I have a little viper gecko (male, 1 year old) who is having a hard time shedding, especially on top of his head. He has shed three times without losing a small "cap" on top of his head. Also, he is generally having trouble losing the skin on the end of his tail and on his feet. I have tried mineral oil (as suggested by my vet) and Repti Shedding Aid. I have moss and wood chips available for him to rub on. Any suggestions? Or am I worrying too much? I feel sorry for the little guy. Thanks!

Do you have a humid hide in the tank? If not you need to get one and put either wet paper towels or wet moss in it. Viper geckos don't need much humidity but a humid hide is needed, for shedding and hydrating purposes. How often do you mist the cage? Since they are desert species, you only need to mist the cage every other day.

As for the toes and tail it is very important to get the shed off. If you don't, it will eventually pull the tip of the tail or toes off. Get a small container and fill it with lukewarm water, only enough to cover your gecko's feet and tail. Let him soak in it for about 20 minutes. Then take a q-tip to the shed and it should come off with ease. As for the head, I would try taking a wet q-tip to it as well but slowly work with it. Good luck, and let us know how the little guy is doing.

Welcome to the forum!

Like said, a humid hide is a great asset, and helps tremendously.
Welcome To The Forums!


Moved to general geckos.

Thank you! We do have a humid hide with damp moss. He spends a little time there but it's not helping much.
I will try to soak his feet and tail in water as you suggested. He has already soaked his own tail in his drinking water (he's brilliant!) Is there any more info you can give me to do this? I don't want to traumatize him. Should I slowly coax him into the water or just gently place him in it? What kind of container should I use? If he's very upset, should I remove him or let him settle?
We are relatively new at this so every help is great.
Thank you again!

No Problem.

Well I know my viper disappears as soon as I start spraying water in the tank, so it would probably be best to slowly coax him into the water. But if his tail was lying in his drinking water for a little while you might not have much of a problem getting him use to the water.

I would use a small plastic container, like those gladware disposable ones, nothing too big. I wouldn't doubt him not being upset, it's best to try to let him settle. Hopefully he will get the hint on what you're trying to do. The shed has to come off and he will be stressed at first, but he will feel much better once his toes are free. It might not even take the whole 20 mins for the shed to become loose. Even after 10 mins you could check it with a q-tip and see if it will come off with ease or if it needs to soak a little longer. Just make sure you monitor him the whole time.

Just wanted to add in to Jess' suggestions - when doing the water you have to make sure it is warm or you'll shock the little guy. Also not too deep, only about half way up his legs... I know this is a hard one with vipers because you're only talking about making it a mm or two deep but it will help to keep him a bit calmer if he doesn't feel like he is drowning. Place him in and put the lid on (he won't suffocate in the tub in the time we're talking about so you don't need to punch holes in it). Just for the size of them I'd check after 5 minutes... I find wetting the q-tip also helps a lot.

The other thing to note is that this could wind up being a more permanent ritual - some geckos develop into troublesome shedders for no apparent reason. There's not really much you can do with environment if you already have drinking water and a humid hide in there at all times - plenty of chances for him to hydrate. Hopefully for both of you it is only a temporary thing but just thought I'd mention it.