geckos toes gone green

[megan111]

Hi all... my gecko has shed but it hasn't gone properly. He has skin on his toes, two have green end points... what can I do? I've tried an aloe vera spray from pet shop which doesnt work. If i put him in luke warm water, he goes crazy trying to escape. If its Cold , he settles down..I'm scared of burning or freezing him.

Second, how do i prevent it from happening again? He has a moist box.. tried with coco peat and wet tissue, he won't go in it. Made one for my other gecko , she loves hers ?

 

[acpart]

It's not unusual for many leopard geckos to have trouble shedding their toes. Keep an eye on the gecko and when you notice shed on the toes , take it off. If it's a problem to soak the gecko, I find that spraying the feet works well too. Then you have to use your fingernails to pull off the shed.

Aliza

 

[megan111]

Hi Aliza Thanks for the reply. I took the gecko to the vet and he said he has a bad calcium deficiency. I am a little confused on the advice he gave me, if you can advise me I would be grateful.

Firstly, the gecko doesnt seem to enjoy the heat. He prefers it a little colder (26- 29 degrees ) I have heat pads which provide that temperature for him. The vet said I need to get a day glo light, day light and night light. Is all this necessary ? I know a UV is important to make vitamin D so can I just use that light (which light would that be?) and then a warm light for winter ?

If i take him out in the sun for say 15 mins a week is that enough?

Second, He said I must leave a calcium bowl in the tank. He hardly leaves his hides... Im worried he wont eat it. He doesnt seem to eat calcium dusted worms either... is there a way to make sure hes getting enough and should i try force it?

Also, he said sand as a substrate. He eats his sand (probably deficiency) I am worried it will get impacted and cause health issues.

thanks... still finding my way with these geckos and want to do the best for them but theres so much conflicting advice out there.

 

[acpart]

I don't think your vet is as knowledgeable as he/she thinks about leopard geckos. I have heard that some people do find their geckos like to bask and that a light does them some good. I don't think it's necessary though. I highly recommend against sand due to impaction and it not being a leopard gecko's natural substrate. Many people don't like to leave calcium in the tank because they worry the gecko will overdose. I actually do leave a small bottle cap of calcium for my hatchlings, because last season when I wasn't doing it some of them started to show early signs of MBD.
Here's what I would recommend:
leave a bowl of calcium without vitamin D3 in the tank so the gecko can get some extra calcium if desired (since it sounds as if it has a deficiency).
Get some calcium with vitamin D3 (I recommend Repashy Calcium Plus). Dust the feeders every other feeding with this stuff.
If you really feel that the gecko is refusing to consume anything with calcium, about every other week, dip your finger in water, dip it in the calcium plus and rub a bit on the gecko's jaw. It will lick it off and get its calcium.

Good luck.

Aliza

 

[Butiki]

Basking or daylight lamps are not recommended for leos. Though i do seem to notice some of my geckos do come out of hiding during the day just to lick some water, stroll a little and head back inside the hide. I keep my enclosures with exposure to bright indirect sunlight with a normal day&night cycle that seem to condition my leos well to wake up around 5:30-5:45 in the afternoon to eat, walk around or just sit there waiting for something.

Careful with swabbing an adult male leo's mouth with your fingers though, if you happen to have one like one of my males that seem to have over-the-roof testosterone, he will attempt to bite and mate with your hand lol..

As for keeping your hide moist, what i did was soak a handful of moss and pushed them against one side of the hide so his belly doesn't feel weirded out by all the moisture.

And please replace the sand as aliza stated due to obvious reasons.

Congrats, enjoy and good luck!

 

[megan111]

Hi Neil ( and Aliza)

I've done changes ... no sand , no white light ,ect . I'm using red light for day and blue light at night. His toes seem to be healing and overall he's moving better, his front legs stronger and I've even seen him peek out his hide a few times which is unusual for him as hes always hiding. Hes even able to just sit on my lap without trying to find a hide...So thank you

Just one more question... I'm trying to get him off superworms to meal worms ( which i think is healthier?)...he won't go for them. Any advice?