Humide Hide or No?

[cricket4u]

I'm curious if humid hides can actually result in RIs though. Has anyone heard of such a thing actually happening?

~Maggot

Do URI's occur, sure. Can a vet point out the exact cause? Only if the owner is 100% honest and doesn't leave out any detail the vet can make an educated guess. I personally believe most URI's are due to insufficient heating. Normally the geckos move, unless there's a problem with husbandry. For example, warm dry hide is too hot and the humid hide is the only other option in which provides heat.

 

[XoVictoryXo]

Rex lost 4 toes from a pet store that doesn't use humid hides. the build up on his toes took numerous soaks to remove. it was super stressful for him, geckos hate baths and having their toes messed with.
I have a picture of a gecko in that same store mid shed that has a few spots of blood on his skin, shedding is stressful as is, shedding without moisture is painful
I wonder if there is a documentary sort of film that records a wild leopard gecko in his natural habitat as I am super curious where they find their humidity during their sheds.

 

[Tlor Fett]

In my 10 years of messing around with Leo's i have only had two that NEEDED at moist hide to shed their skin, everyone else did perfect job of it usually without a trace left behind. Though any females that I use for breeding I keep their laying box in year round and moist and they like to hand out their ALOT so. With all being said some need it, some may not. Seems most LIKE it, and ALL can benefit from it.

Side note, my not needing the moist hide may also revolve around always having water in a large crock dish and having the air temp at 76-80 always. Helps keep their tubs humid

 

[Embrace Calamity]

I wonder if there is a documentary sort of film that records a wild leopard gecko in his natural habitat as I am super curious where they find their humidity during their sheds.

It's my understanding that there hasn't been a ton of research done on wild leopard geckos because of tensions in the area. I dunno if that's true or not, but it doesn't seem like there's a lot of information on them. I'd really love to know more about their wild behaviour too.

~Maggot

 

[XoVictoryXo]

I could see how that would be true, I have a friend in the army stationed in the desert of Afghanistan and its a pretty hostile area.

 

[Joey1]

It's my understanding that there hasn't been a ton of research done on wild leopard geckos because of tensions in the area. I dunno if that's true or not, but it doesn't seem like there's a lot of information on them. I'd really love to know more about their wild behaviour too.

~Maggot

Never found a real "documentary" ... I have seen videos illustrating life in certain Mid East nations, I remember a part that showed typical family home life, and as the cameras were rolling a Leo(s) walked through the home... The narrator explained people welcome lg in their homes to deal with pest problems and its kind of like good luck I guess, and following that they talked about lg in the wild briefly before the next topic...

I'll try and search for it but I don't remember what it was called no so far no luck. :/

 

[Joey1]

I could see how that would be true, I have a friend in the army stationed in the desert of Afghanistan and its a pretty hostile area.

My brother is still in Afghanistan ... It's definitely no picnic But there are many neutral nations that could (could have) try

 

[Hilde]

It's my understanding that there hasn't been a ton of research done on wild leopard geckos because of tensions in the area. I dunno if that's true or not, but it doesn't seem like there's a lot of information on them. I'd really love to know more about their wild behaviour too.

~Maggot

Eublepharis macularius was first described by zoologist Edward Blyth in 1854. There's been enough peace time to do lots of research and study on this species and the related ones.

Just some examples of where you can read up on everything from the first mention of them to the most recent info:

Eublepharis macularius | The Reptile Database
This one has reference links at the bottom, some with direct links to the source papers online.

Leopard Geckos (Sauria: Eublepharidae) of the World - Eublepharis macularius (Blyth, 1854)

 

[Elizabeth Freer]

Eublepharis macularius was first described by zoologist Edward Blyth in 1854. There's been enough peace time to do lots of research and study on this species and the related ones.

Just some examples of wher you can read up on everything from the first mention of them to the most recent info:

Eublepharis macularius | The Reptile Database
This one has reference links at the bottom, some with direct links to the source papers online.

Leopard Geckos (Sauria: Eublepharidae) of the World - Eublepharis macularius (Blyth, 1854)

Thanks, Hilde

 

[Goldie22]

Just to add my opinion on the matter, I believe strongly that every gecko needs a humid hide, not just for shedding, but for good health all around.

