Humidity

After photographing my geckos yesterday, I noticed that one had an incomplete shed. Today I helped her get the stuck skin off as I do not want her becoming ill. To help Violet remove the shed, I filled a plastic container with spaghum moss. I left her in the box with the moss for 10 minutes, spraying her with water every so often. I then used a cotton bud, cue tip if you live in the USA to gently rub the skin off. This worked and now the stuck shed has been removed completely. 

If your gecko has a stuck shed, I recommend using the advice above for baby geckos. If you don't have the moss you can replace this with damp paper towels. For adult geckos, you can give them a luke warm bath for 10 minutes. Ensure that the water is around half an inch or so deep as if it is too deep, the gecko might drown. Always keep an eye on your gecko while they are bathing to ensure their safety. Then once again gently remove the skin with a cotton bud. Tip: always ensure when using a plastic box, that there is a steady air flow. I used a container that has small holes soldered into the plastic. 

If you are too nervous to try the above, take your gecko to a vet or reptile shop. They deal with stuck sheds all the time. It is VITAL to be as gentle as possible as you don't want to hurt or injure your gecko. 

When keeping a gecko, always provide them with a moist hide. This allows them access to higher humidity levels when needed. I ensure both my geckos have a moist hide which I made using a plastic container that I have cut a hole in. To make sure there were no sharp edges I added a  rubber grommet. Alternatively, you can use a file to smooth the edges. Inside the box I place fresh sphagnum moss  daily. 

If you look closely at Violets nose you can see the stuck shed.

Humidity

This brings me to today's topic which is the importance of humidity. Like temperature, it is important to ensure the correct humidity for your reptiles. Having too high a reading can lead to Respiratory Infections. Signs for such infections include bloated body, loss of appetite, wheezing, clicking noises and mucus in their mouths. In snakes, their forked tongues may stick together and they will raise their heads to breathe more clearly. This condition is very dangerous in colubrids, due to them having only one lung. If your animal shows any of these symptoms decrease the humidity and get to a vet a soon as possible. 

Lack of humidity can also be a problem for reptiles, especially during the shedding process. If levels are too low, animals will retain their shed. Stuck sheds (if not removed) can seriously impact your reptile. It can lead to loss of circulation resulting in lost limbs, skin infections and retained eye caps which can even result in blindness. 

To reduce the humidity levels there are many things a keeper can do:

• Add more vents to the enclosure
• Place a fan beside vents
• Use a smaller water bowl
• Change bedding

To increase the humidity:

• Use larger water bowl
• Mist the animals with a spray of water
• Add sphagnum moss to the inside of a hide

If you are concerned about humidity you can purchase a humidity reader and place it inside your reptile's enclosure. They are available in many different options and some can also read temperature. If you can, buy a digital one with a probe.

In conclusion here is a list of correct humidity levels for various reptiles. For species that vary, please speak to your vet or local reptile store. 

• Amphibians 60-95%
• Anoles 25-75%
• Boa's and Pythons 25-75%
• Garter Snakes 25-75%
• Green Iguanas 60-95%
• King/Milk Snakes 0-40%
• Monitors and Tegus (varies)
• Skinks (varies)
• Tortoises and Turtles (varies)
• Geckos (varies)

Here are a few useful links to other related posts
Heating
Cooling Reptiles Down
Shedding