grayish side?

Question
QUESTION:  Hi Yexalén, thank you for the info on the paper. i placed a soft shirt and she seems interested since she explores it. but now I'm noticing that when she came out half of her right side is all gray like a faded orange color. i remember telling you dat she was about to shed but it never happened. do you what this means? any advice? oh and are you sure that sand will cause her death?, because when i bought her she was doing fine and eating. she spent about 1 month with the sand substrate. . . . . . . . . . . to me it makes the tank look alot better looking in appearance than just paper or that other stuff . . . . . . . . . and thanks again for the last advice.

ANSWER: Hello Mai, I beleive you said that she is spending a lot of time in her humid hide? I do think she is still trying to shed. Try giving her a warm bath. Fill a sink with enough water to barely cover her knees. warm water not hot not cold. this should help with shedding.

With the sand, Its not a sure thing that sand will cause her death but it is likely and common especially with younger geckos. Sand does look really nice and helps with heat but it can lead to many problems. If it gets in between her toes it can irritate her and cause problems there if it is irratating her she will try licking at it. Consuming it can cause problems as it gets wet in the digestive system (its not digestable, EVEN when the package says it is... it happens) Then it hardens as it enters the intestines and causes impaction. Its common but I can not say 100% it will happen to her. Just be careful if you still want to use it. Here is some information on sand impaction in geckos.

***************BEWARE GRAPHIC VET IMAGES GRAPHIC NOT FOR THE SQUEEMISH**********************
http://homepage.mac.com/exoticdvm/reptile/PhotoAlbum181.html

(page below has no images just information)
http://www.drgecko.com/obsimpact.htm

Here is the link to the PETCO site with the product I was talking about.
http://www.petco.com/product/12007/T-Rex-Crab-Island-Climbing-Background.aspx

Here is a link to a picture of it being used in my Leopard Gecko Enclosure

http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t17/Yexalenx/Lilo%20Treelo%20leopard%20gecos/

http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t17/Yexalenx/Lilo%20Treelo%20leopard%20gecos/

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION:  hi again Yexalén,
i am so confused right now, i did what you said on bathing her with warm water. but before i did that she was completely pale! i mean all white! so when i finished taking her a bath, i put her back in her tank. now this here is the weird part, when i returned in like about 2 to 3 hours later her color came back. . . . . . its like if nothing ever happened. . . . . . . . . . .my question is what should i do now? and if you could help me figure out "what just happened to my Leo"? and thanks again.

Answer
Hey Mai, thats good, it means the bath helped! Leopard Geckos can shed there skin in as little as ten minutes. It has happened with me many times. She was completely white meaning so close to shedding and the bath really helped. They scratch themselves on rough surfaces in the tank and get the peal started on their head and then eat the shedded skin. So you will have no proof except that she is now her beautiful bright self. She shed good and is doing great. So now you know that next time she gets gray help her out and give some baths. Something you might want to look for after every shed and every once in a while is to see if she shed the skin around her toes. IF there is still skin stuck to her toes you need to help her out. The skin can constrict on her and she can loose her toes. So if it happens give her another bath and then take a q tip and gently swab at the skin. If that still doesn't help dont pull it off but get some Mineral oil or Vitamin E oil and swab it with a Q tip This will help loosen it up and you should be able to slide the skin off with a qtip dont be afraid to touch it just dont rip it off. Let it slide itself.
Let me know if you need anything else. Have fun with your little Leo