Enigma Syndrome?

[tofugecko]

I picked up my leopard gecko from the pet store a couple of days a go, they said she had a funny walk but said they had a reptile expert check her over and think that she’s fine. Now I’ve had her home a few days, I’ve noticed her walk is very strange and it’s taken me one google search to find out about Enigma Syndrome and I’m worried she has it. She’s an albino morph, with spots. Her walk is almost as though her head is too heavy for her, she will sometimes randomly circle her head in a big motion when she’s standing still and also whilst she walks; as well as walking off balance. She can walk normal and this only happens randomly but often. She sometimes star gazes but I thought maybe she is just checking out her surroundings. I have also noticed she’s having some trouble catching her food, she waits until a cricket/locust is right in front of her before attempting to catch it but when she runs around her tank for them she misses. I haven’t noticed any other signs of the disorder, but I’ve attached a photo of her spots to see if any experts can tell if she is an enigma morph? Other than that she is an adorable gecko, and has a very sweet personality. Either way, she will have a good life with me .

 

[acpart]

I'm not an enigma expert though based on her tail spots and coloring it's likely. Hopefully someone with more visual experience will be able to confirm.

Aliza

 

[tofugecko]

I'm not an enigma expert though based on her tail spots and coloring it's likely. Hopefully someone with more visual experience will be able to confirm.

Aliza

Thanks for your reply, I think it’s likely too now I’ve seen more photos of enigma morphs.

 

[sunfighter]

Pet shops are a really bad place to buy any kind of animal. Go there for hardware, but get livestock from a reputable breeder. And check them out. A friend of mine bought a male Bengal kitten from an out of state breeder and got a female that had, according to his vet, been spayed less than 24 hours before being being put on a plane. I've been scammed twice by people claiming to be lizard breeders. Use Paypal.

 

[ZNature]

Could be enigma, but also could be white and yellow syndrome. There’s some vids out there on YouTube about it. Of course, there’s a chance you just have a quirky gecko. Once I thought one of my rescue Leo’s had enigma syndrome because she has a quirky walk, and at times she will stare at what I think is nothing. I doubt she is an enigma. It could be something else but I’ll never know. Just make sure that you make her comfortable. If it is enigma syndrome then she might get stressed from little things like shedding. I also recommend to provide a humid hide and get a very small and very shallow water dish. Animals who have difficulties coordinating their movements can sometimes drown in their water dish. So if you want to provide a water dish make sure it’s small. Or you could take it out and just make sure to give her I nice moist humid hide with some paper towels where she can go to lick up the water droplets. I hope this helps and you find out what she has. I wish you good luck with your gecko.

 

[ZNature]

Sorry my reply’s a little late. I looked at the picture a bit closer and she looks like she might be a white and yellow morph. White and yellow syndrome is similar to enigma but less severe.

 

[Harbor Reptiles]

I picked up my leopard gecko from the pet store a couple of days a go, they said she had a funny walk but said they had a reptile expert check her over and think that she’s fine. Now I’ve had her home a few days, I’ve noticed her walk is very strange and it’s taken me one google search to find out about Enigma Syndrome and I’m worried she has it. She’s an albino morph, with spots. Her walk is almost as though her head is too heavy for her, she will sometimes randomly circle her head in a big motion when she’s standing still and also whilst she walks; as well as walking off balance. She can walk normal and this only happens randomly but often. She sometimes star gazes but I thought maybe she is just checking out her surroundings. I have also noticed she’s having some trouble catching her food, she waits until a cricket/locust is right in front of her before attempting to catch it but when she runs around her tank for them she misses. I haven’t noticed any other signs of the disorder, but I’ve attached a photo of her spots to see if any experts can tell if she is an enigma morph? Other than that she is an adorable gecko, and has a very sweet personality. Either way, she will have a good life with me .

This is not an Enigma at all. This is 100% a White and Yellow. Notice the extreme high white on the sides.

so I’m a 5th year breeder on Enigmas. And maybe once every 3 years we will get an enigma with ES.

now many people can sit and justify breeding a W/Y over an Enigma. I can’t. There are TWO HUGE differences in the 2 morphs.

ES is ONLY tied to the Enigma morph. Meaning you will never see a normal with ES or a Mack snow with ES

WYS on the other hand can get passed down to ANY morph. Meaning a normal or a Mack snow can present itself with WYS. People be breeding these W/Y morphs creating problems with other morphs that aren’t supposed to have any syndrome at all. That the huge issue with W/Y.

many morphs have their own set of issues

Enigma - ES

White and yellow - WYS

black night - infertility, low hatch rates and deformities

Super snow eclipses - many are blind

also both W/Y and enigma can have the syndrome manifest within itself based on poor breeding or inbreeding as well. You take a look at lavender compared to blood. Lavender is pretty simple and not worked with to much, you see a blood and it’s super red, note that it was probably inbred for many generations to get to that intense red. I wouldn’t put that blood to any gecko with a known syndrome.

that make sense?

 

[Harbor Reptiles]

Sorry my reply’s a little late. I looked at the picture a bit closer and she looks like she might be a white and yellow morph. White and yellow syndrome is similar to enigma but less severe.

Not always. Notice to OP mentioned circling. None of my enigmas circle. All of my enigmas eat live and none walk weird. It’s allll based on selective breeding. Similar to the spider morph in ball pythons. You keep breeding a snake that rips upside down, then you’re gonna get babies that tip upside down.

selective breeding can take many many years. But so far my enigmas are 7th generation with very low risk and they are 7th gen with low issues. In the last 3 years we got one gecko with slight “wobble” as he walks. Allll other babies in the last 3 years all walk and run like normal, they don’t circle, they eat live, you’d think they were a normal geckos. We have lavender Mack snow 100% het temper enigmas that are garbage disposals and walk like normal. They eat live super worms. So no OP has a W/Y that is much worse than any of my Enigmas.

people just don’t take the time to reduce the severity of the syndrome. Over here, our program has. And each year the rates are better and better.

 

[Harbor Reptiles]

Thanks for your reply, I think it’s likely too now I’ve seen more photos of enigma morphs.

It’s a White and Yellow.