Hi all,
I picked up an incredibly tiny leo at a reptile expo about a month ago. He's been doing exceptionally well: he's a great eater, very curious and alert, poops every day, etc. Today however, I noticed that his body seems to have developed a noticeable pink undertone. I should mention that he did shed today -- when I checked on him this morning he was dull and very obviously about to shed, so I misted down his humid hide and he spent the entire day in it. When I came to check on him tonight he had shed, but his body seemed extremely pink. I'm not sure if the shed had anything to do with it, as about a week ago I did notice that the white bands on his tail seemed a bit pink but figured it was just a trick of the light.
I'm worried because he's such a small guy and I'm not sure whether this is at all normal.
I can't seem to find much information about this through google.
The first 2 photos are of when I first got him. The last 3 are from tonight. The pink is most noticeable on his tail. As you can see, he appears alert and otherwise healthy (and completely adorable). There hasn't been any change in his behavior (apart from actively checking out his new surroundings, as I moved him into my bedroom in order to keep an eye on him, changed out all of his paper towels, and thoroughly washed out his water dish). He is currently relaxing in his humid hide.
And here is the information on him:
Basic Information
Species of lizard: Leopard gecko
Gecko's name: Kylo
Morph: Normal I'm assuming
Gender: He's still a baby, but appears male
Age: Not sure, assuming between 1-2 months. I've had him for 1 month.
Weight: I haven't weighed him recently and don't want to stress him, I'm assuming he's 5 or 6 grams. When I first got him he weighed 3g.
Enclosure dimensions (length x width x height): 5 gal (temporary, I'm moving in a week and will be upgrading)
Substrate provided: Paper towel
What type and brand of thermometer (digital with probe, temperature gun, LCD strip, analog (circle), combo digital thermometer/hygrometer, stainless steel aquarium type, other): digital with probe. ZooMed
What is the ground temperature right on the substrate under the warm dry hide: 92.7F
What is the air temperature on the warm end about 4 inches up from the ground: 79.4F
What is the air temperature on the cool end about 4 inches up from the ground: 77.2F
What device(s) are used to maintain the temperature (Under Tank Heater, heat light, Ceramic Heat Emitter, Flexwatt heat tape, hot rock, other): UTH
Insects and worms, list type: small crickets, small mealworms
Regular diet fed to the insects: carrot, cricket gel, sometimes strawberry
Regular diet fed to the worms: carrot
How often do you feed your gecko? Daily
Please list any supplements (with brand names) used. How are they given and how often? exoterra calcium (without d3) dusted 5x per week, exoterra multivitamin dusted 2x per week
If your gecko is sick, please describe the signs and how long your gecko has been showing these signs: Developing pink undertone, very apparent today
Additional Information
General
Gecko's total length: maybe 4in?
Length of your reptile when you first acquired it: slightly smaller :razz:
Source (pet store, breeder, previous owner): breeder @ reptile expo
Captive bred or wild caught: captive bred
Vivarium
Number of hides: 3
Location of hides: 2 on cool, 1 on warm
Is there a humidity hide? location? yes, cool side
Please describe any other furnishings: paper towel substrate, water dish, calcium dish
List recent changes in the environment, if any: JUST replaced paper towels, washed out water dish and removed calcium dish to wash and replace tomorrow
Lighting
Artificial lighting: None
Incandescent ("screw-in type bulbs): wattages: n/a
Fluorescent (tube bulbs): n/a
Access to ambient daylight from a distant window: Yes, moderate indirect sunlight
Heating
Ventilation space for your UTH by elevating the tank above the shelf (some UTHs come with sticky feet for the tank corners): corners of tank lifted up on erasers
Are you using a thermostat(s)? No
Which hide does she/he spend most of her time? He sleeps in his cool hide (cave) during the day, then hangs out under or on top of his warm hide (half log) during the night
Is the temperature decreased at night? by how much? UTH left on but of course ambient temp is cooler
Humidity
Is the humidity measured? No
Humidity range: Don't know. Mist down humid hide every couple of days
Diet
Are the insects and worms formally “gutloaded” 1-2 days prior to feeding off to your gecko? If so with? Carrots, cricket gel
What calcium brand are you using? with D3, without or both? exoterra calcium, without d3
Is the calcium in the tank with D3 or without? Without
Multivitamins (include brand name)? exoterra multivitamin
Please list any recent additions/changes in the diet: usually feed him crix every day and leave mealworms in his dish, but the last couple of days had run out of crix and was feeding just mealworms
General Health
Is your gecko’s general activity level normal, decreased, or increased? normal
Is your gecko’s appetite normal, decreased, or increased? normal
Have you noticed any of the following?
Weight (loss or gain): gain, as he's a baby and growing
Discharge from the eyes or nose: no
Increased breathing rate or effort: no
Change in the droppings: no
Urates
---white or yellowish: white
---size of urates as compared to size of feces: 1/3 - 1/2
Abnormal skin color or shedding: he's pink!
