Lizards grow throughout their lives. Their tough outer skin doesn’t grow to accommodate them so they shed to expose new (and looser) skin. How often your gecko sheds is related to how fast she is growing. She’ll shed less often as she gets older. If you are interested, you can chart how often your gecko sheds and how fast she grows. Ideally, you’d want to know the surface area of her skin but that’s hard to guess – you could measure her length or her weight instead.

You are also growing and shedding your outer skin, but in much smaller patches that are hard to see. Dead skin cells are actually a significant component of dust around your house. You can (and hopefully do) help this shedding process when you shower or bathe. Similarly, if your gecko is having trouble shedding, you can help by providing a humid hiding hole or a bowl of water. When in doubt, consult a veterinarian. For more information, check out this site:

shed issues

Geckos and other lizards often eat their shed skin – it’s actually a sign that your gecko is healthy. They do this for a few reasons: 1. Growing that skin was a lot of hard work and there are lots of minerals stored there. By eating the skin, they can use the nutrients to grow new skin. 2. They eat the shed to hide from predators. In the wild, shed skin would alert other animals that a lizard lives in the area. 3. Even lizards like to keep their territory clean. They don’t like living a dirty enclosure any more than you like living in a dusty room.

The reason geckos shed is because their skin gets old, and needs to be replaced. You shed skin and hair yourself, but you do it continually instead of in one swell loop like a lizard.

How cool that you have a gecko! (I am a little jealous). Ann Marie is still growing. Her rate of growth will determine how often she sheds. It is a lot of hard work to shed her skin and it makes her very hungry. When she's finished shedding, she happens to have the perfect easily accesible meal; her old skin! This is kind of gross...but very smart of your gecko Ann Marie. Other gekos also eat their old skin and this has helped them be a successful species. Here is a link to a website with more information: leopard gecko shedding