Sexing leopard geckos..

[Jace]

Geckos don't bask, they are nocturnal. Is leucistic the L your looking for.

That's what I thought-about the basking I mean. How can something that is nocturnal bask? As long as I have an even high temperature and an even lower temperature, I should be okay..right? And yes, I think Leucistic is the word I am looking for. I have looked up Blizzard and one picture I found is Afton almost perfectly; however, all the rest show a distinctly white Gecko-definately not Afton. Not that it matters, but "flesh toned" just doesn't do her/him justice!

Thanks Kurt. Guess I better trust my instincts a bit more!

[Kurt]

You're welcome.

[adawinters]

"Blizzard" is just a pop term to sell leucistic leos. It's kind of funny when marketting meets with living things.


Kurt's right that they don't bask, but they do look for (well, feel for) temps they like, and I have caught mine pressing their tummies down on the warm spot and stretching out. If that happens to be under a lit-up heat lamp, they're ok with that. The info you might have seen about basking might have been referring to the hot end of their tank, which some people do create by using basking bulbs rather than heating pads. The effect is the same, either way: one end of the tank is at the higher end of their temp range, and if they want to be warmer, they'll go there. If you accomplish this already with a heat mat, that's fine. No bulbs needed.

I will admit that, when it gets really hot in my apartment, I turn off all the gear for a day or two, or however long the oppressive heat lasts, and they seem fine with it, so I don't think warm nights will do them much harm if it's only for a little while. I think the most important thing is to have enough heat for digestion, so that they don't get constipated.

I've attached a few pics. I think I have a couple more loaded to my profile. (John created a new, nifty "picture albums" link right under our names to the left there, so you can access that pretty quickly.)

I want to further develop their tank, but that's on hold until next summer. Alas.

[Jace]

Very neat pictures-I really like Seattles' terriarium. Mine right now is kind of boring. I bought them a cave like hideout where you can look in and observe them without disturbing their sleep (it attaches to the side of the tank), and a specific mealworm dish so the little buggers can't get out and I want to find a more naturalistic moist hide for them-a Cool Whip container just doesn't cut it for me, though I doubt if they really care. I would like to get them some logs to climb and maybe some plants.

Do you use an undertank heater? I've heard good and bad things about them, so right now I am just sticking with my heat bulb. They have stayed in their cave all day and only come out at night when I drop the temp to eat. And boy do they eat!!

Thanks for all the advice and sharing your pictures. I can't wait for mine to get as big and healthy like yours. Seattle has amazing eyes!

[SDahmer]

Jace, I'm sure your Afton is a blizzard. Its definitley not a leucistic or patternless. As for it not being completely white, blizzards aren't. The leos you see that are almost paper white are blazzing blizzards and diablo blancos. You can actually sex them even at birth. The method used to do this requires a strong single led flashlight. What you do is place the gecko in a clear container and aim the light down at the cloaca area from above. If it is a male, you will see two small veins on either side of the vent (the blood supply to the hemipenes). Females obviously lack these. As for heating pads, I think the general concensus is that they're better to use than heat bulbs, I use heating pads for my leo & my african fat-tail and they work great. And finally, yes, geckos can become obese, but I've never seen it happen when they're fed crickets though since it provides them with some excersice as they chase them down.

[Jace]

Jace, I'm sure your Afton is a blizzard. Its definitley not a leucistic or patternless. As for it not being completely white, blizzards aren't. The leos you see that are almost paper white are blazzing blizzards and diablo blancos. You can actually sex them even at birth. The method used to do this requires a strong single led flashlight. What you do is place the gecko in a clear container and aim the light down at the cloaca area from above. If it is a male, you will see two small veins on either side of the vent (the blood supply to the hemipenes). Females obviously lack these. As for heating pads, I think the general concensus is that they're better to use than heat bulbs, I use heating pads for my leo & my african fat-tail and they work great. And finally, yes, geckos can become obese, but I've never seen it happen when they're fed crickets though since it provides them with some excersice as they chase them down.

Thanks very much!! I've been having a heck of a time with the heat bulbs, though I finally seem to have found one that is keeping the temperature in the correct range. However, I will be using a heating pad I think, just because I know they need high temps to digest and I have already had a problem with one vomiting. I will try and sex them tonight using your suggestion. Thank you!!

[SDahmer]

You're most welcome. Leos seem to prefer belly heat, which pads provide, as appossed to bulbs. Pads use less wattage as well, so that's always a plus. Another thing about light bulbs is they burn out quite frequently, so in a sense the heat pad would kinda pay for itself. As for the regurgitation, it could be a couple different things like too large prey, low temp, and pigging out. As long as it doesn't happen frequently, I wouldn't worry too much.