Stubborn Stuck Shed, Won't Come Out

[Jaycurb]

About your leo:
- Sex: male
- Age & Weight: 2, weight unknown (he's a fatty)
- How long have you owned your leo: 2 years
- Where was he/she obtained (ex. Pet store, breeder, wild caught, friend): pet store

A) Health/History
- How often do you handle your leo: 2-3 times a week
- Is your leo acting any different today? If so how does he/she normally act which differs from now: eyes are squinting; eating and moving around normally

Housing:
A) Enclosure
- Size: 20 gal
- Type (ex. glass tank): glass terrarium
- Type of substrate: carpet
- Hides, how many, what kind: 2; cave, wood-like branch with entrance
B) Heating
- Heat source: heat lamp
- Method of regulating heat source: thermometer; stays the same heat normally
- What are you using to measure your temps: thermometer
- Do you have any lights (describe): heat lamp
C) Cage mates
- How many (males, females): none
- Describe health, or previous problems: has always been healthy; formal leo had stuck shed in eyes a lot, but this is the first time Arty has had any

Describe Diet:
A) Typical diet
- What you're feeding (how often, how much): giant mealworms (4-5 a day); occasionally waxworks
- How are you feeding (hand fed, left in dish, ect): left in dish
B) Supplements (describe how often)
- What vitamin/minerals are you using (list brands): TBA

I have a two year old leopard gecko named Arty who hasn't had any stuck shed in his eye up 'til about a week and a half ago. Since my former leopard gecko got these all the time, I wasn't too worried; I've flushed his eye with saline multiple times a day, and I got the shed out of one of his eyes and it no longer looks very cloudy (but he keeps it closed? I don't know why when it seems fine otherwise. I've been continuing to flush this eye with saline solution) but there is a piece on his other eye that just won't come out, no matter what I do.

When I flush it, I can make it stick out and today I tugged on it gently with tweezers too loosen it up a bit, but it won't come out and I feel like I'm hurting him. Thankfully, he will open the eye when I take him out and work on it (he cooperates really well) but it will not come out. It is a relatively large piece but I am at my wit's end on what to do about it. I feel that the longer it sits, the worse it gets. He is still eating and seems to be acting okay but I am still very concerned. Have I done everything right so far? is it okay for me to pull on it like I have? He sits still and doesn't act like it's hurting him but he keeps his eye closed, so I know it is. I feel like a terrible mom!

He is not in an enclosure with sand.

Any help would be greatly appreciated... I've had leopard geckos for five years and I've never been so stuck (bad pun) on what to do. Thank you so much. (I will provide a picture soon, if it is helpful at all.)

 

[chastity]

might be time to take him to the herp vet and see if they get sedate him a little to be able to get it out painlessly for him. especially if it's that stuck in his little eye.

 

[LeoGirl1999]

might be time to take him to the herp vet and see if they get sedate him a little to be able to get it out painlessly for him. especially if it's that stuck in his little eye.

+1 :main_thumbsup: I agree.

 

[Jaycurb]

I will see what I can do... For now, is it safe to continue what am I doing? Are the tweezers safe to use? He's very cooperative and I am very gentle with him.

 

[chastity]

I will see what I can do... For now, is it safe to continue what am I doing? Are the tweezers safe to use? He's very cooperative and I am very gentle with him.

when i had a baby with a stuck shed, it was capped over her eyes so i used some water on a qtip and rolled it over the eye. i wouldn't use tweezers because if he gets nervous it could poke him. i wouldn't pull on it anymore. maybe it'll get loose with the qtip but if it's stuck too bad inside there you could be hurting his eyes by pulling on it. if it doesn't come out with a qtip (soak it and be gentle!) i would definitely go to the vet. i know it can be a little rough if you're on a budget(i've had two lizards to the vet in the past 2 months v.v) but if his eyes are too bad it'll be worth it in the long run.

 

[Jaycurb]

when i had a baby with a stuck shed, it was capped over her eyes so i used some water on a qtip and rolled it over the eye. i wouldn't use tweezers because if he gets nervous it could poke him. i wouldn't pull on it anymore. maybe it'll get loose with the qtip but if it's stuck too bad inside there you could be hurting his eyes by pulling on it. if it doesn't come out with a qtip (soak it and be gentle!) i would definitely go to the vet. i know it can be a little rough if you're on a budget(i've had two lizards to the vet in the past 2 months v.v) but if his eyes are too bad it'll be worth it in the long run.

