I’m super new to this forum and I’m super excited to get to know everybody. I go by Seren and I was looking for some help IDing my leopard geckos. I have five wonderful females, all that I’ve had for various amounts of time. I am looking into the idea of breeding leopard geckos at some point because I have always adored them. And recently, I have been super interested in breeding them. I’m not sure if it’s something I’ll start up soon, but hopefully in the next few years.
The geckos I have may or may not be used for such breeding if I do start this soon. But, I was still looking to figure out what morphs they are. I have always wanted to know, but couldn’t figure it out based on everything I’d googled. I would super appreciate some help with it!
(I was trying to get fairly good pictures, but was having some issues. I may have to try again tomorrow with even better light. Just let me know if I should.)
I only know that the first gecko came from a pet store, and I do not know where she came from initially. The other four are all rescues from a couple different households. As far as I know, none of them are related, but the last three are around the same age. I do not know any genetic information about any of them.
Welcome to the forum! Given that you don’t know the genetics of these girls, and that some are rescues, I would not breed them. It’s not possible to determine the full genetics (morph-wise) of any leo just by appearance, they could be carrying hets you’re unawares of.
If you’re just interested in a phenotypic description of morph, here are my guesses:
Normal with an adorable grin. She needs something to wear her nails down in her enclosure. Sometimes long nails show up in older geckos who move less because of arthritis, but it could be a result of some other mobility-limiting condition, so definitely do not breed this one for health reasons. She looks healthy, but since long nails are unusual, it’s best to be cautious.
One of the three strains of Albino (you cannot tell them apart visually). Since she’s missing a bunch of toes, has a regrown tail, has had something wrong with her mouth in the past, scarring on her head, and her eyes show signs of difficult sheds in the past, I’m guessing this little lady is one of the rescues. Just make sure she has an extra-awesome humid hide, and I bet she’ll do just fine. Her weight is pretty good now, all she needs to do is build up a bit fatter tail, which should be a little easier to do outside of the breeding season. (Females can have reduced appetite.)
This one is way more challenging, and others will probably have a better guess than mine. (@erie-herps , @westridge - any thoughts? I’m legit stumped.) What’s confusing to me is that the gecko is mostly lacking pattern, but not completely, if you look at the slight patterning in the tail and dorsum. Though perhaps some of that is due to scarring from poor shedding? I’m going to say I think she’s either an unusual Super Hypo Baldy or Patternless, but that’s a bit of a wild guess.
This little gal also shows signs of a rough past (dehydrated, thin tail, tiny bits of stuck shed), so I’d definitely not breed her and be especially mindful of her humid hide. She looks like a Normal, but she also shows this characteristic that is not currently recognized as a morph, but I’m suspicious it may be heritable and may become its own morph in time: see how her pattern ends very sharply, higher up on her sides than most leos? As I said, this characteristic does not have a name, and is not currently recognized insofar as I know, but I’ve seen it pop up every now and then. Here’s another example:
There appears to be stuck shed on the tip of this little one’s tail, so I’d do regular soaks until you’re able to remove it. She also has scarring on her head, bits of retained shed, and upper eyelids that indicates a past without enough humidity and difficulty shedding, so I’d avoid breeding her as well, though her weight is quite good. My guess for her is Patternless Albino. I love how she looks so indignant at being photographed!
Overall, I’d say you have a pretty cool collection of little ladies!
Thanks so much for all the info! And all the tips and tricks. I’ve been working on a lot of it, trying to be better about it more recently as my life has calmed down some.
My first girl is my oldest kiddo. She’s almost eleven now! I’ll definitely get something to better wear down those nails of hers. Anything in particular you recommend?
I’ve also definitely has a lot of trouble in the past with my two albinos. The first has had some health issues prior and did get some pretty awful scabbing near her mouth at one point. The second albino is my feisty girl, so she has a lot of scars from picking fights. So yes, definitely indignant about getting photographed, considering she bit me prior. XD
And for my second and fourth kiddos, I’ve been working a lot on feeding them more regularly. One doesn’t hunt well because she’s got limited vision, the other is just lazy. So, it’s been a process.
But overall, I definitely wasn’t thinking I would breed any of these kiddos because of their rescue backgrounds. I just wanted to give them all good homes!
You could consider using slate, but if she’s already moving around less (presumably due to discomfort of some kind), it might not be advisable to make it harder to get around. I do have a suggestion though.
I have 5 or so leos that turned 19 years old this year, as well as quite a few others over 12 years old, and most of them have slowed down to some degree. I do sometimes end up with overgrown nails, and I ‘clip’ them by gripping the tip of the toe gently between thumb and forefinger, and using my thumbnail as a ‘nail clipper,’ careful to avoid the quick. It doesn’t always break through the nail, but at least it weakens it so that it will more easily come off. Just be very careful if you try this- it is better to leave her with long nails than to hurt her toes trying to shorten them.
As an aside- make sure you don’t leave uneaten crickets in an enclosure with your geckos, especially your elderly geckos. Crickets can chew on your gecko, and I have seen a fatal case.
Heh.