Why Does The Leopard Gecko Wiggle Its Tail?

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Sarcosuchus

Candiru
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Oct 28, 2006
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Tail Wiggling

Hello there, I just bought a Male Giant Leopard Gecko earlier today. He is 1 year plus young and is already 8 or 9 inches in length. He is housed in a 50 gallon aquarium ( 3 feet in length by 1 and a half feet in width and height ).

While checking out his new home, he was wiggling his tail....is it to check if there are any other Leo / predator as a cautious sign? Or is it out of excitement? Because I once read about the attitude being out of excitement, that the Leo is happy. One guy said his Leo wiggles his tail when the guy comes near the tank wanting to be handled / carried out in excitement.

So what is the reason? Or is it both? My Leo is not eating though, could it be due to the new home? However he was playing with me as he explored his new home. He is such a cutie and keeps exciting me. This little guy is making me smile over and over. I'll post this not so clear picture first. Got to get going...thank you for your time!:)

LG.jpg
 
I'm not sure what to tell you. Leopard geckos by nature are somewhat near the bottom of the food chain so I doubt they are excited to see a towering giant coming over to pick them up.

My geckos will wiggle their tails right before they pounce on a cricket or other live food item. I've also seen them vibrate their tails when they are being territorial to each other.

Maybe your guy is just being cautious while checking out his new home. The tail wagging may alert other geckos in the area that he means business.
 
Vicious_Fish;1053256; said:
I'm not sure what to tell you. Leopard geckos by nature are somewhat near the bottom of the food chain so I doubt they are excited to see a towering giant coming over to pick them up.

My geckos will wiggle their tails right before they pounce on a cricket or other live food item. I've also seen them vibrate their tails when they are being territorial to each other.

Maybe your guy is just being cautious while checking out his new home. The tail wagging may alert other geckos in the area that he means business.
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:iagree:

It's cool how they use their tails to communicate.

Sometimes, when my leos cross paths in their cage, one will straighten its legs, arch its back, and wave their tail in an S-shaped motion at the other gecko. Pretty cool to see. I usually only see the tail-vibrating when they are feeding, though.
 
I love the way their tails move when they walk.

Yes they do use them to communicate.

Just be a bit cautious, I don't find that this occurs often in captivity.
But if you notice, the tail looks a lot like the head part of the leo.

So they wiggle their tails to get predators to grab them by the tail, and they can pinch together a muscle at the base of the tail which pops it off (As with most other reptiles, tails pop off) so that they can escape.

My guess is that he thinks your gonna eat him, so he figures, haha! he'll just get my tail!
 
How do you know for sure he's a giant? He could just be a normal someone tried to pass off as a giant.
 
AttackFish;1054208; said:
How do you know for sure he's a giant? He could just be a normal someone tried to pass off as a giant.
Click to expand...

He is one year plus, already 8 to 9 inches but he looks longer I will measure him when he wakes up to be accurate. And he is still with juvi pattern. My friend with the same age of Leo ( normal ) is just like 5 inches. The seller said if I am not pleased I can have my money returned, the seller is a she that I know locally in an animal forum, where all meet and share knowledge and stuff. Breed themselves and sell healthy ones than buying a poorly cared ones from petstores with unreasonable price.

So he was basically wiggling his tail being cautious in his new terrarium.:) Here is another picture, when he just arrived.

A.jpg
 
Cool, if you dont mind me asking, how much did you pay for him? The cheapest I'm finding giants is about $75 dollars and theyre possible super giants bred from the origanal Ron Tremper Giant line.
 
Mine wiggle their tail when the pounce on food as with everyone else's. When I had my 2 geckos in the same tank the big one would wiggle its tail at the smaller one and the smaller would usually run away. Which is usually a male trait (tail wiggling) but I think my bigger one is female so I'm not sure might just be a territorial thing.
 
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