Question: can leos change color? that's what happens to my blazing blizzard

[ChaoFan]

Hello all,
the two pictures above have been taken around 30 min from each other. the light condition is a bit different, however it is clearly visible the double coloration in the first picture, disappeared later on to the normal coloration of a juvenile bb.

i noticed this three times already in the last 3-4 weeks (always between late afternoon and evening time). and i anyway have the feeling that coloration in the morning is generally different (lighter) than in the evening.

is this a normal behaviour? what is driving the change in coloration?

Thanks, hope I'm posting this in the right place.

Michele

 

[Tongue Flicker]

No, they don't. Your leo is in pre-shedding phase on the 1st pic. 2nd pic is the post shed when he has already shed and eaten the old skin off.

 

[ChaoFan]

No, they don't. Your leo is in pre-shedding phase on the 1st pic. 2nd pic is the post shed when he has already shed and eaten the old skin off.

Hello Neil,
i'm positive it is not a related to a shed.

Thanks,
Michele

 

[Tongue Flicker]

As far as I know, leopard geckos lack the necessary pigmentation that other geckos possess that allows them to lighten or darken according to mood, hormones, stress or weather situation.

I could only think of 4 ways that a real color change is possible.

1. Pre-shed
2. Bad shed (due to constricted blood circulation resulting and unremoved old skin)
3. Malnutrition
4. Bruising

Perhaps more experienced leo keepers like Aliza could shed some light into this.

 

[ChaoFan]

Thanks Neil!
I'm sure I can exclude the first two, all the color changing is happening under the skin. I check all animals everyday at least twice (morning and evening) and thus make sure they are shedding properly. I will try to catch this happening again and take a closer picture with more details. Today he is actually on pre-shed, with body turned white (not cream-yellowish like in the first pic i posted) and head still of his normal dark color.

Third case, I don't think, he is one of my most regular feeders, in terms of quantity. If you are referring to quality instead of quantity, I give a varied diet of mealworms and dubia roaches, gut loaded and dusted I believe properly.

Fourth case, I doubt as well. He is caged alone and the pattern of the coloration was always different the three times I saw it and disappeared within one hour. There are no elevated enough surfaces he could have fallen from and hurt himself. Also, he has no direct contact with heat sources, there are no lamps or whatever...

Thanks,
Michele

 

[ChaoFan]

Hello, it happened again yesterday, but in a smaller area compared to the first pictures i submitted and i could not take better pics than this.
the 3 pictures were taken in a time frame of less than 1 minute. he shed the day before yesterday overnight and there are no unshed areas. this darker area faded away while i was holding him.

 

[majahawt]

Wild guess here but it might be related to temperature?

 

[ChaoFan]

Well, i was as well thinking something related to temperature.
it looks like blood going closer of farther from the skin surface, but strange thing is that it happens only on one side, not uniformly on the body. Temps are 30 to 32 on the hot side (UTH), 23-26 on the cold side. everytime i found him with this double coloration he was in the hot humid hide. yesterday, when only one small area was darker, he was in the hot dry hide.

he has no direct contact with heat sources, nor there are lamps in the enclosure.

Michele

 

[Conched]

What you are seeing is generally temperature related or breeding behaviour related. When reptiles, as a whole, increase their body temps they become more active and "lit up" a term used to describe a reptiles displaying full color as a result of optimum temps or breeding colorations.

It is not as noticible in leopard geckos but they do get "lit up". Another term is"hot". Meaning the animal has increased it's core body temps and is very active.

Cold reptiles are generally darkeri n clor maybe a bit grayer and as they heat up their colors become more vibrant. Not to be confused with how chameleons change.

Interesting topic ;-)

 

[ChaoFan]

interesting indeed, thanks Matt!
any clue whether this 'behaviour' has a scientific name? i would like to read more about it, i did not have much success until now with google...

thanks

 

[Conched]

interesting indeed, thanks Matt!
any clue whether this 'behaviour' has a scientific name? i would like to read more about it, i did not have much success until now with google...

thanks

I am only familiar with the slang terminology of this, I am not sure what, if any scientific name would be called.

 

[ChaoFan]

Hello All,
I bring up an old thread...but i got news..
I got in contact again with the breeder and just by chance he told me that this supposedly simple blazing blizzard should also have ghost gene and possibly mack snow (not visible in phenotype).

I was and still am quite surprised, my first guess was that he was actually talking about hypo, not ghost.
Then i looked it up and color changing (original reason of this thread) and paradox markings (see picture enclosed to this post, there is a black pixel at the back of his head) are all characteristics of ghost gene.

Anyone more experienced that can add some thoughts?

thanks as usual,
Michele

PS: here's a very interesting article on geckotime Leopard Gecko Morph Special: The Ghost - Gecko Time - Gecko Time

 

[majahawt]

View attachment 34202

Hello All,
I bring up an old thread...but i got news..
I got in contact again with the breeder and just by chance he told me that this supposedly simple blazing blizzard should also have ghost gene and possibly mack snow (not visible in phenotype).

I was and still am quite surprised, my first guess was that he was actually talking about hypo, not ghost.
Then i looked it up and color changing (original reason of this thread) and paradox markings (see picture enclosed to this post, there is a black pixel at the back of his head) are all characteristics of ghost gene.

Anyone more experienced that can add some thoughts?

thanks as usual,
Michele

PS: here's a very interesting article on geckotime Leopard Gecko Morph Special: The Ghost - Gecko Time - Gecko Time

AFAIK it's very difficult to say whether a gecko is a ghost or not. However, I will throw in that my normal leo gets bright when he's cold and dark when he's warm, while my blizzard does the opposite.

 

[LEOPARD1]

Colors change with ageing.