More shed questions

[astoppani]

My 16 year old leopard gecko has a bad shed about once every 4 or 5 months now for the past couple of years, and it can be a couple of weeks before we get through it. I'm not sure if it's one shed or several piled in a row. I have a humidifier I can run (but I'm careful not to run it too much), and I have warm and cooler hides at opposite ends, plus a moist hide that's near the warm end that I keep moist. Substrate is reptile carpet with a layer of paper towels over it. Diet is crickets with calcium. Warm end is 89 degrees, cool is 76. He has an undertank heater under his warm hide but seldom uses it. Overall heat is provided with heat lamp, and temps measured at floor.

When I notice the stuck shed, I soak him in 90 degree water with Shed-ease, then massage him gently with a damp towel to help the shed come off. As much as he'll tolerate it, I also use my fingernails to scrape at it a bit. But honestly it doesn't seem to help much. He looks pretty terribly head to foot. I watch carefully to make sure no body parts are constricted, and so far it doesn't seem to. He was missing toes when we got him in 2007 but nothing since from what I can tell.

Any additional ideas? Is this common in the really old guys? How often should I do the soaks? I've been doing 15 to 20 mins every couple of days, but I feel like I should up the frequency?

Thanks,

Andrea

 

[acpart]

Some of my leopard geckos have trouble shedding on and off and one does consistently. When I notice someone shedding I leave them to it for 24 hours and if they haven't completed it, I "peel" them with my fingernails. I have soaked them but don't do it anymore. It's just as easy for me to use the sprayer to spray the toes and then pull it off with my fingernails.

Aliza

 

[astoppani]

Thank you Aliza! Can you clarify if you actually pull at all? A couple of times I put my finger on the shed and let him pull away on his own, allowing him to be the one to exert pressure, but I'm just so terrified of tearing his skin. The flaky shed is all over him! Right now he has batches of it coming off his tail (which I'm really scared to do anything with for fear he'll drop his tail), and more on his body. I've attached a photo to show his tail as he was entering his moist hide. It almost looks like he has another shed coming off under it - as that is not his normal color even where the shed has come off. This seems to be the pattern, and then after a few weeks of this, finally he will look normal again. But I know the risk we're running in this state of things going south if he gets a constriction or develops an infection. I've been using drops the vet gave me to help him with his eyes, and I will use a spray bottle and my nails today to see if I can help him along more, but knowing how much, if any, tension I can put on the shed will help too! Thanks so much for your guidance!

 

[astoppani]

I did as you recommended and used a spray bottle liberally and my nails and fingers to rub it off, except for his tail which I'm afraid of causing him to drop it, and it did seem to help, more than just the soaks for sure. There are a couple of spots on his legs that need more work, and he doesn't like me messing with his head. But his torso is much better. I stopped when I felt he'd had enough and will try again later after he rests up a bit. He really doesn't like his neck and head messed with, but I'm hoping that as the rest comes off, he will be able to deal with that part himself.

 

[acpart]

I'm glad you're making progress. They really don't drop their tails that readily. I "strip" the tail with my fingernails all the time. If you hold him at waist height and put your shirt tail over his head he'll think he's hiding and he won't mind so much.

Aliza