having trouble with toe shed

[Claire]

Im having trouble getting the shedding off of my lizards toes. ive tried soaking her in water and using a q tip and putting her in a tuppaware container for a half hour but still no progress:bigcry: HELP!

 

[acpart]

If this is old toe shed because you got a gecko that's been neglected, then it may take multiple soakings to get it off. If it's just one shed worth, here's what I do: spray the gecko's feet with water or soak the feet. Take each toe and scrape off the shed between your thumbnail and the pad of your index finger. You actually have to be pretty vigorous because the shed usually gets stuck on the nail. The geckos hate it, but I try to let them bury their heads in my lap as I work on the feet. At best I get pooped on, at worst bitten.

ALiza

 

[Lala]

Yea, just soak it! This has happened a few times with my wee fella, and i just dip a q-tip in water and then he walks past it rubbing his toe and it comes off easily as long as it is soaked

 

[fl_orchidslave]

I've had good results using a q-tip moistened with pharmacy grade mineral oil on toes, after a good warm soak.

 

[Claire]

Thanks!

 

[gothra]

Just wet it, the shed will soften almost immediately. Then you can pull it off with a pair of tweezers.

 

[Neville]

I was about to ask if tweezers would work. So when they shed that skin is all dead right? No live skin that you could pull off?

 

[fl_orchidslave]

Tweezers + sudden movement can cause injury.

 

[gothra]

Well, I use cosmetic tweezers to pull out retained sheds, but I have done that for years so I'm confident with what I'm doing. Just be very careful if you have a jumpy gecko.