What do I look for when sick leopard gecko's tail pops off??

Question

I have a leopard gecko who has an infection and I've been giving him an antibiotic and cream on his tail, which was black and bound to fall off, and his tail just popped off. What am I supposed to be looking for as far as bone wise? And if it would need surgery, roundabout how much would that cost?

Answer 1

You don't need to take it in. It's tail will grow back. Don't worry. If you need reasurence you can call a vet, but they may tell you the same. It won't look the same and it will be shorter, but it'll grow back. You don't have to worry.

Answer 2

k now i dont want u to go throught the pain i went through wen my iguanas did that the vet said it would grow back but it wouldnt hurt to take it and get it looked at for maybe 50dollars so then u know it wont die like mine did

Answer 3

You won't see any bone so don't worry on that account.  Nature designed the gecko's tail to break off in 'emergencies, like if I predator grabbed it (the tail would move, distracting the predator so the gecko could run away while its tail was being eaten).  The blood vessels contract when this happens, so the gecko also doesn't bleed to death.

If he's on sand, get rid of it (and I would recommend keeping him off sand forever).  Just make sure you keep the gecko on paper towels until he heals, and change them often to reduce the risk of infection.  The tail should start to heal soon, and soon after that, he will grow another one.

As your other responders said, it will be shorter, blunt on the end, and not as pretty as the original, but it will store fat reserves, and do the job its meant to.

I hope the lil guy is feeling better soon.

Good luck, and just keep keep taking care of him.