two shedding questions

[zennygirl]

one of my little females has some left over shed on her head. i've been trying to mist more but it has been there for a couple days now. should i just be patient or should i try to rub it off her head gently. i tried for a second but it seems there is absolutely no way she would ever let me do that. i don't want to hold her with any force.
also, do they typically get darker before they shed or get duller or lighter? these are my first geckos and i have only had them a few months but it seems as though they've changed color several times and i'm not sure when they are actually in shed and what their current true colors are. they are approximatley 9 months old.
thanks for the help.

[mlededee]

as long as the left over shed is not constricting an extremity or other body part it is most likely of no harm to the gecko. when my geckos have leftovers on their heads or faces i try to rub it off gently with a wet q-tip and if that doesn't work i just let it be. the only time you really need to be worried is if the shed is stuck around toe or around the tip of the tail where it could potentially restrict bloodflow to the area. you might find it helpful to add a humid hide to your enclosure if shedding seems to be a problem.

they do change color before they shed. they will look duller and sometimes more dark and sometimes more light depending on the actual color of the gecko. most of the time you won't even see them in this stage because they peel the shed off as soon as they can get it loose. as they grow and mature it is normal for them to go through color changes until they reach their adult coloration. that is probably a lot of what you have noticed with your geckos.

[zennygirl]

thanks.
i have a couple more questions. i'm about to buy them a permanent new tank, it is a verticle partial screen/partial glass enclosure. i have two females and at the most would introduce one male in the future. i am looking at the one that is 30" high x 16"wide x 16"deep. does that sound good?
and also, how does one edit ones profile/avatar here, i see no edit profile button anywhere.

[mlededee]

that enclosure sounds fine. if you do get a male you may want to get another enclosure for him so you can separate him from your females for a few months out of the year to give them a break from breeding and laying.

you can edit your profile by clicking on the "User CP" button in the list of links across the top of the page.

[zennygirl]

what if the temp of my room normally drops into the low 60's or even 50's in the winter? will that temp duration decrease their breeding and if so enough to give the females a break?
also, that enclosure is available in 14x14x25, is that too small? should i go with the original size i listed. of course bigger is always better but i do have limited room so i'm just exploring all options.
thank you for all your help.

[mlededee]

the smaller one should be ok. i currently house 3 almost adult females in a 16x16x23" cage and they seem to do just fine. just make sure to provide something for them to climb on as well as hide spots so they can get away from eachother if needed. a temperature decrease should be effective in slowing breeding during the winter. i remove the males just for assurance that they will all get a break but my room temp doesn't get much below 72ish in the winter so that doesn't really provide cooling for them. i would say that 50s is a bit low for cresteds though--i would try to keep it in the 60s during cool months.

[jackknife]

just be patient LET THE SNAKE SOAK IN THE TUB PUT SOME LARGE ROCKS OR SOMETHING FOR THE SNAKE TO RUB ON IT WILL FALL OFF.DONT TRY TO TAKE IT OFF.SOAKING IS GOOD FOR YOUR SNAKE ONLY PUT TWO INCH OR SO OF WATER ITS BETTER THAN MISTING I SOAK MY TWO SNAKES 2-3 TIMES A WEEK AND SOMETIMES THE BOTH OF THEM STILL HAVE BAD SHEDS IT OK IN THE WILD A SNAKE COULD BE SWEET LOOKING OR LOOK LIKE A PAPER BAG CRUSHED UP INTO A LITTLE ROUND BALL AND REOPENED THATS LIFE..GOOD LUCK.
P.S I ALWAYS WIPE OFF MY SNAKES BEFOR I PUT THEM BACK INTO THE TANK I NEVER LET THEM STAY WET FOR ANY TIME.LETTING THEM STAY WET COULD CAUSE SOME PROBLEMS.SOME PEOPLE WOULD SAY WET IS BETTER LOOK AT MY PICTURES AND YOU COULD TELL MY SNAKES ARE IN TIPTOP SHAPE..

[mlededee]

btw, we are talking about geckos in this thread, not snakes. you have found your way into the rhacodactylus geckos forum.