athenaltena | Short Ryu update

Yup, she's definitely shedding now. One of the odder things leopard gecko owners are used to is being woken up to the sound of tearing skin, but that's actually a good thing. The sound is just because the geckos themselves tear it off, because I imagine it's quite uncomfortable to have to be in your own shed skin.

Oh, and they also eat the skin once they've shed it. As for why they do it, no one actually knows for certain. One theory is that it's so they don't leave any trace for predators, while others think it has to do with some nutrient in the skin. However, in Ryu's case it might explain the green poop since it's known that there's often a correlation between that and the time after they shed, and once again no one quite knows why.

I would help her, but I was instructed to just let her do it this time. It's possible that this whole issue is because she didn't shed completely last time and some dead skin got stuck in her eyes. It also means I have to mist her with a spray bottle to help it come off per the vet, and I got her some moss that she can rub her body against to help her do it as well. I also mist the moss so she can have a bit of humidity in there.

So yes, geckos do in fact need to moisturize.