Do Leopard Geckos Regenerate Their Tails?

~ BackwaterReptiles

If you’re wondering, “Do Leopard geckos regenerate their tails?” then you’ve come to the right place. If you see a leopard gecko in a pet store that is lacking a tail or if you accidentally injure your own leopard gecko to the point of losing its tail, you might be wondering if the gecko’s tail will grow back. It is in fact true that some species of lizards can regenerate their tails and leopard geckos are fortunately one of these species!

leopard gecko regenerated tail
A leopard gecko that is regrowing its tail.

Leopard geckos (and most geckos and other lizards for that matter) will only drop their tails under what they perceive to be extreme duress or a life-threatening situation, whether this be mis-handling or a fight with another gecko.

If your leo’s lost its tail, the first thing you should do is allow it time to calm down and de-stress. If you have a loose substrate, be sure to gently transfer it to a container with a substrate that can’t get into the fresh tail wound and cause further issues. Paper towels are great temporary flooring for situations like this.

leopard gecko tail regenerating
Here’s a close up of a leopard gecko’s tail during the regeneration process.

Your leopard gecko will have lost a substantial amount of fat storage (the tail is where its reserves are kept), so be sure that you are feeding it well to compensate. Wax worms are great fatty invertebrates to give geckos that are in the process of re-growing their tails. Be sure that if you are feeding it crickets that any leftovers are not allowed to remain in the cage after feeding time as they are known for nibbling on wounds.

leopard gecko
Yes, when a leopard gecko loses its tail, its profile becomes somewhat “stubby,” but that doesn’t make them any less cute. :)

While leopard geckos are built to lose their tails if need be and the loss is therefore not a traumatic injury, the affected gecko should still be housed separately from other leos. This will mean it won’t have to compete for food or have to deal with potential aggression from other geckos. You can also keep a better eye on how much your gecko is eating.

eublepharis macularius super giant
Here’s an adult super giant albino leopard gecko with a fully regenerated tail. As you can see, the tail does not look the same as the original tail did. It appears smoother and with less defined “rings” or ridges.

It will take some time for the gecko’s tail to regenerate completely. Keep in mind that the new tail will also never look fully the same as the old tail did.

leopard gecko tail

Your leopard gecko will be fine, and will be able to breed well, so long as you have identified what stressed your gecko to the point of dropping its tail in the first place and removed the cause. We think that leopard geckos who are in the process of regrowing their tails are quite endearing.