Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I was at Petco today buying some crickets, and got to talking with one of the staff there. She was telling me about one of their crocodile geckos (Tarentola mauretanica) that had lost a foot. After their vet examined him, he wrote in his report that the gecko had "dropped its foot"!
My first thought was, well, it's Petco, God knows where they dig up their vets from, what a dope, etc. Upon reflection, however, I decided I would give him the benefit of the doubt until I could check into it a little more.
Has anyone ever heard of geckos being able to autotomize any limbs, digits, etc. other than their tails? I have never read or heard of this discussed anywhere before. I doubt if any skeletal fracture planes exist in the limbs at all...if they did, wouldn't it pose a serious risk as the gecko clings to a wall?
Any reptile anatomists out there that can shed some light on this question?
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Chris

2.0.0 Coleonyx variegatus
1.0.0 Gekko vittatus
0.1.0 Eublepharis macularius
0.0.2 Rhacodactylus ciliatus

Terrestrial? Who you calling terrestrial?!!

I am no expert, but you are correct there are no fracture plates in any limbs aside from the reticulated tail. The gecko could have been born that way, or could have lost it due to human error. The latter is more than likely given the vet's response. I purchased a snake from PETCO and noticed it had an abcess on it's "lip" so I took it back for examination. The vet said it was nothing and it would go away, two weeks later the snake died and the warranty was up. That is the only bad experience I have had with PETCO so far. The PETCO that I purchased the snake from will not get my business again, but the local store here where I live is a lot better as far as reptile knowledge than the one that I purchased the snake from!

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2.3.2 crested geckos (Speckles, Sandy, Squirt, Sunshine, Soldier and two un-named babies)
0.0.1 Striped Cal. Kingsnake (Snuggles)
1.1.0 Green Iguanas (Sisco,Speedy)
0.1.0 Rose Hair Tanrantula (Sweets)
RIP Star and Sal