Oh, I forgot to list that I have used a q-tip... I think it has helped him but it mostly help me see the skin and tug it just a bit to see how stuck it is, but he likes to lick his eye and press it back down again so I think that way is much more comfortable for him... Yeah, I am on a tight budget but I think there is a herp vet up the street from me. I don't want my poor Arty to be miserable, though, and he's such a sweetheart. I'm not sure what more the vet could do for me. Couldn't they provide some sort of ointment? The first time I looked at his eyes, they were really swollen and they went down to normal the first time I used saline on them. It's such a stubborn piece of skin. :/

 

[chastity]

if it's a herp vet they'll be able to get the shed out and give him some treatment for after. if it doesn't start looking better soon i'd call and see how much it costs and scrounge it up for him. get his little eyes better.

 

[Jaycurb]

I know it's totally worth his health. Hopefully I can get him in soon... Darn the holidays.

 

[Fatal_S]

My leo, Nubby, had major eye issues in his blind eye. The shed and gunk had built up so bad his eyeball was shoved back into the skull and the eye socket was bulging. He also had shed on his hemis. He was so uncomfortable at this point he had stopped eating completely and was just bones. Anyways, I took him to the vet as soon as I got my hands on him.

The vet used the soak and q-tip method. Over and over and over and over and over. She also used surgical forceps to move the mass. Slowly peeling it away from the eye, then soaking it again, and so on. It took quite a while, and I held Nubby while she worked, but she loosened it and finally was able to remove it. Total cost was just the $60 for the examination fee, it didn't need the surgery I was expecting. The vet knew her stuff and got it done. So happy now, he's made an excellent recovery. I will say she also showed me this method so I can look after it myself if there's a relapse. So I don't personally see an issue with treating it yourself, but the vet certainly makes things easy.

Also, if this is an issue for you (you say your other gecko had this issue too), something with your husbandry must be off. Do you have a humid hide? Nubby's previous owner kept him WAY too dry. She'd watch his feet for shed, but just ignored the eye since it was blind anyways He was in pretty awful shape and that mass seemed to be causing a lot of discomfort. Now he's issue-free with a much more suitable setup. He'll eat anything I put in front of him, and he's fat and gorgeous again.

 

[Embrace Calamity]

Also, if this is an issue for you (you say your other gecko had this issue too), something with your husbandry must be off. Do you have a humid hide? Nubby's previous owner kept him WAY too dry. She'd watch his feet for shed, but just ignored the eye since it was blind anyways He was in pretty awful shape and that mass seemed to be causing a lot of discomfort. Now he's issue-free with a much more suitable setup. He'll eat anything I put in front of him, and he's fat and gorgeous again.

That was going to be my question. Says there are two hides, but there should be at least three - warm, cool, and humid. Humid hides are vital to proper shedding.

~Maggot

 

[Ozy]

Well I can see several issues here. First of all

- What vitamin/minerals are you using (list brands): TBA?

To be announced? You better be supplementing your leo, and if you are, why don't you know what you are supplementing him with? Are you gut loading the insects? Also, what substrate do you use? Just saying.. It's not sand, is not enough. What kind and size of tank are you using? I want to know what the FLOOR temperature of his hot side and cool side are. First of all, he needs a humid hide ASAP. Take a shallow, cheap Glad container, put some moist paper towels in it, cut a hole in the lid, put lid on said container and put it on the hot side. Leopard geckos need belly heat to digest their food, so heat lamps are usually frowned upon.... AND LEAVE HIS POOR EYES ALONE!!! You are not using sterile equipment and I wouldn't be surprised if he didn't already have an eye infection. He needs to see a vet! I can see getting shed off of their feet or something, but IN THEIR EYE?!! REALLY bad idea.

 

[Jaycurb]

That was going to be my question. Says there are two hides, but there should be at least three - warm, cool, and humid. Humid hides are vital to proper shedding.

~Maggot

Yes, I do have a humid hide and a dry hide (I don't have three, but I didn't know that was necessary...) Sorry my information was vague. The temperatures and humidity in his tank are ideal. It isn't a problem.

 

[Jaycurb]

Well I can see several issues here. First of all To be announced? You better be supplementing your leo, and if you are, why don't you know what you are supplementing him with? Are you gut loading the insects? Also, what substrate do you use? Just saying.. It's not sand, is not enough. What kind and size of tank are you using? I want to know what the FLOOR temperature of his hot side and cool side are. First of all, he needs a humid hide ASAP. Take a shallow, cheap Glad container, put some moist paper towels in it, cut a hole in the lid, put lid on said container and put it on the hot side. Leopard geckos need belly heat to digest their food, so heat lamps are usually frowned upon.... AND LEAVE HIS POOR EYES ALONE!!! You are not using sterile equipment and I wouldn't be surprised if he didn't already have an eye infection. He needs to see a vet! I can see getting shed off of their feet or something, but IN THEIR EYE?!! REALLY bad idea.

