A Leopard Gecko is a unique and beautiful lizard. When they are born their skin already appears yellow with bands of black. As they age these bands turn into black spots. It is this characteristic that has earned them the name: leopard gecko. In addition to black spots many of them often have darker tails. This is not another kind of Leopard gecko. This is merely an indication that it has previously lost its tail and it has since regrown. They are known for dropping their tails.

A Geckos' tail serves several purposes, firstly it is a place for storing fat and this fat can be accessed by their body during months of famine and drought. It is also utilized as a part of their defense when a predator poses a threat. If a predator holds on to its tail then a leopard gecko most likely will detach itself from it instinctively. I can also detach while the would-be predator is at a distance. At that time, the detached tail functions as a distraction for the approaching predator because it wriggles about and predators are often left preoccupied with its wriggling while the gecko runs away to a safe place.

A gecko can detach itself from its tail for numerous reasons. For example, as stated, if a predator latches on to its tail then the gecko detaches itself from it. If its tail is held on to or bitten by another leopard gecko, then it will drop it.

They also detach themselves from their tail when they experience stress, when they are ill or when they feel threatened.

When a gecko loses its tail, the connective tissue located at the bottom will separate from each other. This tail will then snap off and the blood vessels immediately close off with only minimal loss of blood or even none.

In the event that the tail detaches, in the enclosure, immediately separate it from the other geckos. Place it in an enclosure with paper towel flooring as the substrate. Using sand or similar abrasive substrates might irritate the tail stub and cause an infection. Ask your veterinarian, what antibacterial ointment is recommended to treat the wound and how often to apply it. The tail should grow back in four to six weeks.

The tail is a place where fat is stored. It is important that the leopard gecko eats a healthy diet while its tail is regrowing to help replenish the fat stores it has lost. The tail that regrows will look different than the one that was there before. The new tail might be shorter or fatter or have different banding than the previous one.

Tail loss if a normal part of the leopard gecko life cycle. It is a stressful time for the leopard gecko because they have lost a valuable source of fat and they have lost a part of their natural defense system. Taking steps to minimize the possibility of them losing their tail can help improve their well being. Simple precautions such as keeping their enclosure clean to minimize possible illness, not allowing household pets near their enclosure and not handling them by their tail can help prevent tail loss.