As background, I am a new member here and have had my leo, Goldie, for almost one year. A few months after I got her, she went off food and has refused everything offered to her. She never lost any weight (very interesting IMO) but I was constantly worried about her and tried many things to help her to start eating properly, including vet care and assist feeding.

Enter the GU forums. I realized that the care I was providing was not the best that it could be (goodbye 10 gallon tank with poor temperature gradient and hardly any space for the proper amount of hides). I had just started gathering the supplies to make her a better home, and the first thing I set up was a new humid hide. I decided to add it into her existing cage to see if it would help at all, but I had tried so many things that had not worked, so I did not have much hope. Well, as soon as I put it in the cage, she climbed into it, chilled out in there for a few hours, came out and started hunting mealworms for the first time in what seemed like forever! Since then she has started eating crickets again and is finally on her way back to good health :banana:. I never imagined that a simple container with moist coco fiber in it would make such a difference. She is more alert and lively than she has been in 8 months. I am astonished at the literal overnight change, and I now know that I will always keep a good humid hide in any leopard gecko cage I care for.

I cannot imagine what those poor leos go through without any humidity whatsoever unless the owner happens to notice they have had a bad shed and toss in a wet paper towel. I wonder if it affects their eating habits or if that was just my girl.

I also think that it is an important thing to remember to clean out the humid hide weekly. With it being moist and warm all the time, it would be a breeding ground for bacteria if left for a longer period of time. I can't imagine that that is good for pets or for humans.

Overall, I am going to "risk" having a humid hide in the tank as it has turned my gecko's health around completely. Just my humble opinion.

Note: I had a humid hide in her tank previously but it had vermiculite in it and never held humidity very well. Also, she actually did not like being in there when it was wet, only when it was dry. I switched to the coco fiber and it holds moisture amazingly well and it doesn't repel my girl like the vermiculite humid hide did.

 

[Elizabeth Freer]

Just to add my opinion on the matter, I believe strongly that every gecko needs a humid hide, not just for shedding, but for good health all around.

As background, I am a new member here and have had my leo, Goldie, for almost one year. A few months after I got her, she went off food and has refused everything offered to her. She never lost any weight (very interesting IMO) but I was constantly worried about her and tried many things to help her to start eating properly, including vet care and assist feeding.

Enter the GU forums. I realized that the care I was providing was not the best that it could be (goodbye 10 gallon tank with poor temperature gradient and hardly any space for the proper amount of hides). I had just started gathering the supplies to make her a better home, and the first thing I set up was a new humid hide. I decided to add it into her existing cage to see if it would help at all, but I had tried so many things that had not worked, so I did not have much hope. Well, as soon as I put it in the cage, she climbed into it, chilled out in there for a few hours, came out and started hunting mealworms for the first time in what seemed like forever! Since then she has started eating crickets again and is finally on her way back to good health :banana:. I never imagined that a simple container with moist coco fiber in it would make such a difference. She is more alert and lively than she has been in 8 months. I am astonished at the literal overnight change, and I now know that I will always keep a good humid hide in any leopard gecko cage I care for.

I cannot imagine what those poor leos go through without any humidity whatsoever unless the owner happens to notice they have had a bad shed and toss in a wet paper towel. I wonder if it affects their eating habits or if that was just my girl.

I also think that it is an important thing to remember to clean out the humid hide weekly. With it being moist and warm all the time, it would be a breeding ground for bacteria if left for a longer period of time. I can't imagine that that is good for pets or for humans.

Overall, I am going to "risk" having a humid hide in the tank as it has turned my gecko's health around completely. Just my humble opinion.

Note: I had a humid hide in her tank previously but it had vermiculite in it and never held humidity very well. Also, she actually did not like being in there when it was wet, only when it was dry. I switched to the coco fiber and it holds moisture amazingly well and it doesn't repel my girl like the vermiculite humid hide did.

Welcome to the club where geckophiles hang out, Goldie22!

Thanks for sharing. Hoping that your firsthand account motivates others to provide the best they can for their leos.