New Gecko, toe shed. Options?

[rothsauce]

Well this gecko is a new-to-me gecko of only a few hours. A lively little one that has been exploring its new home off and on, and I've noticed some of its toes still have shed on them. So far the little one has not been into the humid hide, though it loves to climb on top of it and survey its new kingdom.

It's still a little jumpy and does not like having its toes swabbed with a q-tip, and I'm not too confident that an accident wouldn't happen with tweezers. Doesn't help that it's a youngling; tiny toes! It took quite some time to get the few patches off its tail, and this was through soaking it in some warm water and using both a q-tip and tweezers.

Though I have a question, how long of a soak?
The tail shed came off fairly well, what with it being unsure of this new bathing assistance.
However the toe shed seems more persistent in staying attached to the little one. Since it has only been home a few hours, I don't want to put more stress on it but also don't want it to lose any toes.
Should I just hold it gently and do my best to remove the shed after it has soaked, and hope for the best?
How long should I wait before trying to assist this little one again? As I do not know when this one had started to shed, I do not want it to get past that point of no return, so to speak.

If water soaking doesn't work, what else can be done? I know some threads have suggested shed agents made specifically for the process, though how well would something like that work with a still wary geckoling?

 

[indyana]

When I picked up my rescue gecko, he had shed that was really stuck on there, and I had to work for a couple days to get it off. What I finally did was have him stand in a shallow layer of warm water for ~5 minutes (in a deep, smooth bowl he could not jump/climb out of). Then, I got a lidded container and put him in it for ~30 minutes with damp paper towels to give him a humid hide treatment. Again, the container was big enough that he couldn't jump out, and I left the lid cracked for ventilation. After, I used my fingers to rub off as much as possible for as long as he would tolerate it.

I'd wait at least a day between treatments, as they sometimes can work it off themselves after you've softened it up a bit.

As for the shed aid agents, I can't speak to those, as I've never used one. Maybe someone else will comment on that.

 

[DrCarrotTail]

I usually soak mine for 10-15 minutes every day or two and if the first soak doesn't work, gently rub the toes after the second. I've never had an issue getting it off with gentle persistence. Usually after the first soak the gecko will do it themselves in the tank once it's soft and they're alone.

 

[rothsauce]

Thank you both for the responses, I will try again today as I gave this little one a night of rest after it gulped down 12 mealies through tweezer feeding. Was not expecting it to eat, or eat so much, after its first adventure in bathing.

 

[indyana]

Yum yum! Sounds like he's got an excellent appetite. Let us know if you get the shed off all right..

 

[rothsauce]

Sadly this one was not going to cooperate, even with two baths and the humid hide/mini steam bath it didn't loosen the shed at all. It softened it a bit, the edges were a bit 'frayed' from water absorption, but no dice. Darn things would just not let go.
Didn't help that this little one was getting more wriggly as the process went on, trying to pick it up to put in another container or just back into its cage got a few squeaks out of it. Poor little thing was not ready for the assistance, and probably appreciated it even less, but had to try.

It is still eating well despite all the 'helping'. Another 12+ mealies after multiple hours of rest, and it is pooping regularly. Toe shed aside, it seems like a fairly healthy little one (although I do not yet have a scale for weight. Have one somewhere, though who knows if it is in a packing box or not. Hate moving sometimes) with a big appetite. No vomiting that I have found.

 

[DrCarrotTail]

Can you post a picture of it's toes? I might line it's cage with paper towels and keep them damp for a couple of days to help if the soaks aren't helping alone. Make sure you have him on a good vitamin supplement and shut off or get rid of any heat lamps or over tank lights at least for a while so they don't leech the humidity out of his tank too quickly. I keep anything smaller than 15g in a 6 qt container inside a tank until it gets over 15g and can handle a big tank without being too stressed. a container would also help keep humidity up.

Great to hear he has an awesome appetite!!

 

[rothsauce]

I'll try to get some pics, at the moment it's napping outside its hot hide with his little arms pinned back.

Also I have tile substrate with a humid hide very near it in the middle of the tank. While it did spend a few hours in there the other day it has been more than content to stay on the warm side since. I could stick some damp towels in that area,around and under the warm hide, I doubt it would mind that.
I have no over head lamps/heaters and do not plan on getting any at the time being.

There is a cap full of calcium -D3 in the cage, and I am dusting feeders with Repashy calcium plus. Its newest batch of mealies is being gut loaded with Bug Burger, the previous two were loaded with carrots and flax seed.

 

[rothsauce]

Well, I never did manage to get the remaining shed off. A few areas seem like bits had managed to be removed, though there are still a few toes that have some left.
On top of that I've noticed its color is dull, so it's about to shed. Answers why the parts that were still on its toes were so hard to try and remove.
For the past few hours this little one has been camping out in its humid hide, which it seems to like having a top entrance over a side.

Is it at all possible, since I have been sticking a damp paper towel under its warm hide for a few hours every day (which it has tolerated and seemed to enjoy), that the old shed might come off with this new shed?

 

[indyana]

I hope that it will. You certainly don't want to get multiple layers of old skin building up on those toes.

 

[rothsauce]

Agreed. Since it has been sleeping in its humid hide the entire night, I'm really hoping the toes will have softened enough that it will be able to remove those finicky bits on its own. Will have to wait and find out *fingers crossed*

 

[rothsauce]

I'm going to be looking into shed agents to see if there is anything that will help loosen the old toe shed. Really don't want this little one to have any stubbs, and if will make future sheds even easier it's worth the effort.

 

[rothsauce]

Well this little one has finally shed, and seems most of the problem toes have been taken care of. One still looks like it has a patch around it, but I think it will be manageable with a soak and maybe a few drops or sprays from the shed agent.

One of the toes that had shed around it, had a little bit of the toe tip that was trying to grow while the rest was constricted. It is a little pink now that shed has been relieved from that area, I will try to get a pic if possible. Could this just be a bit of irritation, or is it possibly a slight infection? It is not black at all, just a little red.

 

[rothsauce]

Here are a few pics, one profile of the gecko after this new shed and one of the redness present in the toes that'd had old shed stuck to them. Hoping they will heal without issue.

 

[DrCarrotTail]

A little red sounds like it was constricted and now it has bloodflow. Keep an eye on it. I've never seed a gecko get an infection from stuck shed or a toe falling off but I bet they can. If it seems really swollen I would consider a vet visit.

 

[DrCarrotTail]

Those look pretty good. My guess would be they were just constricted a bit. Give them a week or another shed and I bet they're back to normal.