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Gecko is about to lose toe....

K

KatieDB

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My gecko has always had one toe that caused problems during shed. Usually the stuck piece would soften and fall off within a few days, However in the last three weeks, Fish has shed twice and the toe still hasnt caught up. I kept the humid hide humid, did a few warm water baths and rubbed the toe with a moist Qtip, still nothing. Its starting to look really bad. Is there anything left I can do? And what should I do if the tip comes off?
 
OK, first, dont let this happen again. You should always get off any shed before the next one, esp. on the toes. My best method is to drop a dab of mineral oil on the toe, soak the gecko in a sauna, and then use a fingernail to gently scrape the skin off. It will be hard, because my guess is the skin is constricting the blood flow by now, and it will be swollen and painful. the gecko will prob not cooperate, so you will need to restrain it. It may take several tries and several soaks, but keep trying. If you dont get it off, the toe, or at least part of it, will die. Even so, if this does happen, dont worry, it will be fine. Hopefully once you break the circle of skin and release the tension cutting off circulation, if you have got it early enough, the swelling will go down almost immediately. You can also put just a little neosporin on the toe to speed up the healing. If you cant get it off, with the next shed the tip of the toe will start turning black, and will then fall off. If that happens, just keep the stub clean and neosporin it until the scab heals. Your gecko will be fine w/o a toe.
 
geckogrl6 said:
OK, first, dont let this happen again. You should always get off any shed before the next one, esp. on the toes. My best method is to drop a dab of mineral oil on the toe, soak the gecko in a sauna, and then use a fingernail to gently scrape the skin off. It will be hard, because my guess is the skin is constricting the blood flow by now, and it will be swollen and painful. the gecko will prob not cooperate, so you will need to restrain it. It may take several tries and several soaks, but keep trying. If you dont get it off, the toe, or at least part of it, will die. Even so, if this does happen, dont worry, it will be fine. Hopefully once you break the circle of skin and release the tension cutting off circulation, if you have got it early enough, the swelling will go down almost immediately. You can also put just a little neosporin on the toe to speed up the healing. If you cant get it off, with the next shed the tip of the toe will start turning black, and will then fall off. If that happens, just keep the stub clean and neosporin it until the scab heals. Your gecko will be fine w/o a toe.
Click to expand...

For the record, my gecko has only had a shedding problem once before. It was when i first brought it home and most of the toes had shed caught around them. I soaked it a couple times and they all came clean.

It looked like it was coming off, but my gecko decided to surprise me with another shed and my work was all for naught. I will look for my bottle of mineral oil and give that a try. Im pretty familier with what to do when shedding goes awry, however the toe is looking close to detachment and Im worried about losing the toe and preventing infection.
 
H2o2

I use hydrogen peroxide on stuck toe shed. If the gecko is calm enough to hold just put some on small dish and hold the foot in. After a few minutes the shed will come off with gentle rub with either your finger or a Q-tip. Once the skin is free soak in warm water and place some neosporin on the toe if it is red or bleeds. Just be careful not to let the H2O2 get near an eye and do not let the gecko ingest it. Works every time!
Joyce
 
Is the toe mostly red and swollen? If so, you should be able to save it. If it's totally black, you're too late.

If it has been there long enough to start constricting, it's going to be pretty hard. A sauna may not be enough. In this case, I would put the gecko in a bowl (or tupperware) with standing warm water...enough to reach the elbow. Let her soak a good long time. Afterwards, a fingernail will give you the most help...the Q-tip is really only good for recent shed. Take as much time as you need. If it still seems too hard, soak her some more.
 
Its white and doesnt appear swollen. It looks like it is tight around the toe, however. Ill have to find another tub to soak her in, she climbs right out of the one i used to use when she was young.

Is hydrogen peroxide a good idea? I Haven't heard of it for shed problems.
 
Neither have I. H2O2 (Hydrogen Peroxide) is chemically close to H2O (Water...Dihydrogen Oxide if I remember my chemisty correctly), but it has bleaching and antiseptic properties. Ever wonder why it bubbles when you put it on your cuts? It's having a chemical reaction to the oxygen in your blood, resulting in your blood cells literally exploding while creating water and oxygen (the bubbles). (Don't sue me if this is a little off, it's been a LONG time since I did chemistry.)

How this would help with sheds, I'm not sure. It seems to me water would work just as well, and be safer if you're soaking.

Either find a deeper bowl or use a lid. One thing for sure, they don't normally like just standing in water!
 
I found a deeper tub and shes soaking now. I think H2O2's antiseptic properties have been disproven, if i recall my Intro to Chemistry class correctly(I'm in Ap Chem now).
 
I took AP Chem...but that was nearly 8 years ago. Ugh...that statement makes me feel old. It's interesting if they have disproven the antiseptic properties in it...I never heard that.
 
I'll have to check it out. My teacher was a bit batty, so you never know :p

Anyway, I soaked for about a half hour and tried to get the skin off with my nail. It wouldn't budge and my Leo was pretty uncooperative(can you blame her).

If at first you don't succeed....
 
Try holding her this way:

handle1.jpg


When you control the legs, they have a harder time getting away. You should be able to position her foot so that you can work on it without too much of a fight.
 
Awesome pic! I was holding my leo in a similer manner but shes a wriggly thing and I was afraid of hurting her.

Its about 10:30 at night here, so I'll deffinately give it a go tomorrow.



Thanks for all the help and Happy Thanksgiving.
 
I recommend a drop of mineral oil on the toe and then a sauna/steam bath for about 15 min. Try again, adding more oil if necc.
(sorry, didn't mean to come off nasty the first time) :)
 
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