Crested Gecko shedding problem

Question
Hello,

I have three adult crested geckos: two females and one male.  They all live in a huge 75 gallon aquarium that I keep very clean and mist several times a day.  My house stays at around 73-75 degrees, so I do not have a heat source for them.  I feed them the Repashy crested gecko diet and give crickets occasionally.

One of my females is having a really bad problem with retaining her sheds.  The other two geckos never, ever have a problem.  For several months now, the female (a little over a year old) has been having problems shedding.  I tried increasing the humidity (though it seemed adequate if the other two weren't having problems).  I tried applying moist paper towels/wash clothes and helping get some loose pieces off.  She seems to have no interest in removing her old skin.  Huge pieces will be loose and she wont make a motion to pull them off... this goes on for days until I finally tug lightly and remove the very loose pieces.  She can no longer cling to the glass or my hand and she looks awful... super dull.  I worry that she has retained several sheds around her toes and that it will start to cause a serious problem.  

Other than her shedding problem, she seems in great health.  Very active (unfortunately only on rough/flat sufaces) and eats like a champ.

Do you have any advice for me on how to remove these old sheds?

Thanks,
Steph

Answer
Hi Stephanie, The standard approach is to soak her in small amount of tepid water for about 20 minutes or more. Adding a small amount of glycerin (get it at drug stores) to the water can help. You will likely have to remove the skin from the toe  surfaces with tweezers. I would urge you to be as careful as you can while removing that skin. Gecko toes are quite delicate and intricate structures.
In the future you can try providing a moisture chamber in the tank which is simply a small enclosed container with a smallish entry hole and moistened moss inside. I prefer to use spagnum if you can find it, it has natural anti-bacterial properties.
Shedding problems are usually environmental but there is speculation that there may be dietary causes as well. Neither explain why only your female is affected unless she is just particularly  sensitive. Problems with the endocrine system is also cited as a possible cause.

Shed problems do tend to be cumulative. Unless the first problem one is completely cleaned away the next shed is usually affected as well even if the environmental changes are made.
It may take patience and few soaking sessions to get the old layers, but hopefully once you are down to new skin the problem may resolve.