternating with Rephasy Meal powder, dusted fruit flies, blue soldier fly larvae and occasionally baby food and bee pollen. I've been dusting the flies with Rep-Cal herptivite and calcium w D3 powders once a week each. Temp is probably around 85-90 at the top of the enclosure during the day and 75 ish near the bottom. At night the temps were falling down into the 60s but I've turned my home heater on and they haven't gotten below 70 the last week. I did wonder if she got stressed from being too cold. She has shed the skin off her belly but her toes and back have been stuck for a week. At what point do I worry about loss of circulation? Thank you so much for your help. I never expected to be a gecko mom but now that I am, I want to be a good one!!! Oh, and she usually chills on one big plant leaf about 10" under her uvb/heat light. I'm trying to be bioactive so there's live plants with lots of branches to crawl and hide in. I added a humid hide this week to help with the bad shed but I have not seen her use it

[Elizabeth Freer]

I use a 100 watt reptisun Mercury Vapor Bulb. I feed every other day alternating with Rephasy Meal powder, dusted fruit flies, blue soldier fly larvae and occasionally baby food and bee pollen. I've been dusting the flies with Rep-Cal herptivite and calcium w D3 powders once a week each. Temp is probably around 85-90 at the top of the enclosure during the day and 75 ish near the bottom. At night the temps were falling down into the 60s but I've turned my home heater on and they haven't gotten below 70 the last week. I did wonder if she got stressed from being too cold. She has shed the skin off her belly but her toes and back have been stuck for a week. At what point do I worry about loss of circulation? Thank you so much for your help. I never expected to be a gecko mom but now that I am, I want to be a good one!!! Oh, and she usually chills on one big plant leaf about 10" under her uvb/heat light. I'm trying to be bioactive so there's live plants with lots of branches to crawl and hide in. I added a humid hide this week to help with the bad shed but I have not seen her use it

You're welcome.

I don't know how much UVB 100 watt Reptisun Mercury Vapor Bulbs produce. What is contained in Zilla's tropical mist spray?

Is it possible to round up this gecko in a 32 ounce deli container?

1. Prep a medium size food storage container for super high humidity.
2. Poke breathing holes in the lid.
3. Add moist, wet paper towels, a rough rock, & cover with a ventilated top.
4. How about adding a very soft bristled toothbrush especially for her toes? It can't hurt.
5. Place this container near a low wattage heat source (25 watt incandescent bulb) for several hours.
6. Watch beads of moisture form on the sides.
7. Monitor your gecko frequently.
8. See whether your P laticauda rubs the remaining skin off by herself.

I recommend a 10.0 Reptisun T8 linear bulb in it's own fixture to supply UVB for a 36 inch tall enclosure. Perhaps a 10.0 Reptisun compact fluorescent bulb would work??? Compare T8 and T5 Zoo Med's Reptisun linear fixtures first (Zoo Med: 888-496-6633). If you have adequate UVB, only 1 backup dose of powdered vitamin D3 is recommended per month. See whether Big Apple Herps still beats others' prices and offers an additional discount.

Consider a ceramic heat emitter for heat. If room temps where the enclosure sits don't plunge lower than the upper to mid 60s, she would be fine with no night time heat.

Is her Repashy meal powder a complete diet?

Rep-Cal's Herptivite only contains pro-vitamin A (beta carotene). I recommend Zoo Med's Reptivite withOUT D3 lightly dusted on some prey @ 1 feeding per week or (maybe) 2 feedings per month. The latter contains pre-vitamin A acetate (retinol).

For a couple Phelsuma laticauda care sheets click: Phelsuma laticauda (Gold Dust Day Gecko) Care Sheets......contributed by IrishEyes

[SLOSU]

The Zilla spray contains aloe, b vitamins and an emolient. I tried to spray it on her in the enclosure but she ran and hid immediately. I will check out those lighting options. Thank you. I haven't been able to catch her yet. Is it a bad idea to increase the humidity in her enclosure to a very high percentage for several hours to try and mimic the effect of the humid chamber? I could plastic wrap the screened area and get it up to 90 for awhile, then let it dry back out. She seems to be hanging out at the top of the enclosure next to the screen lately where I'm guessing the humidity is at its lowest percentage. I'm not sure why.

[Elizabeth Freer]

The Zilla spray contains aloe, b vitamins and an emolient. I tried to spray it on her in the enclosure but she ran and hid immediately. I will check out those lighting options. Thank you. I haven't been able to catch her yet. Is it a bad idea to increase the humidity in her enclosure to a very high percentage for several hours to try and mimic the effect of the humid chamber? I could plastic wrap the screened area and get it up to 90 for awhile, then let it dry back out. She seems to be hanging out at the top of the enclosure next to the screen lately where I'm guessing the humidity is at its lowest percentage. I'm not sure why.

