Stubborn toe shed plus browning toes

[dot_info]

About your leo:
- Male
- Approximately 6 months / weight unknown (sorry no scale yet)
- Owned him for 2 months
- Obtained from local pet store


A) Health/History
- Just started handling him 4 days ago because he is an extra timid little guy. I’ve been handling him for about 10-15 minutes once a day.
- No different today
- Only eaten twice, (2) waxworms the first time and then (1) mealworm the other.
B) Fecals
- Only found feces once.
C) Problem
- The immediate problem I'm having is getting some shed off his toes, it’s been stuck for a couple weeks. I wanted to help him with it but he was very slow to warm up to me so out of fear of traumatizing him I was only able to start handle him a few days ago. Today I soaked his feet for about 10 minutes in warm water and tried to get it off with a q-tip and then using my fingers but only the top bit came off, not the shed at the tips of his toes. To compound things, his toes are dark brown at the tips...are they necrotic?? Can they become gangrenous? I will take him to a vet if need be but thought I would ask here first, here is a pic of the foot in question:




Housing:
A) Enclosure
- 10 gallon
- Glass tank
- Eco Earth
- Two hides: one hot, one moist on cool side
B) Heating
- Heating pad + low watt ceramic black bulb
- Heat lamp can be elevated or lowered
- Two analogue thermometers on either side plus occasionally I will test the bottom of the tank with a metal aquarium thermometer
C) Cage Mates
- None


Describe Diet:
A) Typical Diet
- Mealworms (I try him every day but he has only eaten twice and very little, I’m hoping now that Spring has begun that will change :/
- I was attempting to dish feed, I have tried hand and tong feeding, lately I’ve tried putting him in a shoe box and dropping a few worms in to maybe kick in his predatory instincts but to no avail.
B) Supplements
- I have a multivitamin plus a calcium powder with vitamin d but since he isn’t really eating yet he’s not getting any of that. I do keep a calcium dish in his tank.
- Gut loading mealworms with cornmeal, carrot, broccoli, potato, lettuce and or celery.

 

[acpart]

He looks pretty good, all things considered. The toes may come off and may bleed a bit, but it's not like his whole foot will become gangrenous. I find that getting old shed off requires more than just rubbing with a q-tip. In general, I've found that soaking for about 30 seconds is no different than soaking for 10 minutes. After I soak, I sit down and hold the gecko in my lap. Sometimes I put a bit of my shirt tail over his head so he feels like he's hiding. I really have to use my fingernails to strip the shed off the toes. Some of the toe tip may come off too, and that's OK because they are probably necrotic. Just work to get it all off.
As far as the eating thing goes, do a trial with crickets, super worms or dubias. They move more and may interest him more.

Aliza

 

[dot_info]

Thanks for reply Aliza, it saddens me to hear he might lose toes. I suppose I'll just have to be much more vigilant about that in the future. I will try the t-shirt over the head technique tomorrow and maybe try him on an alternate food source as well.