Crested gecko shedding?

Discussion in 'Rhacodactylus (Crested) Geckos' started by Cookie17, Apr 24, 2012.

  1. Cookie17

    Cookie17 HOTM Winner June

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    Do crested geckos eat their shed, like leos do? I ask, because my crested gecko is currently shedding, and the top half of the she it gone, but the rest on his bottom half and tail is still there (pics to come) and there is shed on all four feet, which makes him/her unable to climb the vertical surfaces, like the plastic. I have misted the enclosure... and s/he licked droplets of the side (I used this to my advantage, and put a few drops of CGD in front of him/her and s/he licked them right up) Any tips? Should I soak him/her? It would be harder, since they climb, unlike leos. at least, i would think it would be harder... Help me please... This is my first crested gecko (and his/her first shed, to my knowledge), and I am getting worried.
    [​IMG]
     
  2. JEFFREH

    JEFFREH Administrator

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  3. StikyPaws312

    StikyPaws312 Moderator

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    He's a little cutie :) Congrats on the new crestie btw! When did he start shedding? I wouldn't try to give him a bath, he'll probably just freak out with not being able to climb. I would suggest just to leave him be and spray his tank down enough times during the day to keep it at 80% humidity or above. Do that for a day or so and helpfully he will figure it out himself :) And yes, they usually do eat it.
     
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  4. JEFFREH

    JEFFREH Administrator

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  5. Cookie17

    Cookie17 HOTM Winner June

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    he didn't look like he was shedding last night when i looked in on him before bed, so probably sometime after 4 AM my time XD (EST)
    also, it was pretty cool too watch him lick the water droplets off the side of the KK and his eyes :D I will spray his enclosure again when I get home, and cover it partially with a paper towel. How can I know that he is eating the CGD in the bowl that I have? I never see his eat, so I don't know if he is actually eating, or if what he licked off the side of the enclosure was all he had since he licked it off my fingers, the day after I got him, on tuesday of last week. *nibbles nails* lol jk i don't bite my nails. how can I tell if he's eating or not?
     
  6. JEFFREH

    JEFFREH Administrator

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  7. Cookie17

    Cookie17 HOTM Winner June

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    okay, so s/he has finished shedding, but there is still some left on his front feet. what do i do?
     
  8. JEFFREH

    JEFFREH Administrator

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  9. StikyPaws312

    StikyPaws312 Moderator

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    It's not going to turn into a problem for a day or two so just keep his tank nice and humid and it should come off.
    Also, with his eating... when they are that little you probably really wont see the level of the CGD go down at all. If you have see through cups you can mark on the outside the exact level it is when you put it in his tank, then see if it goes down, or if you mix it nice and thick and let it "set" before you put it in his tank you might be able to see little dents in it the next day. They mostly eat at night and also keep in mind that he just had a nice yummy full meal of his skin (yummmmmmy right? Lol) so he may not eat for a couple days.
     
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  10. JEFFREH

    JEFFREH Administrator

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  11. Cookie17

    Cookie17 HOTM Winner June

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    okay, thank you! I'l kep misting his enclosure, and just watch for now. And I have a few deli cups to use to hold food that the pet store I got him from gave to me, because it's what they use. And I think we have some in our pantry that my mom bought for jello shooters (lolz) i don't think she'll miss a few. I try to wash them out really well and re-use them, but sometimes is doesn't work. and why do they eat their skin? like, what nutrients does it provide for them, if any?
     
  12. JEFFREH

    JEFFREH Administrator

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    I think they do it as a strategy to avoid predation - if you leave behind a mass of shed skin, it is like leaving a large trail of bread crumbs to you for predatory animals like snakes who can easily follow the scent. It may also provide some nutrients to the animal, but I am not sure exactly what these may be. Its roughly equivalent to our dead skin cells that flake off at all times (and become a main ingrediant in dust) so I couldn't imagine a substantial amount of nutrional goodies being present lol.

    This is good that he shed so early and did not have a perfect shed in a way, because it allows you to make husbandry corrections for the future and you can play with it. While it may partly be attributed to stress from adapting to a new enviornment, perhaps try inceasing the frequency or volume of mistings just slightly for now on and see if shedding continues to be a problem after making minor adjustments. In addition to what Lauren said, if the shed skin does not come off in a few days, you can try using a damp cotton swab and attempt to roll the stuck shed loose; and if it continues to be problematic you can make a damp box/"sauna" without the heat to aid him.

