Help with skinny, skittish leo!

[Alexandra V]

So long story short, I've inherited this leopard gecko from my friend who in all honesty doesn't take very good care of her pets. She was in with another gecko but they weren't getting along, so rather than get another cage they decided to give her to me.

From what I understand they've had this gecko for a long time and never handled her, so she's very skittish and quick to dash off in whatever direction she may be facing so picking her up and handling her is impossible. This is where the problems begin.

She recently shed and has some stuck on the ends of her toes and has like a roll almost of shed skin sticking out of her nostril. I tried getting a hold of that piece with a pair of tweezers but she would have none of it and ran off (almost right out of the cage!). Question 1: If I provide her with somewhere to soak in, do you think she would manage to get the skin off her toes at least?

Here's the second issue: She's very thin. Like her tail is the diameter of a pen. I've just started feeding her wax worms (was giving her butter worms before) in the hopes that they'll be a little more fattening, but is there anything else I can do to help her gain weight? She has a good appetite and would probably eat a billion worms if I gave them to her, and she moves around so she isn't very lethargic or anything.

I really don't know what to do with this poor thing, I'm worrying about her.

[steve_r34]

when i owned leos a long long time ago i used a cool whip bowl i cut a hole in it and used at that time i think i used junglemix i would moisten it up a bit and leave it in the cage .. can u feed crickets too if u want i did those and meal worms but i used to pull the heads off the worms .. and my leos grew great .. as for the skidish part mine were really mellow but what i would do is just handle inside the tank once a day till she calms down some .. if u can ever get her to clam down there really cool one of mine used to just hang out on my hat and go every where with me .. maybe try hand feeding to maybe that will get her use to u a bit ... jmo .. good luck

[kameo37]

I'll address the skinny situation first: You really don't need to fatten her up. Just a good, steady, healthy diet. I would do mealworms, crickets, butterworms, phoenix worms... a combo of those. Save the wax worms for a treat once a week. They last forever in the fridge anyway. I wouldn't let her gorge herself either. She's likely to regurge. Get some Repashy Calcium Plus supplement to shake on to the insects 2-3 times a week. I don't dust phoenix or butterworms bc they already have a high calcium content.

For shedding issues: I would provide a humid hide. We have this rock hide that I just put damp paper towels in. It's one of those two level hides with a magnetic peekaboo wall. Works well. Since you are talking about a stuck shed though, it may be a good idea to get a little tupperware and put warm, damp papertowels in that to see if she will work it off a little. I haven't had to do that though, so maybe someone else will agree or disagree, so as to further guide you.

Temperament: I think most are quite docile. I wouldn't handle her for about a week, then you can get her used to seeing your hand by just placing your hand in her cage and leaving it there for a few minutes. Then try petting her head and back. Then you can slide your hand under her. Then try picking her up. Slow and steady. Having said all of that, we have two. One is the tamest thing ever and one is a total spaz. The tame one will get right on your hand, the other will bite you. We did the same hand training with both. Hope you end up with a tame-able one and not a "guard dog" leo!!

Glad that she's got a caring owner like you now!!