TBA as in, I was not home and I didn't remember what brand my supplements were.

I'm not using sterile equipment? I have tons of unopened saline syringes that I use. There isn't dirt or something in them. I don't reuse them or anything. No, I have never heard that heat lamps are not necessary. Please do pay attention to the fact that I have been extremely gentle with him. This isn't the first time I've gotten stuck shed out of a leo's eye.

I posted the tank size and kind, I cannot get the current temperatures because I am not at home.

 

[Jaycurb]

My leo, Nubby, had major eye issues in his blind eye. The shed and gunk had built up so bad his eyeball was shoved back into the skull and the eye socket was bulging. He also had shed on his hemis. He was so uncomfortable at this point he had stopped eating completely and was just bones. Anyways, I took him to the vet as soon as I got my hands on him.

The vet used the soak and q-tip method. Over and over and over and over and over. She also used surgical forceps to move the mass. Slowly peeling it away from the eye, then soaking it again, and so on. It took quite a while, and I held Nubby while she worked, but she loosened it and finally was able to remove it. Total cost was just the $60 for the examination fee, it didn't need the surgery I was expecting. The vet knew her stuff and got it done. So happy now, he's made an excellent recovery. I will say she also showed me this method so I can look after it myself if there's a relapse. So I don't personally see an issue with treating it yourself, but the vet certainly makes things easy.

Also, if this is an issue for you (you say your other gecko had this issue too), something with your husbandry must be off. Do you have a humid hide? Nubby's previous owner kept him WAY too dry. She'd watch his feet for shed, but just ignored the eye since it was blind anyways He was in pretty awful shape and that mass seemed to be causing a lot of discomfort. Now he's issue-free with a much more suitable setup. He'll eat anything I put in front of him, and he's fat and gorgeous again.

Aw, poor thing. Luckily the vet helped. Obviously, what I have been doing isn't working so even if the vet did the same thing, they would do it better and it may be more effective.

Yes, I do have a humid hide. I kind of exaggerated the fact that my first leo got them; she didn't get them too often, but definitely more than Arty has. She probably got stuck shed 3-4 times in her lifetime.

 

[Fatal_S]

How often does Arty shed, and when was the last shed? It can be much easier to remove shed right after a shed, so perhaps waiting and trying then would be good. But if the gecko is distressed or ill then waiting wouldn't be good. You definitely don't want to let it build up to the point Nubby had it.

 

[Jaycurb]

How often does Arty shed, and when was the last shed? It can be much easier to remove shed right after a shed, so perhaps waiting and trying then would be good. But if the gecko is distressed or ill then waiting wouldn't be good. You definitely don't want to let it build up to the point Nubby had it.

He sheds it about every 5 weeks, and his last was almost 2 weeks ago.

 

[Fatal_S]

Well personally I would just get my vet to deal with it, since it's easiest and doesn't cost much.

But if Arty is healthy, eating, and doesn't seem terribly stressed I personally don't see an issue with waiting until the next shed. Make sure he has a humid hide he likes to use. That's just IMO though.

 

[Embrace Calamity]

Yes, I do have a humid hide and a dry hide (I don't have three, but I didn't know that was necessary...) Sorry my information was vague. The temperatures and humidity in his tank are ideal. It isn't a problem.

Well he needs somewhere dry to hide on the cool and warm side that isn't humid, but he also needs a warm humid hide. You can't provide that with just two hides.

You shouldn't have had this issue more than once. I've never heard of a leo having difficulty shedding when all husbandry requirements are met, but let's say for the sake of argument there are a few out there who have issues anyway. That still doesn't explain why this has happened with more than one of your geckos.

~Maggot

 

[Ozy]

Thank you Maggot. Tweezers and q-tips aren't sterile. I love how I'm trying to help you and you won't answer ANY of my questions and then get an attitude saying.. Please do pay attention to the fact that I have been extremely gentle with him? It doesn't MATTER if you're being gentle. Would you want someone trying to pull something out of YOUR eye with a pair of tweezers who WASN'T a doctor? I know I wouldn't! I'm trying to tell you, you need to leave his eyes alone. You said you got the shed out of the one and he keeps it shut anyways. That is indicative of an eye infection. His eye hurts and that's why he's keeping it closed. My leopard gecko has a humid hide and has NEVER had shed stuck on her head, eyes, face or anything. TWICE she had shed stuck on the bottom half of her right front leg and that's it. So if your husbandry is so perfect then why are you having these problems.. And this is your second leopard gecko in five years? You know they can live up to 20 years right? Obviously you are doing something wrong and don't want to accept advice, so I'm out. Have fun watching your gecko suffer. I feel bad for him personally.

 

[katie_]

A vet wouldnt use 'sterile' equipment for that either.