Keeping a Leopard Gecko calm?

[Sawkinator]

(I'm not sure if this should be here or on WYP - the latter is full of really serious topics, I felt this would be kind of out of place...)

So one of my leopard geckos has, for the second time, failed to shed the skin on her tail. The first time it was pretty bad - I had to get medicine and stuff and get the skin off flake by flake  (which is probably why it's happened again this time). Anyways, she just shed a couple days ago, so it's not very bad right now.

The problem is, I can't get her to stay still long enough to get the skin off. She's always been really squirmy and it just makes things difficult. She gets especially agitated when I touch her tail. Does anyone have any advice on how to keep her calmer so I can help her?

[HavACrumpet452]

What if you do it when she hasn't been in a warm part of the cage for a while? Or if you put her in a critter keeper in a cooler spot for a bit?

[kaoskat]

Other than the cooling idea HavACrumpet452 suggested, I wouldn't have a clue. I know some reptiles will "sleep" when you flip them onto their backs, but I'm not sure how safe this is for them or if it even works on geckos.

[Englishgothgirl]

Its not safe to flip lizards on their back, the "sleeping" is because lizards have not got a diaphragm like we do, so on their back they cannot control their breathing.

The best way to do is to not hold her but simply let her sit on your hand / arm, and move where she wishes.

Its the restraint they don't like, especially on their tail, holding her tail could cause her to drop it.

Use damp cotton wool to wet the skin, and gently peel it off with tweezers.

Do you provide a moist hide or moss box at all?

Please feel free to PM me if you need anymore help

[Eviecorn]

I know relatively nothing about reptiles, so here's a friendly bump on hopes you get some more good advice.

[melodys_angel]

Looks like you got some good advice <3

[Knibitz]

Can you tell me about hte set up you have for your leo?
How old is it?
what supplements are you feeding and how often?

I've had a leo for about two years, so I may be able to help
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My rainwater abino, Zoe

and do all you can to avoid pulling the skin off! If your gecko isn't shedding it, it's more likely than it's not ready to shed rather than your gecko not just getting to it. Pulling it off will risk pulling your geckos fresh skin off with it.
First thing to do is put your gecko is a shallow pool of water. Take a small shoe box, poke some holes in the lid, fill it a bit with water and place your gecko inside for a half hour, see if that aids your gecko and getting the skin off.

Does your gecko have access to a humid hide? an enclosed space with something like a soaked papertowel in it? It really needs this to shed.
Do you offer abrasive surfaces for your gecko to rub against? especially the humid hide.
Offer rough rock decor and things like half logs and drift wood.

But first let me know all about the enclosure you have for your leo, and we can go from there

[Sawkinator]

Thanks for all the tips everyone! I didn't expect to get this much of a response. 

Knibitz: (pics aren't the best quality  )

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First off, here's their cage. Pretty standard: Moist hide in the shade, another place to hide/bask, food dish with calcium and vitamin supplements, etc. And of course the geckos themselves.
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The tail of the gecko in question. The lower half looks kind of shiny and just not very good, especially the tip.

I'm soaking her right now (I'm sure she hates me for it xD). I'd only been doing that for 10-15 minutes before, so I hope half an hour will help.

[Englishgothgirl]

Well I cannot see any retained shed on that photo, but it does look very sore.

How many do you have together and what sexes are they? Is it possible they could be fighting? As tail nipping is very common

[Knibitz]

Over all, excellent job Seems like everything is just about right. However, I do have a few suggestions.

First off, on what goth pony said, leopard geckos really shouldn't be kept together. Females will tolerate each other, but it's really not recommended, for the reasons stated above - fighting.  The damage to the tail could very well be from fighting, and this could also be a reason that your geckos are so squirmy and stressed.
If you have another tank handy (they really don't need that much space, they can be kept in shoe boxes just fine), I suggest splitting them up, or, if their conditions don't improve, it may be time to consider giving up one of them.

Second, you said that the calcium and supplement are in the tank? Calcium is good to have readily available at all times, it helps grind down the food they eat, but the vitamin supplement (I imagine you feed them something like herbavite) should be dusted on their food once a week. It shouldn't be readily available to them.
I feed my girl superworms and dust once a week (I feed my girl one superworm ~3 times a week, sometimes two if that's all she'll eat) The first feeding of the week I take a super worm, drop it in the herbavite, roll it around so it's coated and then place it in the tank just like normal food.
You can get dusting mechanisms where you just drop the feeder insects in and then shake or you can use a ziplock or whatever.
I would imagine that you're feeding live food, but if you're not, I highly suggest it   It's healthier, safer, and leos have a natural predator instinct and enjoy the pursuing their prey. They become extremely active during feeding times and are just fun to watch.

Lastly, the lamp. Is that your only heat source?
Leopard geckos are nocturnal animals and really shouldn't have a light in their tank. Their heat source should be an undertank heater. this will provide them with the belly heat they need to digest their food.
Electric heat rocks are another option, but aren't often trusted by enthusiasts, as there have been several issues with them overheating and burning their animals.
I'd also suggest getting an infrared thermometer or one with a probe that you can attach to the floor of the heated side to monitor how hot it's getting on the floor, not just the air.


Over all though, excellent job. Looks like they have plenty of places to hide, you have a nice choice of simple bedding, and everything looks well organized.  Just need a few improvements to hopefully help the issue.

[Sawkinator]

Well I cannot see any retained shed on that photo, but it does look very sore.

How many do you have together and what sexes are they? Is it possible they could be fighting? As tail nipping is very common

Yeah, I soaked her for a little over 30 minutes and only found a couple small flakes. I think I'm just paranoid - I'd hate to see her lose her tail. I have been rubbing some ointment from the vet on her tail so that nothing gets infected.
Both of my geckos are female, and they usually tolerate each other pretty well.

Knibitz: Thanks for the suggestions! I did my research before I getting my first leo. x) There is a heater on the side of the tank (the rubber feet that used to be on the bottom fell off, and I didn't want to burn anything I put the tank on), but I had been considering moving it. I never knew they needed heat to help digest food; that's a good enough reason to move it back to the bottom.

I do indeed give them live mealworms, and occasionally crickets. I haven't used superworms before - I'll have to try them. I'll change up the vitamin supplements as well.

I'm not sure if I'll separate them - it seems easier just to keep them both in one tank. They've been living together for a couple years now and I haven't seen anything bad come of it (and I made sure to introduce them to eachother slowly). My Tangerine has always been skittish, so I'm not sure how much could be due to living with another gecko; my Normal one is pretty mellow. I'll give it some thought, though.

[Knibitz]

mealworms and crickets are perfectly fine
I just feed my girl superworms because it's what her breeder fed her... and she fails at catching crickets o_0

[xdartfrogx]

I dont keep leos, but i keep and breed crested geckos (30 eggs in the incubator right now! Squeel!) and a huge variety of frogs Zoomed makes a sheddingaid called shed ease. It can be sprayed directly, added to a misting system,used in a soak, or simply added to a spray bottle with declorinated water. I hve an occassional hatchling with a bad first shed, and the stuff works like a charm every time! There is also reptiwound that is good for minor knicks (like breeding wounds), and it helps the healing process 10 fold. We fostered an iguana one time that had extremely bad shed (black-required amputation of 2toes ...poor thing). It was necessary to do an iodine soak as instructed by the vet. There are a ton of leop enthusiast forums out there, I highly suggest checking them out as ther are many seasoned keepers and breeders on the web who  would surely be able to help more. Wish i could help more, but thats all i got.