Help!! Leopard gecko cannabalism !!

[Heretolesen87]

I took my hatchlings out of their shoeboxes tonight to clean them and when I was transferring one of my older hatchlings over to its temporary container she dropped her tail and my youngest hatchling got a hold of it and ate it before I could even realize what had happened... I'm wondering what the health risk is of the gecko that ate the tail? It was a big tail I was hoping she would regurgitate it immediately but no luck. Is there a way to make the gecko regurgitate is it too late to do anything now?? Any help would be great the internet has not been of any help so fsr

 

[PoppyDear]

Hello,

There is a few things that could happen;

A.) The gecko regurgitates the tail.
B.) The tail is not regurgitated but is digested and passed.
C.) Complications arise and the gecko is basically impacted.

You could take the gecko to a vet to be safe or you will have to wait it out. I wouldn't feed anything else for a few days, keep an eye on the hatchling. From my knowledge you cannot make a gecko regurgitate. How did the hatchling come into contact with the older one? Are the shoeboxes their home or were they being transfered to more appropriate enclosures?

Good luck.

 

[Zux]

As Poppy mentioned, there is little that can be done.

The Gecko who ate the tail, should be able to digest this in time but it is now imperative it has the right conditions to do so, please make doubly sure your temperatures are appropriate and that the Gecko has ample hydration in the form of standing water / moist hide.

Finally it is of the utmost importance you do not attempt to make the Gecko regurgitate what it has eaten, it will do that itself if it has need to and or is capable. The key now is to be vigilant, keep a close eye on the Gecko avoid feeding anything else for a day or two and watch for faeces. If you notice anything out of character, lethargy for example, take it to a qualified vet as quickly as possible.

 

[Heretolesen87]

Hello,

There is a few things that could happen;

A.) The gecko regurgitates the tail.
B.) The tail is not regurgitated but is digested and passed.
C.) Complications arise and the gecko is basically impacted.

You could take the gecko to a vet to be safe or you will have to wait it out. I wouldn't feed anything else for a few days, keep an eye on the hatchling. From my knowledge you cannot make a gecko regurgitate. How did the hatchling come into contact with the older one? Are the shoeboxes their home or were they being transfered to more appropriate enclosures?

Good luck.

Thank you so much! I will be looking for a vet today just be sure !
The sterilize shoe boxes are their homes. I them set up in a rack system but I was cleaning the tubs and so I took each one out and carried them to another temporary tub. I had the temporary tubs open and on the ground and I guess as I was passing over to put the last gecko in its tub it dropped its tail and the tail fell into one of the other tubs.

 

[Hilde]

I wouldn't worry about it eating a tail. That's what geckos do.
They'll even eat each other, if the bigger one can manage to get the smaller one down the hatch.

They'll drop their tail when they feel threatened, which yours obviously did. The squirming tail caught the attention of the other gecko - movement is their first clue to something being food, part of the reason they don't normally eat dead or freeze-dried insects.

Even though the geckos are in captivity, they still go by wild instincts, and they know not to pass up a good meal, food can be hard to find out in the wild. So, small gecko saw a tail, food, eat, done.
It happens.

I've had two hatch at the same time. When I opened the incubation tub, it scared one of them hatchlings enough to scream and drop its tail. The other one grabbed the tail, and ate it. They don't normally eat that soon after hatching, but I guess the opportunity was there, so why not?

 

[Zux]

I've had two hatch at the same time. When I opened the incubation tub, it scared one of them hatchlings enough to scream and drop its tail. The other one grabbed the tail, and ate it. They don't normally eat that soon after hatching, but I guess the opportunity was there, so why not?

I bet that was a shock ! For all of you :shock:

 

[Hilde]

I bet that was a shock ! For all of you :shock:

Yup, sure was. First and only time I saw it happen. I've still got both of them, almost 18 years later.