Symptoms
- dropped or missing tail
Cause
Tail dropping is a natural defense mechanism in response to sudden loud noises, pinching, squeezing, or grabbing. In the wild it is used as a means to escape predators.
Treatment
Crested gecko tail loss is not a medical emergency, and there is no special care needed. However, the tail will not grow back – tailless cresties are affectionately known as “frog butts.”
My crested gecko, Alphonse, dropped his tail when I picked up his vivarium to relocate it. The degree and type of stimulus required for a crestie to drop its tail varies by individual.
See what a dropped tail looks like up close: