Help with House Gecko Shedding

[epca394]

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I have a house gecko who's about 2 inches long, he's been shedding for two days now, I read guides online saying to keep an eye on him and avoid dropping crickets in with em for a few days. I keep his tank sprayed and moist daily(I mist it down 5 times a day), I also have a water dish in there that he normally likes to soak in, he's normally quick and doesn't let anyone touch him, I held him for this picture for the first time, so I don't usually mess with him like this.

Now he's been shedding for a few days now, and his shedding is looking like it's cutting of the circulation, as I came home from work to find his front toes are missing on his front left paw and his rear legs cant move, he's so small that im not sure how to remove the shedding without harming him further, do I just leave him alone or is there something I can do to help im out?



Gecko (1).jpgGecko (2).jpg

[Herpin Man]

Here's what I do in this situation:
First, put the gecko in a deli cup with wet paper towels. Leave it for a half hour or so. Don't forget the air holes!
Then, gently peel off the loose skin- inside out, like a sock. I find that placing the foot between the thumb and forefinger, and applying a gentle pressure, works the best.
In cases with large accumulations of skin on the toes, a tweezers is necessary. A sharp tweezers works best, but be careful not to injure the gecko with it.
Don't expect the gecko to like it.
If it happens again, don't wait before removing the skin, delay will only cause damage to the geckos feet.
With sufficient humidity, this is usually not an issue, and you shouldn't need to mist five times a day to maintain humidity. I suspect that you have a screen top, or something else which allows too much air flow. This may need to be reduced.
Sometimes, though, shedding issues can be the result of too much moisture. Not knowing your enclosure, I have no idea if this could be the case here or not.

[epca394]

thx for the reply I'll try this, it is a screen top by the way

[Herpin Man]

I suggest covering the screen 3/4 or so, and see what effect that has on the humidity.

[Elizabeth Freer]

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What type substrate are you using? Is your room humidity on the dry side?

After spending some time in a humid hide box just like Herpin Man recommends, see whether you can ease the tweezers between the leg or foot and the stuck shed. Try gently brushing a dry q-tip over the toes with ever-so-slight pressure. It may be helpful to place the gecko on a firm surface such as a countertop for these treatments.

Another way to increase ambient humidity is to use a layered substrate:

Bottom layer = hydroton (clay culture "marbles")
Middle layer = Easy Gardener weedblocker cloth
Top layer = Eco Earth's coco fiber

Then periodically water the substrate some. Water will seep through the porous weedblocker cloth into the hydrodroton "marbles". That will significantly increase ambient humidity.