Hatchling not shedding

[desertgecko]

One of my babies seems to be having trouble shedding and I'm not sure what to do. It started to shed 3 - 4 days after hatching and I saw shed skin hanging off it's belly. But the top half hasn't shed at all. There's a little flap on his nose but the rest of him looks faded, like he will shed in a day or two but he has been like it for several days now. He's not as active as his clutch mate (housed separate) and his eyes always seem half open but there's no visible skin covering them. I'll have to get a pic to show you what I mean. It looks like he's about to shed but hasn't yet. I've got a humid hide in the tub with vermiculite which I keep spraying to up the humidity. The tub steams up but it doesn't seem to help. What can I do, if anything? Can they take this long to shed for the first time? I wouldn't be that concerned if he was active like the other one but he's not so I feel there's something wrong.

 

[Mel&Keith]

Some babies have a tough time shedding the first time or two. You can mist paper towel substrate for extra humidity. If it doesn't finish shedding on it's own you'll have to help it. If the skin doesn't easily pull off soak it in tepid water. The water should be slightly cooler than your body temperature to avoid burning the gecko. Watch to make sure it doesn't drown. Once the shed has softened you should be able to pull it all off without tearing the skin underneath it.