    In addition, it sounds like the gecko has developed a taste for CGD seeing as it will readily lick it up when placed in front of him as you say. This is a good sign; I'm sure he will gladly lick it from a dish when hungry even if it is not a very noticable amount. He will not starve himself, and on the brightside, at least you aren't converting a gecko who has never tasted the stuff and is used to a fruit based diet.
     
  13. Cookie17

    Cookie17 HOTM Winner June

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    the ambient humidity in my room is about 55%. I think s/he had a bit of a problem shedding, partly because I did check on her during the shed, and when I opened the enclosure, she jumped onto my hand (and proceeded to slide off, but i corrected it) so this may have stressed her out. also, checking on her right before bed (and right before her shed) maybe stressed her out? All I do it oped to change the food out and mist, and change the paper towel when needed. Instead of misting twice a day, I will try 3 times a day... also she is in a small kritter keeper, but wouldn't the smaller enclosure hold humidity better?
    I can't wait til she gets bigger so I can put her into the 5.5 G i have all set up! well, I haven't added the fake plants, because some of the fake plants are in the current enclosure. when doing a naturalistic set-up, what is a good age to start at? I know that when they are young, paper towels is the best substrate. what age/size is it okay to use dirt safely? (considering she is fed CGD from a bowl) also, I hope to be able to create a kind of level to hold the food dish when she gets into a bigger enclosure. Also, the pet store I got her from was feeding CGD, so I'm lucky with that one. And I was thinking they were eating their sheds so they didn't leave a trace behind.
    thanks jeff and lauren!

    EDIT: I was going to change the food out, and she jumped on my hand. So I got some good pics :) And I wegihed her: she is 3.6 g. tiny!
     
  14. ajlista

    ajlista Well-Known Member

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    Personally i dont know too much about cresties but i love them. As for the age of changing i have no clue : ( sorry, this isnt very helpful, but you should post the pics :D Lol i always love to look at cresties. And i didnt realize by the picture how tiny was, xD
     
  15. JEFFREH

    JEFFREH Administrator

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    I would say a good size to begin keeping in a larger naturalistic style vivaria would be around 20+ grams in weight; or roughly 8+ months of age. Always better to be safe than sorry, and this will also allow the gecko to attain some size that will better suit it to being less stressed in a larger and more elaborate enclosure.

    As for the level to hold food, http://pangeareptile.com sells magnetic ledges that look like mushrooms to hold plastic souffle cups as food and water dishes. Here is a picture of one of mine in the far right of the enclosure:
    [​IMG]
     
  16. Cookie17

    Cookie17 HOTM Winner June

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    Yeah, I saw it on pangea, but I like to build stuff myself, so I was planning on making something (I try to be creative :D)
    and pics are coming :) they will be in my picture thread, here

    how do you use words for a link, like "here" and they click the word here to go to the link? lolz
     
  17. JEFFREH

    JEFFREH Administrator

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    There are two ways to go about doing it = )

    The first is slightly easier, though requires more explanation and effort to perform if you use multiple words:

    1) After making the link, highlight it and begin typing what you would like it to say. The downside to this method is if you use multiple words, you will have to type everything you want to say out, then add spaces after the link has set (turned blue).

    Example: http://reptileboards.com -> Highlight -> Begin Typing "ClickHere" -> Add space between Click and Here.


    2) At the top of your post box there is a small icon that will read "Insert/Edit Link" when you scroll across it (it is to the right of "Indent"). It looks like a chain, and will be faint and hidden until you highlight something in your post.

    Type out the words you want to use... so write "Click Here"

    Now, highlight "Click Here" and this icon should be available to select. Click it, and paste the link in the box it provides. The words will now be linked with your weblink.

    Once you've learned this method, it is much easier in my opinion...
     
  18. Cookie17

    Cookie17 HOTM Winner June

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    yay! thanks :)
     
  19. Cookie17

    Cookie17 HOTM Winner June

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    Okay so... my crested gecko, Ink, shed again, and s/he has shed stuck on his/her tail and lower back. I don't know why s/he has issues shedding, the humidity is at 55-60%? What should I do? How do I get the stuck shed off? help please.
     
