Shed problem - Advice Please!!

[floydsmom]

I have a female grandis who is around 3.5" STV length, and she's got a shed problem going on. I noticed it a couple days ago, put some rougher driftwood in her enclosure to help her rub it off, and heavily misted for that and the next day. Well apparently that didn't work...I got out the container I got her in, and lined it with paper towel, and misted that down and put her in. She stayed in there for a bit over an hour, and still hasn't shed that skin! It's especially around her tail that I'm worried about - I don't want her to lose it! Her body only has a couple splotches of skin left on.

So, any advice? I don't want to have to handle/freak her out. She's not SUPER runny/skiddish but it would definitely stress her out for me to have to hold her. She'd probably drop her tail. Grrr....backed into a corner...any advice?? At all??

[Salzy]

I have absolutely no experience with any Phelsuma, but I would think that shed problems are generally the same across the board.

I would continue doing the soakings with the moist paper towel. Keep up with that because the moisture will definitely help to loosen that skin, and it may just take time to soak in. Possibly put something rough in the container with her as well, like a piece of bark or a couple rough rocks. That could help too.

I wouldn't allow it to go for too long either. If it comes down to it, it may be a good idea to gently handle her and dab at the skin with moist Q-tips. I've read that their skin is sensitive and damages easily, so be careful.

Those are just my suggestions. Take them or leave them...since I know nothing about day geckos anyway Lol.

[floydsmom]

the only problem is their skin tears easily and i'm afraid ah this is all a little pressing. i am going out of town and have someone coming to gecko sit who i don't think would be comfortable doing that anyway. i'm going to really try to get it off tonite. thanks for your thoughts kyle, i'll most likely try to use a q-tip. scary thought, though, that their skin tears so easily

[Salzy]

I hope things go well Linds. It's a true bummer that there is a problem like this right before the hustle of the holidays. Good luck. I'm pullin for ya

[tmfleo]

Something else you can try is soak some sphagnum moss cousre type half hour or so in tepid water (luke warm) drain most of the water off put several inches in a tupper ware container as the gecko crawls through the moss it will help rub of the shed.

[Haroldo]

Terry offered a great idea there.

As for me, whenever there is a Phelsuma shedding issue, I get a semi-sealed container, a warm paper towel (moist) and a piece of cork bark in the container. Next goes the animal. I spray a bit more and keep the container (all all) warm for the next 30 minutes. Usually the gecko has gotten off most of the shed on its own. The idea here is to offer humidity higher than normal, as a kind-of therapeutic treatment. Keeping the container at say 80% humidity and 80*F (or so) warm for a half hour, should do the trick.

But you're right, aiding the removal of shed is risky (for one, we sometimes can't tell the difference between removing shed skin, and the fresh skin that's still attached to it)...

Good luck!

[Gecko Ranch]

Do you have an incubator? If you do, put the gecko in a sealed container with airholes, a deli cup like for shipping, and put the gecko in there overnight. First spray the cup well and put some paper towel strips in there. This way you don't handle the gecko and usually the next AM a healthy gecko has consumed the shed. If not, then you just may have a health issue.

If you don't have an incubator then improvise by setting the deli cup up in a terrarium under the same conditions.

Let us know how it works! You definitely want to avoid any Phelsuma handling by using an alternative like this first.