Toes

[Cheaton]

This is just a general question. I have read that, (and unfortunately seen at the local Petco) shedding Leo's can lose parts of their lovely long toes.

My questions is, is this permanent?

Also, why does a natural process such as shedding possibly have the potential to cause such an injury?

Would this happen to a leo in the wild?

Has the selective breeding and gentic modification caused this to become an issue or is it a purely captive environmental condition thing?

Where does a Leo in the wild find a nice moist environment to shed and not encounter an issue? Sand possibly?

Does the abrasiveness of a desert environment substrate possibly aid in the removal of the skin?

It just seems odd to me that something so natural for the animal to do would require human interaction to avoid injury during the process. That being said, I'm positive the (nearly adult) leo at the petco is in the situation due to not having a proper moist hide to shed in.

Any enlightenment and knowledge on this subject would be appreciated. I'm just a curious mind who wants to know.

 

[OSUgecko]

Yes, it's permanent. Leos can't regenerate their toes.

From what I understand, stuck shed only causes problems if the unshed skin goes completely around the toe. As the skin dries, it can basically act like a tourniquet and cut off circulation to the lower part of the toe, eventually resulting in the death of that tissue.

I'm not sure if this is a problem in wild leos or not. I would hazard a guess that crawling around on rough rocks all day would tend to assist in shedding the skin?

I doubt selective breeding has had any effect though - no one's really selectively bred leos to have any sort of a different foot than what they have naturally. All gecko feet that I have seen look essentially the same.