  20. JEFFREH

    JEFFREH Administrator

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    No worries Cookie, you are still getting all of the kinks worked out and a little stuck shed is not an issue so long as you address the problem (as you are doing).

    You can try a few things to get the stuck shed off... I'd first try spraying the cage and gecko down thoroughly and using a damp cotton swab to gently try and roll the skin off. If the stuck shed is still being stubborn, you can try making a little moist 'sauna' box. The term sauna is a bit misleading, because you do not want it to be hot in there, rather, you want to take a plastic container and add paper towel on the bottom, then completely saturate the towel with water until it just begins to accumulate water and the paper towel cannot hold anymore. Spray the gecko down and close the lid, then wait for about 15-20 minutes. If you feel uncomfortable with this, you can periodically open the lid to let some fresh air in, but you really want to keep the humidity level high. After the sauna is over, gently use a damp cotton swab again to roll away the shed skin.

    There are also some products available to aid in shedding, I think StickyPaws has used a couple with success. But try the sauna and damp cotton swabbing a few times and it will eventually come up.

    I'm suspecting that the paper towel in the enclosure may not be holding water well enough for you to allow for a high enough ambient humidity - try spraying a little heavier when you mist the enclosure, or spray lightly with a little more frequency. Just ensure the paper towel is dried between sprayings to prevent bacteria and mold growth. You may also consider placing saran wrap or something similar over 1/3-1/2 of the top of the enclosure to help retain humidity as well. You should cycle your sprayings, but I'm guessing it may just be drying out in there too rapidly.
     
  21. Cookie17

    Cookie17 HOTM Winner June

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    I have about 1/2 the holes covers in tape, on the inside so the sticky side is out- he's in a small kritter keeper turned on its side, so most of the holes on the side with the lid are covered. and then the holes on the sides, that are angled, are uncovered.
    Also, my second crested gecko that I got is pretty skinny. I don't think he's eating. any suggestions as to how to get him to eat CGD? and if he's not eating the CGD is it safe to see if he eats a cricket? I know you really aren't supposed to feed insects, but I don't know what else to try...
    Also, for a sauna box, can I drill a couple small holes just to keep oxygen flowing?
     
  22. Cookie17

    Cookie17 HOTM Winner June

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    the sauna didn't work; the stuck shed won't come off. it's been on for a day or two before i notice it because it blended in with his skin, i couldn't tell. and how and why do they change color? like I checked on him earlier and he was a creme color almost white and now he's brownish red, like a rust color.
    also, is there any way to tell when they are about to shed so that i can increase humidity?
     
  23. Rango the mango

    Rango the mango Embryo

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    I use meal worms and reptile food from petco and baby food because they have no teeth I also use fruits mostly tropical fruits and I buy crested gecko vitamins and mix it in with the baby food and keep a reptile water bowl in his tank with room temp water to make it less painful when he sheafs because they will go lay in the water if there skin is to dry to sheading it will soften the skin making it easier to shead I also use a dirt petco made to hold the moisture in the dirt and I put dirt on half of the tank and put orange colored sand on the other side the first time he peeled after I got him I was scared and freaking out his normal color is a sand type color and he turned pale white it looked like he was drying out in the dessert the sand keeps the heat and a nice little place for them to hide in is good also I read in a book about crested geckos it is more about the hight of the tank because they like to climb I have a 20 gallon take it is very tall and very skinny about a foot or to wide and 2 or 3 feet high just use baby food and vitamins and spray in his tank in the morning when u get up and at night before bed and change baby food and worms everyday 1tablespoon or 2 will be good and 4 or 5 worms in a seperate bowl it is good to take them out and hold them and play with them sorry it is a Realy long reply but I hope it's ok image.jpg
     
  24. Cookie17

    Cookie17 HOTM Winner June

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    the one posted actually passed away from parasites- but my boy Van is doing great. he's currently too small for a 20 gal tall (which i already have when he's big enough) but he's in a 5.5 gal on it's side so it's taller rather than longer. Van is doing great, eating and shedding well and pooping fine, so all is good. thanks for the help
     
  25. xxxReptileloverrxxx

    xxxReptileloverrxxx Embryo

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    U can give him a sauna- a small bowl that he can fit in filled with about 3 cintemters with water make sure the water is very warm not hot warm
     

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