Helping along stuck sheds?

[Turtlestork]

Hey everyone,

A few of my younger geckos have some stuck bits of skin on their face looking like the picture attached. How do you guys go about helping this along? have tried a warm wet q-tip like I do with larger pieces of stuck shed but this doesn't seem to budge with that technique. Or am I perhaps overreacting? Thanks for any advice!

Levi Storks

 

[cassicat4]

I'm not seeing anything obvious from the pics that would indicate a problem. If you're referring to the little white specks, sometimes there can be little pieces of leftover shed that just haven't fallen off yet, but it's not really a concern if they're small like that. However, I would carefully check over your gecko's toes and tail, as any leftover shed could cause issues such as cutting off circulation.

Something you can try is a gecko sauna. JB's Cresties JB's Cresties has an excellent video on YouTube on how to make and give your gecko a sauna to help with retained shed and hydration.

What is your humidity, and how often do you mist?

 

[Turtlestork]

So this is not something to worry about? I always check them over for their toes and tails and such, but these specific little parts were not coming off and worrying me. I have heard of the gecko sauna before, but never have I seen the video thanks! My geckos get one heavy misting per day when they are most active, around 10 at night. I make sure the tank is allowed to try over the course of the day. I feel like sometimes the geckos have issues on their extremities when shedding, such as their nose like this.

 

[cassicat4]

It could be an indicator of low humidity, so along with the sauna, I would consider misting a bit more frequently. I'm not sure how humid it is where you live, but generally, a heavy misting at night and light misting in the morning is what most people do, and it keeps the humidity where it should be while allowing the tank to dry out during the day. Keep in mind though, that "dry out" doesn't mean the humidity is 0%, just that it can get quite low, around 30% or so. Any time a gecko has issues shedding, too low humidity is often the culprit.

Something else you could do is add a humid hide to your gecko's enclosure. Some people do this with geckos who have difficulty shedding, and the gecko will use it as needed. You can use either paper towel, peat moss, sphagnum moss, etc. substrate and just be sure you mist it heavily.

 

[Supreme Gecko]

Cassi, great point about the humid hide. Misting is great but in the wintertime, trying to find a balance between too dry and too wet is tricky. Adding a humid hide helps resolve this as the geckos will always have a place to go to 'freshen up'.

 

[nadinelovesgeckos]

Baby hemidactylus garnotti stuck shed

:?I have a baby indo-pacific house gecko, Indy. She is only about two inches nose to end of tail and is having a difficult time shedding. I have increased her humidity in her enclosure, sprayed her more often with tepid water (which she hates), and just giving her her first sauna/bath. I very gentley was able to get some shed off of her with a wet qtip but she still has some on her feet. It does not seem to be cutting off her circulation because it is loose but I am worried that if I pull too hard I will pull off her toes. She is so tiny! Poor thing. Any additional advise would be welcome.