Claw losing problem??????

[WilliamTheLeopardGecko]

My gecko William is a juvenile and has already lost a bunch of claws....9 of them total!!!It's really sad and I have to lift him up some places. One time he shed he had some constricted skin on the tip of his toe which I couldn't get off so the tip of his toe fell off I was worried about it but everything seems okay now but my question is is there a claw shedding problem for geckos? I might just be a total worry wart but he's my first pet ever and naturally I'm worried about him. My little buddy is my "precious"!!:main_laugh:

 

[DrCarrotTail]

Sounds like he needs more humidity to shed properly. Do you have a moist hide in his tank?

 

[WilliamTheLeopardGecko]

No I'm pretty new at this but I always put him in a shallow bowl of warm water when he sheds. Last time he shed was about a week ago and he had a very bad shed it was hard so I immediately put him in the moist water. When I came home I saw him just lying there legs sprawled around and I honestly thought he was dead!!! I pulled off the shed because I couldn't just leave him there looking so hurt like that and I'm not sure I did the right thing. One more question: is hard shed normal? I dont think so.He ended up okay but just thought I should add that.

 

[DrCarrotTail]

Shedding issues probably indicate that there's not enough humidity in his environment. All of my geckos get a 4 cup Tupperware with some damp Sphagnum moss at the bottom all the time. Then they can hop into a higher humidity environment when they feel they need it. Most of them spend a LOT of time in their moist hides - they seem to really love it!! They also have a water bowl in their tank that provides additional humidity. If you have yours in an aquarium with heat lamp or ceramic over tank heater you might need to mist the tank to keep the humidity up too.

I would only soak when you see a problem, like shed left on his toes or skin, not every time he sheds. I also would NEVER leave a gecko soaking for more than 10 minutes unsupervised.

 

[sausage]

as stated above you need to supply your gecko with a humid hide.
as said a tupper ware box is fine with wet moss, iv use an empty bug box before. just cut a big hole in one end and put wet moss in, you don't even need to use moss. you can use wet paper towels (change every few days) or even a bit of cut up sponge to line the box.

When the gecko first sheds the skin will be soft, this is so they can peel it off quickly. the shed dose not stay soft for long as it dries out quickly and becomes kind of hard and flaky, this is when the shedding process becomes difficult. providing a humid hide prolongs the soft stage making it easer for them.

It sounds like your gecko has been loosing his claws purely due to constriction around the toes. this is a very painful thing for them and can be easily avoided.
some of my geckos have the occasional bad shed so some time I have to hold them and use a pair of tweezers to remove the skin on the toes. they don't like it but it has to be done

 

[WilliamTheLeopardGecko]

I don't think that the claw losing problem is due to constricted shed because I've never seen shed at his claws but next time he does shed I'll look out for that. Where can I buy wet moss and what moss do I buy?

 

[sausage]

you should be able to get moss from any reptile store, they sell it for tropical reptiles/ amphibians. or you could order it over the internet.

any thing like these will do:
https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=r...cp.r_qf.&fp=71048a1ddf4dcc90&biw=1366&bih=643

claws can also be pulled out when handling the gecko. if its on your clothing and you pull it off for example. that is very common in chameleons.

 

[DrCarrotTail]

The easiest thing to use is a damp paper towel. I'm using sphagnum moss for my growing geckos and coconut fiber (AKA Bed-a-beast) for lay boxes. I also read that some people use vermiculite or peat moss. If you don't want to use paper towels you should be able to get one of those at any pet store or HomeDepot/Lowes type store that carries gardening supplies. Just make sure whatever you get is made for pets or organic. Stay away from brands like Miracle Grow or those that have added ingredients or fertilizers.

 

[sausage]

vermiculite is good for lay boxes but not humid hides as it sticks all over them lol

 

[Ozy]

You can just use paper towels in the moist hide. My moist hide is just a shallow, cheap glad container I had around. I put the paper towels in it, cut a hole in the lid and put the lid on. My gecko recently shed and had some shed on his front foot. I just soaked him in warm water for about 10 minutes and then used a Q-Tip to get the shed off. Oh yea, put the moist hide on the hot side of his cage.