clump stuck to foot

Question
i have adult leopard gecko and i recently noticed a clump of what looks like mud or whatnot clumped up on a couple of his front toes. but its stuck and attempting to pull it off results in a bite. i really doubt its put his life in danger but it cant be comfortable. i could use some advise.

Answer
Hi Casey, I suspect that your leo has some retained skin from a previous shedding cycle still stuck on his feet. This is an extremely common problem with leos. The old skin can actually cut off the circulation to his toes resulting in the toes falling off! The trick is simply to re-soften the old skin by soaking him in a bit of tepid water for about 20 minutes or so. Any small plastic container with a half inch or so of water will do. Once the old skin is re-moistened you should be able to gently roll it off his feet. This will involve some handling that he will not appreciate but it needs to be done! A pair of tweezers or a toothpick can sometimes help the process.