Help! Bad shed constricting tip of our leo's tail

[miczup]

Hi everyone, I need help. But before that, I want to give a bit of a background. We just got our leopard gecko 2 weeks ago and according to the pet shop she's around 3 mos old. We got her set up in a 10 gallon aquarium with a heat mat, reptile carpet, water dish, a warm hide and a moist hide which we check daily to make sure it's moist. We feed her 5 crickets everyday, 5 days dusted with calcium and 2 days dusted with multivitamins. A week after we took her home we noticed a slight kink in her tail. Upon researching we believe it may be leftover shed that accumulated during the time she was in the pet store and it seems to now be constricting the tip of her tail. See image below



A couple of days ago we noticed her skin was turning dull and sure enough today she has completed her shed except for a small bit on the tip. My question is, can we still save the tip of her tail? It hasn't turned black or anything but it does look like it is hanging on by a thread. Also, I would like to give her a water bath and maybe try to help her remove the shed with a q-tip but we haven't tamed her yet and I'm afraid that the required amount of handling to get the skin removed will result in her dropping her tail completely.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated. My sons are so worried about her and though it has only been two weeks she already has a hold on our hearts.

Thanks!

 

[Geecko123]

a warm water bath and a q-tip should help if not than you need steady hands and some tweezers, try soaking her tail and trying to peel it off, if that doesn't work than you can try pinching the shed and trying to tear it ( make sure you don't hurt her) just gently try to pull the skin off.

 

[miczup]

Thank you for your quick response. I will try the water bath and q-tip. Should I wait a day before trying since she just finished shedding? Should I worry about her getting too stressed from handling that she drops her tail when I try removing the shed? We haven't tamed her yet and altho she has crawled on my hand a couple of times we haven't tried to pick her up.

 

[Elizabeth Freer]

Thank you for your quick response. I will try the water bath and q-tip. Should I wait a day before trying since she just finished shedding? Should I worry about her getting too stressed from handling that she drops her tail when I try removing the shed? We haven't tamed her yet and altho she has crawled on my hand a couple of times we haven't tried to pick her up.

Act immediately. Don't wait at all! The end of her tail is already significantly cut off from blood by the ring of constricting stuck shed. Left alone the end will no doubt turn black and die. I suggest a warm (86*F) water bath a couple times today to loosen that shed. It will take a very steady hand and a fine tipped tweezers (crochet hook or other finely pointed tool like a needle sterilized with rubbing alcohol) to remove the constricting shed. Best wishes!

For 4 click: Humidity Box Assists for Stuck Shed

 

[miczup]

Thank you, I will try to do the water bath now. I just hope I don't freak her out too much getting her out of her terrarium and into the bath :sad: I will update everyone when I'm done.

 

[Geecko123]

most geckos are pretty tame already, let us know how it goes! good luck.

 

[miczup]

Okay, so I did the water bath and I have to say she did not like it one bit. I couldn't see where the skin was so I used a q-tip to sort of rub the general area. It was hard coz she kept on swishing her tail away but she did eventually let me do it. I got this off:



But it looked like her tail was getting raw from the water and the q-tip so I stopped for now. I will check on her again tomorrow to see if there is any improvement. Thank you all again for all your help!

 

[Elizabeth Freer]

Thank you, I will try to do the water bath now. I just hope I don't freak her out too much getting her out of her terrarium and into the bath :sad: I will update everyone when I'm done.

Okay, so I did the water bath and I have to say she did not like it one bit. I couldn't see where the skin was so I used a q-tip to sort of rub the general area. It was hard coz she kept on swishing her tail away but she did eventually let me do it. I got this off:

View attachment 46626

But it looked like her tail was getting raw from the water and the q-tip so I stopped for now. I will check on her again tomorrow to see if there is any improvement. Thank you all again for all your help!

Good job so far!

This method may give your efforts a head start tomorrow.

METHOD #1

• Use warm water. The water temperature should be no greater than 86*F/30*C, a leopard gecko's preferred body temperature.
• Use a plastic container a little bigger than your gecko
• Poke or solder holes in the lid or the container so your gecko can breathe
• Add some paper towels
• Add a little water up to the belly of your leopard gecko. If your gecko is smaller, use scrunched up paper towels that have been dampened or sprayed to maintain the necessary humidity. Include a small piece of cork bark with the damp paper towels.
• Spray walls and lid of container
• Add gecko
• Snap on lid
• Place this container on top of the heat mat OR place this container near a lamp containing a low wattage bulb (15 watt or 25 watt incandescent bulb or similar wattage compact fluorescent). Water droplets should form on the insides of your plastic container!
• Monitor the temperature frequently
  [*]Monitor your gecko at all times
• Repeat this procedure, if necessary.

After 30 minutes, perhaps longer, remove the gecko and gently attempt to remove the stuck shed using a gentle rolling motion with a dry q-tip on the affected area.

 

[Geecko123]

thats definetly progress, good job.

 

[Geecko123]

has it came off, let us know what is going on.