Stuck shed?

[OliviaThegecko]

So the rescued gecko I got totally has a stuck shed. The guy I got him from said thats why she was so skinny, and I thought he was lying, however after some reading i guess geckos do tend to lose appetites when they shed and it looks like shes been doing this for a while, since we can see her spine.

I dont like the idea of grabbing her and q-tipping her down, but i have nice humidity (because i have a fogger) I also have a UVB on her its the 5.0 and a heat basking spot of 100, which keeps the rest of the tank at about 80 -85-90 in the higher no basking spots, I also have a heat pad on the side of the tank towards the back where she hides at night.

Her eating has really come around but she wont eat a slurry of pureed fruit or repashy, I only got one flavor -mango, it sounded good and my vorax liked it so i figured why not...but she hasnt touched any of that.

she has however started eating crickets like its her job, and dubias if I hold them on tongs.

This shed though worries me, its all down her tail, but its all separate pieces, I did manage to get it off her lamellae and toes...but I'm at a lose cause I don't want to grab ( gently albeit) and have her drop her tail..ideas?

 

[Aimless]

what about a soak/sauna? honestly, if you bump her humidity a LOT over the next several days I think she will take care of it herself. good work on getting her toes clear; that's the tough part.

 

[OliviaThegecko]

Im trying to think of a good way to do that, one person said if i had an incubator to put her in a container with paper towels and water and then leave her in over night she would be clear by morning, and i do have an Incubator and its got alot of eggs in it, so its at 85 for a temp and its nice and humid, i just feel this would make her flip. But its just the stress of catching her. So how would i do the sauna? or increase the humidity?

 

[Aimless]

I would try the humidity first. cover the screen and crank it up for 1-2 days.

 

[OliviaThegecko]

So should i take the UVB off for a few days? thats a major escape spot, can i use glad press and seal? is it ok? I like this idea ! thanks!

 

[OliviaThegecko]

ok so i press and sealed the top, except for where the light is obviously, and i have my fogger on and i sprayed the tank. fingers crossed

 

[Aimless]

If I need to crank humidity, I use foil around the lights and lamps. I don't know press and seal? Be wary of creating a fire hazard!

 

[OliviaThegecko]

foil?! hmmmm

 

[Aimless]

yeah, cut a hole for the fixture and otherwise tinfoil can sit right on heat source.

 

[Elizabeth Freer]

Regarding Olivia ~

This shed though worries me, its all down her tail, but its all separate pieces, I did manage to get it off her lamellae and toes...but I'm at a lose cause I don't want to grab ( gently albeit) and have her drop her tail..ideas?

/\ the above worries me some because of the chances of ending up with a soggy tank if you increase the humidity by additional fogger action. Sogginess promotes mold. :sad:

Cage dimensions:
Type of Phelsuma:

Here's a similar idea that has worked well for my Phelsuma:

"Humidity Chamber" METHOD #1:
Take a plastic container a little bigger than your gecko
Poke holes in the lid so your gecko can breathe
Place a dampened paper towel or washcloth on the bottom
Add a rough rock or piece of cork bark
Spray the insides of this container
Add the gecko
Snap on the lid
Place this container near a lamp using a low wattage bulb such as a 25 watt incandescent bulb to further increase humidity
Monitor your gecko at all times

After an hour or two, perhaps longer, remove the gecko and gently attempt to remove the stuck shed using a gentle rolling motion with a wet q-tip.

Some folks place this covered container containing the leopard gecko into shallow warm water to generate the desired humidity.

Depending upon the amount of retained shed, this procedure may need to be repeated on several successive days.

 

[OliviaThegecko]

This sounds good, and yes my tank is soggy so now I have to clean that when i get home..and no skin came off.. I am alittle confused, i like all these ideas, i'll get it eventually!

 

[OliviaThegecko]

We did it!!! but not with either of these ways! it was all her, very natural! eating bugs, but no repashy sadly

 

[Aimless]

Excellent. Soaks and saunas can work, but it's always best if they can manage it themselves. Nice work.

 

[OliviaThegecko]

Im so excited!!