Parasites on the skin or in the feces: no
Weakness: no
Regurgitation: no
Previous problems and/or illnesses None that I'm aware of
Other Critters in Same Cage or in Household I have a small dog, and two other leos (both female, one is 14 years old and the other is approx 10 years old)
List other animals that are kept in the same cage: None
Recent acquisitions (new pets within the past 6 months): None
Are any of your other pets ill? Not to my knowledge
I picked up an incredibly tiny leo at a reptile expo about a month ago. He's been doing exceptionally well: he's a great eater, very curious and alert, poops every day, etc. Today however, I noticed that his body seems to have developed a noticeable pink undertone. I should mention that he did shed today -- when I checked on him this morning he was dull and very obviously about to shed, so I misted down his humid hide and he spent the entire day in it. When I came to check on him tonight he had shed, but his body seemed extremely pink. I'm not sure if the shed had anything to do with it, as about a week ago I did notice that the white bands on his tail seemed a bit pink but figured it was just a trick of the light.
I'm worried because he's such a small guy and I'm not sure whether this is at all normal.
I can't seem to find much information about this through google.The first 2 photos are of when I first got him. The last 3 are from tonight. The pink is most noticeable on his tail. As you can see, he appears alert and otherwise healthy (and completely adorable). There hasn't been any change in his behavior (apart from actively checking out his new surroundings, as I moved him into my bedroom in order to keep an eye on him, changed out all of his paper towels, and thoroughly washed out his water dish). He is currently relaxing in his humid hide.
And here is the information on him:
Basic Information
Species of lizard: Leopard gecko
Gecko's name: Kylo
Morph: Normal I'm assuming
Gender: He's still a baby, but appears male
Age: Not sure, assuming between 1-2 months. I've had him for 1 month.
Weight: I haven't weighed him recently and don't want to stress him, I'm assuming he's 5 or 6 grams. When I first got him he weighed 3g.
Enclosure dimensions (length x width x height): 5 gal (temporary, I'm moving in a week and will be upgrading)
Substrate provided: Paper towel
What type and brand of thermometer (digital with probe, temperature gun, LCD strip, analog (circle), combo digital thermometer/hygrometer, stainless steel aquarium type, other): digital with probe. ZooMed
What is the ground temperature right on the substrate under the warm dry hide: 92.7F
What is the air temperature on the warm end about 4 inches up from the ground: 79.4F
What is the air temperature on the cool end about 4 inches up from the ground: 77.2F
What device(s) are used to maintain the temperature (Under Tank Heater, heat light, Ceramic Heat Emitter, Flexwatt heat tape, hot rock, other): UTH
Insects and worms, list type: small crickets, small mealworms
Regular diet fed to the insects: carrot, cricket gel, sometimes strawberry
Regular diet fed to the worms: carrot
How often do you feed your gecko? Daily
Please list any supplements (with brand names) used. How are they given and how often? exoterra calcium (without d3) dusted 5x per week, exoterra multivitamin dusted 2x per week
If your gecko is sick, please describe the signs and how long your gecko has been showing these signs: Developing pink undertone, very apparent today
Additional Information
General
Gecko's total length: maybe 4in?
Length of your reptile when you first acquired it: slightly smaller :razz:
Source (pet store, breeder, previous owner): breeder @ reptile expo
Captive bred or wild caught: captive bred
Vivarium
Number of hides: 3
Location of hides: 2 on cool, 1 on warm
Is there a humidity hide? location? yes, cool side
Please describe any other furnishings: paper towel substrate, water dish, calcium dish
List recent changes in the environment, if any: JUST replaced paper towels, washed out water dish and removed calcium dish to wash and replace tomorrow
Lighting
Artificial lighting: None
Incandescent ("screw-in type bulbs): wattages: n/a
Fluorescent (tube bulbs): n/a
Access to ambient daylight from a distant window: Yes, moderate indirect sunlight
Heating
Ventilation space for your UTH by elevating the tank above the shelf (some UTHs come with sticky feet for the tank corners): corners of tank lifted up on erasers
Are you using a thermostat(s)? No
Which hide does she/he spend most of her time? He sleeps in his cool hide (cave) during the day, then hangs out under or on top of his warm hide (half log) during the night
Is the temperature decreased at night? by how much? UTH left on but of course ambient temp is cooler
Humidity
Is the humidity measured? No
Humidity range: Don't know. Mist down humid hide every couple of days
Diet
Are the insects and worms formally “gutloaded” 1-2 days prior to feeding off to your gecko? If so with? Carrots, cricket gel
What calcium brand are you using? with D3, without or both? exoterra calcium, without d3
Is the calcium in the tank with D3 or without? Without
Multivitamins (include brand name)? exoterra multivitamin
Please list any recent additions/changes in the diet: usually feed him crix every day and leave mealworms in his dish, but the last couple of days had run out of crix and was feeding just mealworms
General Health
Is your gecko’s general activity level normal, decreased, or increased? normal
Is your gecko’s appetite normal, decreased, or increased? normal
Have you noticed any of the following?
Weight (loss or gain): gain, as he's a baby and growing
Discharge from the eyes or nose: no
Increased breathing rate or effort: no
Change in the droppings: no
Urates
---white or yellowish: white
---size of urates as compared to size of feces: 1/3 - 1/2
Abnormal skin color or shedding: he's pink!
Parasites on the skin or in the feces: no
Weakness: no
Regurgitation: no
Previous problems and/or illnesses None that I'm aware of
Other Critters in Same Cage or in Household I have a small dog, and two other leos (both female, one is 14 years old and the other is approx 10 years old)
List other animals that are kept in the same cage: None
Recent acquisitions (new pets within the past 6 months): None
Are any of your other pets ill? Not to my knowledge
