Rescue with Stuck Shed :(

[starnaito]

I'm hoping for some advice here. I picked up a cave gecko today that was in a bone dry container with no ventilation. I saw the stuck shed and knew I needed to soak him quick. The photo shows shortly after I got him. I put a wet paper towel in there until I could get him to a cleaner cup for a soak.



After a good soaking, I was able to roll off some of the shed with a Q-tip, but this guy is squirmy. He started flailing and trying to bite the Q-tip. (I don't blame him. I'm sure it was a very scary day for him, overall.) So, rather than stress him out, I set up his temporary enclosure with a moist hide, and he's in there now. I also made sure there was some cork bark in there to help him scrape some of it off himself.

I'm planning to try the sauna/Q-tip method again tonight, but if anyone has an tips for doing this with a gecko that doesn't cooperative well, I'd appreciate the help!

 

[acpart]

I think if you can keep it in a sauna type setting for awhile, that may eventually work. You can also spray the feet which will loosen the shed up even more. If you feel you can gently put a fold of your shirt over its head, it may think it's hiding (this works with my leopard geckos) and let you work. If possible, feel free to use your finger nails. That works much better than q-tips.

Aliza

 

[starnaito]

I think if you can keep it in a sauna type setting for awhile, that may eventually work. You can also spray the feet which will loosen the shed up even more. If you feel you can gently put a fold of your shirt over its head, it may think it's hiding (this works with my leopard geckos) and let you work. If possible, feel free to use your finger nails. That works much better than q-tips.

Aliza

Thank you for the quick response! I got more shed off today with after another sauna. He's definitely more cooperative now, but it's probably because he's tired after being awake all night. Hopefully I can gradually get all the shed off with some patience!

 

[Newbreeder]

I have this same problem with one of my leos feet. I got told by a breeder to try a bit of olive oil and a cotton bud(q tip?)

I have not tried it yet though.

 

[starnaito]

I have this same problem with one of my leos feet. I got told by a breeder to try a bit of olive oil and a cotton bud(q tip?)

I have not tried it yet though.

I tried out Zilla's Shed Ease on my cave gecko yesterday, and it really helped loosen the bits that I was having the most trouble with. It has aloe vera in it, so maybe that has a similar effect to the olive oil.

And my gecko is doing much better now!