My gecko has a kink in its tail. What does this mean?

[jschaf1]

Hi everyone. I have had my new gecko "cosmo" for over a month and she is doing very well. However I just noticed something about her and have been meaning to post it here for opinions. I noticed she seems to have a kink at around the end of her tail. It just seems like at the end of her tail there is this minor bend which won't straighten out with the rest of the tail. Sorry I tried taking a close up pic but couldn't find the time or patience to get her to stand still long enough.

I was just wondering what this means and if I should be concerned about any health problems? I think I heard someone mention once around here this is a result of too much inbreeding.

I would like to add that despite this kink in her tail she is doing just find. She eats well, has been gaining weight steadily, doesn't seem to have any behavioural problems. She is a normal morph and about 9 months old. I bought her at a pet shop. Please let me know if there is anything I should be concerned about.

Thanks!

 

[MiamiLeos]

dont worry

she probably just got her tail nipped by one of her siblings when she was younger. wiggly tails look an awful lot like tasty meal worm you know

 

[Mel&Keith]

It is usually a genetic deformity. It doesn't necessarily mean that there will be any health problems but most breeders agree that geckos with tail kinks should not be bred.

 

[jschaf1]

thanks for the advice. So that means I can't breed her Mel&Keith? I had no immediate plans to breed her but I was hoping one day to take a crack at it at least once. I am not saying I want to go professional. But would have enjoyed trying just once. Do other people concur with Mel&Keith about the breeding thing? How risky is it?

 

[MiamiLeos]

up to you...

honestly, yea it could be from some sort of genetic fault. but, imo, its more likely from it being stepped on or squished or bitten by a bigger leo or clutch mate or bumped around during shipping. you said you bought him at a pet store right? so i'm assuming at some point in his life weather it be at the pet store or at the commercial breeders he was housed with a relatively large gecko colony. i dont think you would have problems breeding him. especially if youre not breeding him to a related morph. many morphs are created by line breeding so some defects pop up here and there. breeding to an unrelated morph would help straighten the genetics out. if the gecko is big and healthy and just has a small tail kink i would say its fine, even to breed. stuff like this happens to pet shop animals. its just kind of a fact we need to live with. they can still make awesome pets and even breeders. just my opinion.

 

[Sandyballs]

Mine has the same thing!......But after a few sheds it looked alot better