Introducing...

[CWilson13]

Hey everybody, just wanted to add to my growing list of posts today by introducing our newest addition Arya. We adopted her about a month ago and she has already adapted to her new 20gL home like she was born there.
She is about 5-6 months old at most, details from previous owner were a bit sketchy. Because of her age we are not 100% sure of her gender but she shows all indications of being female thus far.
She has already passed her first exam with flying colors as well. She took a few days to get used to eating Dubias and Superworms instead of crickets but now she gobbles them up and even watches me get them ready for her. She definitely means business when it comes to food, she even mistook my finger for a worm once. So [MENTION=51448]amsdadtodd[/MENTION] I have finally been bitten like you
We have a pretty good idea that she is mostly a normal/wild type morph but she does have an interesting pattern to her along with some bright orange in her tail so who knows what genetic traits are inside my baby girl




The first photo is when she first got here, poor girl was nearing her shed so her colors were very dull. The second is more recent and shows off her bright yellow. The quality is not great but taking photos through a glass tank never does turn out well for me.

 

[JessJohnson87]

She looks wonderful Cory and yay for rescuing her! She looks like she could be hypo, not gonna swear to it. At least she is not camera shy like Apollo :biggrin:

 

[CWilson13]

Nope she seems to enjoy the attention thank you for the compliments also

 

[JessJohnson87]

You're welcome! I got a new guy as well, crested gecko this time.

 

[CWilson13]

I saw, though I have not made my way to his thread yet. So much has happened here in my absence that it is tough catching up! Lol

 

[Yoshi'smom]

Welcome to your new little one. Very cute and looks like a hypo to me too (but don't quote me-I'm not great with leo morphs). Reminds me of one I rescued years ago.

 

[CWilson13]

A little more info that I did not share earlier...
Arya was named after Arya Stark from Game of Thrones, primarily because of her personality and her size. Small but very dominant and feisty. Even though she is all 3 of those, she really does seem to have a sweet and gentle side as well. When she is out she never seems to be jumpy or skittish, she actually prefers climbing on me over walking around on the bed or anywhere else. Like I said earlier, she did bite me and I figure she mistook my finger for a worm in her excitement to eat, wish Apollo still had that but that is another story for his thread. Funniest part about her biting me is that as with all my reptiles and even fish I have had, I always watch her eat because of things I was taught years ago. Feeding is the primary time to check basic health and temperament. Anyhow, her bite was very gentle, underwhelming really. Yet when she eats, the force she attacks with is astounding for one so small. I have to be careful where I put her dish or she moves it with each strike and it can bump the glass.

 

[amsdadtodd]

Congratulation on your new baby, and on getting bitten finally! Like others above, I'm not a morph guru, but I do believe that lack of spotting on the back makes it a particular morph. Have you checked out Category:Morphs - Leopard Gecko Wiki ?

Oh, and speaking of getting bit, Puff did finally draw blood today. Frankly, I knew it was only a matter of time, and I had expected it would be either him or his brother Poppy to do it.

Glad to see you back posting!

Todd

 

[CWilson13]

Thanks for the link Todd, after looking at all the possibilities, Arya would appear to be a High Yellow, with a chance of Carrot Tail in there. Of course this is completely just speculation since her previous owner kept and knew so little info on her.
Again, just like Apollo, her morph really means little to me though. Her personality is what made me want to bring her home, and what has made her become part of the family

 

[CWilson13]

Also, hopefully the bite was still minor, even if blood was drawn Todd :shock: I give you credit on it happening as often as it does and you not pulling your hand back quickly. Arya was so gentle I didn't realize what had happened until after she let go lol

 

[amsdadtodd]

I learned long ago not to flinch when bitten by small pets. Honestly, it probably also helps that my reflexes aren't so good. I'm on meds which slow them down, and also the condition which they treat (MS) also doesn't lend itself to quick and sudden movements.
The bite was certainly minor, Leo's teeth aren't really made for penetrating human skin, even when they get on a cricket or roach, its' more about crushing than tearing apart flesh. And, like snakes, after they bite, it only takes a second or two before they realize we aren't food.

Todd

 

[JessJohnson87]

I have tried to get Ziggy to bite me to test his bite strength, I have failed. He will see my finger wiggle, get all excited and then lick me. He won't eat out of my fingers either, but these days he just sleeps and sleeps some more. So Cory, what are you gonna get next to add to your collection of animals? hehe.

 

[CWilson13]

Ouch MS is rough... Hopefully your meds help my friend.
Yeah I would barely consider what Leos have as teeth if not for seeing enhanced images of them. It is very good that animals seldom have the same emotional issues we humans can have. Imagine if one of ours got mad over moving a hide and decided to hold a grudge :shock:

 

[CWilson13]

Well Jess, I have been looking into a few different animals... But honestly I think the next will come with a butt kicking from my wife :coverlaugh: If anything though I may go for another BRB or a 2nd female Leo. For now I only have empty 10g tanks though so it may take some time lol

 

[amsdadtodd]

I have tried to get Ziggy to bite me to test his bite strength,

Ahhh, the truth comes out!
I do believe in the validity of this test, even though it does come with it's drawbacks. My hands have pretty tough skin, probably a bit moreso than average. My goal never has been to have them break skin so much as to guage their strength and rigidity, I just thought it was noteworthy that he finally did.

Todd

 

[amsdadtodd]

Thanks Cory, it is what it is. Whether the meds are helping, or my attitude, I'm in good shape. I've known for about ten years, and I'm only slightly less mobile than I was when I found out.

I don't know about emotional issues and leo's! I've seen my Poppy throw a pretty good temper tantrum before!

Todd

 

[CWilson13]

Jess has been converted to the getting bitten test! :yikes: It really would be a good test for some I imagine. For Arya, her violence towards prey is indicative of her overall health more than the bite.
I haven't seen any emotional issues from the Leos, but Pandora has jealousy and attachment problems lol She watched me playing with Arya a couple days ago and stared at me the whole time. Then continued to follow me, as best she could, for another 10min after. Plus, anytime someone else handles her, she is more than eager to come back to me once she has the option. :blushing: makes me feel loved lol

 

[amsdadtodd]

Cory, going through that wiki page I linked earlier, I think I would lean toward the descriptions under "Abberant" and "hypomelanistic". I'm not sure, but I think the defined area lacking any spotting is an indication of something more than "high yellow". It will be interesting to see if anyone else has some ideas, maybe you can cross post it in the morphs section and see what ideas pop.

Todd

 

[JessJohnson87]

Well Jess, I have been looking into a few different animals... But honestly I think the next will come with a butt kicking from my wife :coverlaugh: If anything though I may go for another BRB or a 2nd female Leo. For now I only have empty 10g tanks though so it may take some time lol

Yeah I will get my butt kicked if I bring anymore home but when I'm able, I will probably get a gargoyle or another crested. Would like to have similar care species that don't require heat lamps/UTH all the time. Ziggy has been acting off and sleeping a lot because of the weather so I wanted to test his bite strength to make sure nothing else was going on but the way he rips into roaches when I throw them in there makes me think he's just being a bear and "hibernating" lol.

Todd, it sucks that you have MS but I'm glad the medications are working and that it has not progressed much since the diagnosis. Neurological diseases can be tough to deal with, my step-grandfather has Parkinson's disease.

 

[CWilson13]

Well from the definition of Hypo, she has too many black spots between the head and tail (over 10) hence the High Yellow.After seeing the Aberrant, and looking for pictures of adults, she could be one of those as well. Might make a topic once I have more photos