Circling enigma and larger eye

[rammstein892003]

Hi all i have an enigma that has just started circling is there anything i can do to help my leo? and what causes this and is it a genetic defect. Also i have another leo that one eye is larger than another is that a genetic trait that will be passed along if bred?

 

[Mel&Keith]

We have one Enigma that circles, it's triggered by light. We make her tub a little darker than the rest and she acts normally. I believe the weird Enigma behavior is linked to inbreeding. It's a new morph and the quirks are lessening with each outcrossing.

 

[Kilikina]

what exactly does "circling" mean? i've heard it a lot in relation to enigmas.. does it literally mean walking in circles? just curious..

 

[rammstein892003]

yea she just walks in circles alot of the time

 

[Golden Gate Geckos]

I believe this issue with the Enigmas is stress induced... whether it's light, or some other stressful stumulus. For example, I have a male Enigma that never displayed any of the problems that some have reported until I put him in a breeding situation. He began being 'wobbly' and developed a head tilt. As soon as breeding season was over, he returned to his normal behavior.

Also, I had a Mack Snow Enigma that never displayed any unusual behavior until she was shipped, and then started having trouble with her 'eye-strike' coordination when going after food. Although I cannot say for sure, I believe her problem was stress induced from shipping. Her issues are improving now that she is settling in to her new environment.

I honestly feel that these problems are a result of inbreeding when the morph was first developed, and like Mel said... with outcrossing it will improve and eventually go away. I also know that in-depth studies are being conducted to determine if there is a physiological problem inherent to the Enigma, and hopefully some concrete scientific data will help us determine if it is a genetic neurological or vestibular problem with the Enigma.

In the meantime, it will have to be something we acknowledge and are willing to accept about some of these wonderful, amazing leopard gecko morphs.