so I was at ******* ..could this really happen?

[bebetee]

So a few weeks ago I was at ******* .. picking up some crickets.
I went to take a look at the reptile corner just to browse ..I
saw a STHC leopard gecko with a regrown tail .. he looked really sick ...
there was only one hide and the tank was not clean ..
( poop everywhere ) and he was just laying out in the open..I asked one of the pet care associate what had happened to it's tail and


She said:
"He lost his tail from being stressed .. because his tank before was to small for him and he couldn't catch his food"

My response was:
"Oh really that's odd, because many leopard gecko breeders keep their leo's in 16q tubs..and never had that problem"

and her response was "oh *giggle*"


My question is...could this really happen, I've never heard of such a thing ..

 

[MiamiLeos]

It happens on a daily basis... I was at ***** to get dog food and I finally had the last straw. My ***** uses these faux rock hides that goup against the glass so you can spy on your poor leo while it's trying desperately to hide. Anyway, the babies they receive are practically right out of the egg.. like literally. Well, one had either been forced by the sheer number of other geckos or was trying to hide but it got stuck in a crevace. When I saw it, it had already perished in there. Needless to say I threw a friggin fit and they took the rock hide out of the baby gecko enclosure. Lectured the manager on proper leo husbandry and care and did the whole "I can show you babies of mine straight out of the egg that are healthier and fatter than what you have in there" thing and blah blah, thought he took the hint so I left. Next time I went in there would you like to know what I saw? Another baby gecko stuck helplessly in the same crevace. This one was still alive but they could not get him out (I wouldnt want to come out to those people either!) So they placed the rock hide with the stuck baby gecko in its own enclosure and said they would wait for him to dislodge himself. They would not let me try to get him out and God forbit they break open the hide and waste $1.40. I do not shop there unless absolutely necessary anymore. I refuse to support deliberate animal neglegence and abuse. But yes, it is a very real and not uncommon occorance

 

[MiamiLeos]

Just have to add... this is why it is SOOOO important to not support these petstores by purchasing their sick and injured animals. We can fool ourselves into thinking we "rescued" them -and I'm not one to point fingers here- but what we are actually doing is increasing their profit and giving them the expenses to produce five more geckos for every one purchased.. it's just a vicious cycle that can only be stopped by not paying them to mistreat their animals.

 

[Bbugs]

I think you both read that wrong. I think OP was asking if a Leo could drop their tail from stress.

 

[ajveachster]

Yes, a leo can drop it's tail from stress. This sometimes happens in shipping. I have not heard of any leos being unable to catch their food because they were in a tank that was too small. We have had geckos in both tanks and tubs. We have only had one gecko that did not adjust well to being moved from a tank to a tub. Everyone else did fine. The girl whose behavior changed and stopped eating, she went back to her tank. It sounds to me like the associate was just guessing, and really didn't know the circumstances behind why the gecko lost its tail.

 

[sausage]

yeah the first hatchling i got dropped its tail in the tansport tub on my way home poor thing
i was soooo carefull but he must have just been extra sensitive

 

[T-ReXx]

Total BS. That employee was talking out of their a$$.

Stress can cause tail droppage, yes. "Unable to catch prey because the cage is too small" makes no sense what so ever. How does that even begin to make sense?

Personally, I'd want to talk to the manager. The animal was obviously being kept in subpar conditions and the associate was handing out incorrect information. When called on that incorrect info, he/she had no response beyond a "giggle." That says a lot about the store in question, and chain stores in general, imo.