Thanks! Your Zilla spray seems promising if you can aim it right at her.

Has the condition of her back and toes changed at all? Have you a hygrometer? Excessive humidity for extended periods will cause mold.

Does your P laticauda have anything she could rub up against as the humidity peaks (like a rough rock)? Keep her environment WARM as you increase the humidity to 90% for a short time only. Increasing humidity in a cool environment could lead to an upper respiratory tract infection.

I mentioned switching multivitamins to Zoo Med's Reptivite withOUT D3, because vitamin A acetate (retinol) supports healthy skin. Rep-Cal's Herptivite only contains pro-formed vitamin A (beta carotene). Please see this link.

For link 22 click: GU’s Admin Hilde on Calcium, Vitamin A, & D3 Interactions, et cetera: posts 22, 48, 85, ***96: vits + CaCO3***

Excerpt from Admin Hilde's link above:
VITAMIN A:
: Promotes bone growth, teeth development.
: Helps form and maintain healthy skin, hair, mucous membranes.
: Builds body's resistance to respiratory infections.
: Essential for normal function of retina. Combines with purple pigment of retina (opsin) to form rhodopsin, which is necessary for sight in partial darkness.
: Necessary for proper testicular function, ovarian function, embryonic development, regulation of growth, differentiation of tissues.

• 19 March 2016: "The vitamin A from animal sources is called retinol, while plant source vitamin A is carotenoids, such as beta-carotene.
  
  "Animal sources of retinol are bio-available, the gecko can use it 'as is', no extra processing needed. The vitamin A from plant sources has to be converted to retinol before it can be used.
  
  "This is what the geckos have trouble with - they don't absorb beta-carotene very well, so they don't have enough to convert to the 'finished' vitamin A. Some species also seem to have trouble converting it to pre-formed vitamin A (retinol).
  
  "You can increase the beta-carotene rich content of the gutload as much as you want, but it won't benefit the geckos any. They still can't convert it properly, no matter how much you stuff into a cricket."

VITAMIN D:
: Plays a key role in the absorption of calcium for bone and tooth development.
: Affects cardiovascular health, immune system, cancer prevention
: Has a major role in muscle development & strength
: Key role in mental health and depression avoidance

VITAMINS A & D interaction with other substances:
: Calcium decreases absorption of fat-soluble Vitamins A, D, E and K.

You can't see the Vitamin A shortage easily, except for possibly poor vision and/or aim when hunting. Rough skin is usually shrugged off as a 'bit of a bad shed' and hope it works better next time. If not.... well, we'll just remove the stuck skin with a cotton pad."

[Elizabeth Freer]

Please check the ingredients in her Repashy meal powder. Is vitamin A mentioned? If so, what type?

Have you access to very small silkworms to feed her? Silkworms contain retinol.

[SLOSU]

She seems to have gotten most of the shed off finally. I've been using repashy superfoods mango super blend meal replacement powder. It mentions vitamin A supplement and beta carotene. Should I switch to the reptivite and still dust with the calcium and D3?

[Elizabeth Freer]

She seems to have gotten most of the shed off finally. I've been using repashy superfoods mango super blend meal replacement powder. It mentions vitamin A supplement and beta carotene. Should I switch to the reptivite and still dust with the calcium and D3?

Probably Repashy's MRP also contains cholecalciferol (vitamin D3). If she most always eats MRP, she may only need Repti Calcium with D3 as a backup dose @ 1 feeding per month. Still I'd supplement plain calcium carbonate @ 2 feedings per week in addition to Reptivite.

Allen Repashy recently confirmed to me that the Vitamin A Supplement on Repashy labels = Vitamin A acetate (retinol).

Dr. Fran Baines, one of the Admins on Facebook's Reptile Lighting group, says -- "Mercury vapour lamps are self-ballasting using an ordinary tungsten (incandescent lamp) filament which is responsible for most of the infrared, so it is the same as a halogen or incandescent lamp - mostly IR-A with some IR-B and IR-C."

Since your Phelsuma laticauda does NOT receive adequate UVB yet, please switch to the following Zoo Med supplements -- ALL lightly dusted.

Zoo Med Repti Calcium WITH D3 @ 1 feeding per week
+ Zoo Med Repti Calcium withOUT D3 @ 1 feeding per week until she's about 12 months old
+ Zoo Med Reptivite multivitamins withOUT D3 @ 1 feeding per week

EDIT:
Be sure to lightly dust insects and worms with Zoo Med's Repti Calcium with D3 at 1 feeding per week.

Then reevaluate her situation.

[SLOSU]

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Hi Elizbeth,
Thank you so much for your time and your responses. I'll make the adjustments to the supplements. She did a full shed today which came off pretty much in one piece. The lingering skin from the previous bad shed is all gone now and she's very active. I'm very happy this forum exists