Leopard Gecko Shedding

Why Do Leopard Geckos Shed?

Humans shed their skin in pieces.  Pretty much all living mammals do shed their skin.  Reptiles are no different than mammals in that aspect.  Our bodies and yes leopard gecko’s bodies do this as we grow.  The new cells need to be replaced; therefore shedding is an element of life.  Instead of shedding their skin in parts leopard gecko shedding is different; it’s all at once.

How Often Do Leopard Geckos Shed?

There is no clear cut answer to this question, because it heavily relies on age and growth rate.  Some leopard geckos might shed more frequently than others; it makes perfect sense that no two geckos will shed at the same exact rate.  When geckos are smaller or babies they tend to shed more frequently.  This is because their growth rate is much higher than an adult.

The first time I saw my leopard gecko Sly shed I was actually kind of shocked.  I thought she might be sick or something.  Their color will change drastically.  It’s much duller and it’s a whitish color.

Leopard Gecko Shedding Problems

Toes SheddingIt’s usually a stressful time for you leopard gecko to shed.  The reason being is because it takes them 24 hours to shed their skin.  Typically, they don’t eat for a day before shedding their skin.  Your gecko can have some problems with shedding which can shorten their life or diminish their quality of life.  Typically you will see two different kinds of problems when shedding.  The first problem, is where you will see excess skin around their toes.  This skin can actually cut off the circulation of their toes.  They could eventually lose them.  The other problem could be not shedding all the way.  Typically, you could see patches where they haven’t shed their skin.

Help Leopard Gecko Shed

First and foremost, if you haven’t already checked out my leopard gecko feeding guide I would make sure you have their diet correct.  Next, make sure you have their habitat setup correctly.

Assuming you have already read those two articles and your leopard gecko is still having shedding problems I would consider:


Leopard Gecko BathYou can give your leopard gecko a bath.  Make sure the water is lukewarm.   They can swim and this will help soften up their skin so they have an easier time shedding.  Make sure you don’t fill the bathtub to high and always make sure you’re present that way if they start to sink you can save them from going under the water and drowning.


I know it sounds a little silly, but you can make a little sauna “hide” for your leopard gecko.  To do this I would use a tupperware, spray bottle, and a paper towel.  To make your sauna I would:

  1. Spray the paper towel.
  2. Put the paper towel inside the tubberware.
  3. Then put your leopard gecko inside the tubberware for 30 minutes.

Optionally, you can cut a small hole in the top of the lid you put on the tubberware.  That way they can crawl out of the hide whenever they want to.

This should help your leopard gecko shed.  You can repeat the process every day if would like.


Additionally, you can use this method to supplement the bath and sauna treatments.  You can use a wet cotton ball, and gently rub the the leopard geckos toes, or problematic area.  Make sure you don’t apply to much pressure because they do have little fragile bodies.