Leopard gecko is a popular lizard who is kept as a pet because it is quite easy to handle them as compared to the other lizards and one of the major reason is their small size and also their friendly nature which makes them quite easy for handling purpose.
Leopard gecko sheds its skin like any other animal of the reptile specie would do and the leopard gecko has a strong sense of smell and vision and due to these strong senses, they can easily sense the presence of anyone from a large distance and also sometimes they can also figure out the presence of any other living creature without even looking at them, just by the smell.
The leopard gecko also wags their tail which tells us various things about the leopard gecko and we will discuss the wagging of the tail of the leopard gecko in this article.
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Understand the wagging of a leopard gecko
The leopard gecko wags its tail because it wants to communicate with us or want to tell us something. Different types of wagging give us a different indication about the leopard gecko. We should be aware of what that indication means in order to understand the leopard gecko properly and be aware of their needs and also this will help in creating the bond between the owner and the leopard gecko.
So it becomes very important to understand why the leopard gecko is wagging its tail and what it wants to tell us and the leopard gecko wags in different style and each style has its own meaning.
Why is leopard gecko wagging its tail?
Major of the body language of the leopard gecko can be seen through its tail. Like it wants to warn us, it wants to show aggression, show excitement or other signals that it wants to give is all through the wagging of the tail. The tail is also the defence mechanism and the emergency survival kit for the leopard gecko. The tail alone serves so many purposes for the leopard gecko.
So you should be aware of all sorts of tail wagging by the leopard gecko and what it means. Tail wagging is a method of communication and wants to send across lots of signals or feelings that the leopard gecko is going through.
The way the leopard gecko is wagging its tail depends upon what the leopard gecko wants to tell or how they are feeling. In order to understand that you have to observe the wagging of tail properly so that you know what the leopard gecko is trying to tell you.
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Types of the tail wagging
There are various types of tail wagging that are done by the leopard gecko in order to show different types of feeling that they are going through and we have to observe them from very close and understand what they are actually trying to say and communicate with us, this will improve the bonding between you and the leopard gecko
The types of tail wagging done by the leopard gecko are as follows:
Fast or brisk tail wagging:
The fast or brisk tail wagging is generally found in the male leopard gecko due to the presence of the female leopard gecko. This also indicates the courtship with the female leopard gecko. If females are wagging their tails briskly while mating then it also turns out to the fact that the female is also another male. This is the reason why the leopard gecko wags their tails briskly or at a fast pace.
So next time you will see a leopard gecko wagging its tail at a fast pace you will understand what it actually means.
You can understand your leopard gecko and without even thinking much you can know about the feelings of your leopard gecko and this also improves your relationship with the leopard gecko and the leopard gecko will feel more comfortable at you’re your presence and they will not be much aggressive with you.
Slow wagging of tail:
When the leopard geckos are wagging their tail slowly that means the leopard gecko is showing their presence to the other leopard geckos and this actually makes the leopard gecko indicate their awareness to the other leopard geckos.
In some cases, the slow wagging of tail also indicates that the leopard gecko is excited regarding something. When the leopard gecko wants to place their body below the ground level then also the leopard gecko also wag their tail slowly in the air.
We need to see properly whether the leopard gecko is wagging its tail at what pace and if they are wagging their tail slowly it clearly means whatever we have discussed above. Knowing all these signals we help you to decode the signals of the leopard gecko quite easily and you will understand the leopard gecko even better.
Tail wagging in excitement:
You can observe some different type of wagging not slow not very fast it means that your leopard gecko is excited and this type of wagging is generally found in younger leopard gecko and quite rarely in the adult leopard geckos. The excited wagging of tails occurs when the leopard is eating the food or hunting their prey, then this type of wagging takes place.
The wagging will start at a slower pace and then it will increase when it is about to pounce at its prey like insects etc. This clearly indicates that the leopard gecko is excited and you will easily understand by this behaviour that they are excited by noticing the wagging of the tail is different from the usual brisk or slow wagging.
In this way, you can bond better with leopard geckos and get to know them better and even you can easily understand that what is going through the mind of your leopard gecko and also how the leopard gecko is exactly feeling while doing some certain type of wagging.
Defensive tail wagging:
The leopard geckos sometimes uses its tail for defending purpose. The defensive tail wagging is used in order to distract the attackers and so that they can escape and safe themselves.
In this tail wagging the heads of the leopard gecko is higher and the body is at the lower position that is quite near to the ground. This posture makes the leopard aware of its attacker and they can directly look at their attackers by getting into this posture. Then the leopard gecko will start wagging its tail and the head will be still raised at a higher position than the body.
The wagging of the tail in a defensive manner will distract the attacker and their focus will be on the tail and not on the body of the leopard gecko. Then the leopard gecko will drop its tail and will escape. This is the defence mechanism of the leopard gecko when they suspect their predators or the other leopard gecko in their surroundings.
Also sometimes they will wag their tail in this manner when they will see you or feel your presence as they are not much familiar with you or are not much comfortable with you. They need time to settle down with their owners. So such type of defensive tail wagging will happen and we need to understand them and not force ourselves on the leopard gecko.
These are different types of tail wagging that are done by the leopard gecko in order to show how they are feeling and want to communicate with us or with other leopard geckos. This movement of tails should be understood by the owners properly so that they can know their leopard gecko even better and they can bond better with them and the relationship even grows stronger between the leopard gecko and its owner.
Summary:
The leopard gecko is considered as a cute pet due to its small size and that is why many people keep them as pets as compared to other reptiles.
The leopard geckos wag their tails in different manners in order to communicate with their owners or the other leopard gecko inside the terrarium. This is a way of expressing their feelings by wagging their tails at different paces or by having different postures.
The wagging of the tail can be fast, slow or mixture of both. It is the duty of the owner to understand what each type of wagging means and what the leopard gecko is trying to indicate. The owner should be sensitive towards the feelings or the needs of their leopard geckos.
This will help in improving their bonding with the leopard gecko. The leopard gecko will show their excitement or the defensive tail wagging and this will let you know what they are exactly feeling. Do not stress the leopard gecko much try and understand their behaviour as quickly as possible, otherwise, they can even hurt themselves and we know stress in any form is not good for anyone. So the wagging of the tail plays an important part in the life of the leopard gecko.
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