Out with the Old, In with the New!

This morning the library gecko “Otto” was caught in the act of shedding! In this process the leopard gecko’s outer layer of skin becomes very loose and it almost looks like a bubble is formed around the body. The gecko becomes very dull in color and because the old skin is itchy, starts to rub against objects in his tank. Slowly the old outer skin rips and the gecko continues to rub and use his feet to pull the old skin off. Usually as pieces of skin fall off the gecko eats them.
During this process the gecko is stressed out and handling should be kept at a minimum.

Here are a couple pictures of Otto in the beginning of the shedding process!
Here you can see where the old skin has torn and is no longer connected to the body. See how dull the old skin is compared to the new skin underneath?

Here is a picture to illustrate how the old skin “bubbles” around the body. You can see that underneath the old skin has started to rip down the middle almost like the zipper on a coat!
The process can take several hours to a day to complete and Otto will feel happy and refreshed when it is finished!