Male Leopard gecko injured tail

[Northen Geckos]

Hi there,
I have a 5 year old male gecko. He was previously housed with a female and have had positive breeding in the past. These are both rescues that we had given to us. During mating this season we noticed they were not getting along and we seperated them. The male seems to have taken some damage to half of his tail. There are no open wounds but the end looks dead and slowly looks to be drying up. We are hoping that he drops this part of his tail on his own as he is refusing to eat and looks very unhappy. Any advice on how long to wait or on something we can do other than visit a vet.
Thanks

 

[acpart]

Usually if there is nothing that looks like a bite wound and the end of the tail is shriveling up, it's likely that there's a hot spot and it got burned or some other trauma. I have had it happen with some of my geckos on occasion. Eventually (and it may take awhile), there will be some regeneration and the new tail tip will push off the shriveled part. Your gecko may seem unhappy because he smells the female and is thinking about mating. Watch the tail area for progressive shriveling or red streaks/swelling up the tail. This is a sign of infection and will need an immediate vet visit.

Aliza