a week ago I noticed my crested was about to shed. she was doing the colour change thing. but what was peculiar was that it was parts of her body that would change colour. like the head and hind legs down but the torso was still vibrant orange. so I sprayed her and her whole body turned vibrant orange again. but then the next day same deal just in different areas. i sprayed her and she went normal.

then yesterday I noticed some skin peeling off her and figured she was shedding. but she was making no attempt to take it off. she was just hidding under some moss during the day (which she usually does before shedding.) so I sprayed the moss to give her some extra humidity in this really hot room.

today I look at her and its like nothing changed. she is peeling at the kneecaps but outwards. so the skin if off the knees but still on the rest of her legs and torso. It looks like some has come off her head but there is still some flakey skin on her eyebrows. her feet look like the may have peeled with a little still attached. i took that skin off myself with the help of some water.

Stupid **** dry *** summer. and because its so dry I tried to compensate when I made her tank by putting in lots of moss. there are patches of moss in three of the four corners of her tank.

I wish I had my digital camera so I could show you what she looks like.
I haven't heard her shed. usually you can hear them pulling at their own skin and eating it.(at least i've heard/seen my two other Crested Geckos do that)

Could it be that she isn't ready to fully shed yet and these are just the peices that are coming off early?
if not and it is a horrible shed what can I do to help her?

Any and all help would ease my mind and be much appreciated.

First, a lukewarm bath or some way to get some water on the skin.

Second, I would put a moist hide in the tank. Cut a hole in a tupperware and put in some moist moss. My female does all of her sheds inside the box.

Bad sheds can be a result of many problems. **Don't FORCEFULLY remove the shed**

Could you give us a rundown on: Diet, temps & humidity, and supplements?

Crickets mostly but recently mainly/only crickets. they arn't dusted with any supplements. I don't keep a complete record of temps and humidity day by day but the temp in the cage is about 75f during the day, i don't let the temps in the crested cages ever reach 80. the humidity is a lot harder to control and gauge. I'd say its been hard keeping it up for the last two weeks. maybe 45-50 during mid day and 60-65 at night. Its been extremely hot the past week and when I noticed she was shedding I mad it an effort to keep her tank humid. spraying the moss areas and her during the day.

I bathed her for about 5 minutes (till she looked soaked and exhausted herself trying to escape). that was an experience. and got her a wet hide.
thanks for the help very much

You don't dust the crix with Calcium? I've noticed the sheds aren't as easy in females while they're gravitating, possibly due to allocating so many nutrients to the eggs. But it may also be because I breed them in the summer months, when it is hot.

Do you see any shedding troubles in your other two geckos?

no my other geckos are fine. even my two chams that are in the same room shed fine. 2:50am (coming back from a pre-canada day par-tay) it looks like she still has some skin that doesn't shed. i'll check again in the morning when i'm more light, and i'm a little more sober

Sorry, I'm not crested expert, but surely you know to supplement feeds with calcium and multi-vitamins? Also, a diet of only crickets is not good - you need some variety in there, including fruit and baby food,. your geckos aren't getting the nutrients they need, and whether or not this is lending to the bad shed, it is certainly not going to do them any good in the long run.

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"If you know everything you may as well blow your brains out because the reason for existence is to learn more everyday." - Mark O'Shea, 2004

I agree with bitis and chronic supplementation and variety are essentail to all captive animals. provide the moist hide and please please vary your little guys diets. In the long run you will have healthier happier critters. Take care and best luck to you.

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http://7geckos.tripod.com

The only dumb question is the one left unasked.

i should have been more specific. they got calcium when they were younger. they are over a year now (more for the elder) and I ran out of the powder and failed to buy more. Figured they weren't being bred anytime soon. Up till a month ago i'd switch meals between babyfood with CGD and crickets. but I ran out of baby food and keep forgetting to get more. as for the vitamin suplements its like $30 for the tiniest bottle. i can't afford that, not for the ammount of it you get.

they have all had perfect sheds up till now.
should I bath her again tonight or just leave it up to the hide now?

thanks for all the help

Goge, sorry to sound rude but you are depriving your geckos. I got calcium when I was younger too, do I not need anymore? Of course I do, Calcium ions are the most important ions in our bodies, so I'm sure that reptiles have a high demand for them as well. Calcium has alot more to do with reptiles than breeding and bone growth, blood pH, muscle contractions, and neurological functions all need calcium to operate, I wouldn't be surprised if shedding used some too.

You can get Rep-cal multivitamin for 10$us and the Rep-cal calium usually runs 5$us. I've been using the same bottles since I started keeping and need to get more multivitamin soon, that's 15$ for two years, not too much to ask. I may be frugal with it, but I'm a conservatist.

If she was that stressed when you bathed her last night, don't. The humid hide and misting will help, make sure that the shed comes off the toes and the eyes-those are the two trouble spots that bad sheds can wreak havoc on.

Varity is key- either Vosjolli's book or Hamper's book says that in the wild both insects and fruit is found in their fecals usually in equal amounts. Some people feed just insects, some just fruit, and some only CGD, I do all three.

Please get your gex some supplements. And if the baby food was a pain you can freeze it, that way the jar doesn't go bad or you can just smash your own fruits. I smash a small peice of banana almost every day and offer it, even if I offer crix too.

Nobody wants to hear criticism and this is certainly THE FRIENDLIEST site on the net, but I think every one's main interest is the health and well-being of reptiles. So try not to let our comments bruise your ego... it's not about YOU, it's about the geckos!
Please try to re-focus your attention on the needs of the geckos in your care and put them back on a proper diet regime.
I recommend keeping an index card taped to the aquariums (or typing up an Excel file in the computer) and getting into the habit of keeping records on things like feeding (type of food and amount), water changes, temp/humidity, shedding, defecation, vet visits/medications, as well as regular intervals of length and weight for EACH of your pets.
I find keeping daily detailed records enhances my enjoyment of my snakes and it sure helps to have as much information as possible when there's a problem.
Some people like the fact that many reptiles are "low maintenance" but it can be all too easy to forget about them until there is a problem or illness that catches your attention.
Good luck and keep us posted on how the little one gets on.

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Andrea