# leopard gecko licking its bum!



## hay4mark4eva

Hey
I noticed my gecko licking its bum and i know from my boyfriends brothers geckos its not a good sign as they did it cos they had something wrong with them. Does this mean theres a chance he has something wrong with him or is it normal?


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## jools

It depends how often it is happening really. Just occasionally - well he is just keeping himself clean. If it is often then it could be a sign of irritation - which could be from stuck shed, worms, inflamation, prolapse. What do his nether regions look like? If they are red or sore or anything poking out then a trip to the vets. Just keep an eye on him for the next couple of days. If it continues a lot then also a trip to the vet with a faecal sample.


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## Michelle G

I saw my first ever gecko doing this, panicked and took him to the vets. Turns out as Jools says he was just cleaning his bits and still does it now but not ALL the time. So best to follow above advise! x


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## waynenoonan1234

it normal they do it every so often to be clean and also leo's don't like to leave there scent behind. if you notice they will only mess in a certain place in there viv.


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## SleepyD

jools said:


> If it is often then it could be a sign of irritation - which could be from stuck shed, worms, inflamation, prolapse. What do his nether regions look like? If they are red or sore or anything poking out then a trip to the vets. Just keep an eye on him for the next couple of days. If it continues a lot then also a trip to the vet with a faecal sample.


*nods* it is well worth checking the 'nether' region for any sign of problems and even getting a feacal done just as a precaution ~ far better to check and be safe then leave or ignore a possible problem til too late


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## SleepyD

waynenoonan1234 said:


> also leo's don't like to leave there scent behind. if you notice they will only mess in a certain place in there viv.


they may only mess in one area but they do like to 'scent mark' areas especially the males


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## tonkaz0

*licking*

Males do this *quite alot*, especialy right after mating, 
females will also clean themselves like that after mating,
both sexes will sometimes do it during or after sloughing their skin, or defecating,
depends how often their doing it, I would just keep an eye on it for a bit before rushing to a vet because it is a normal thing,
but like sleepy says it doesnt hurt to have them checked out.


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