"Fancy" leo from PetSmart...need help with morph!

[hatlerbratton]

Hi all! Thanks in advance for your help. We purchased a "fancy" leopard gecko (their term) from PetSmart about two weeks ago. They, of course, had no info on him (her?), so I'm turning to you. I'll post pictures below my questions.

1. How old do you suppose he/she is? His body is roughly 3" long.
2. What morph would you classify him as? I was thinking some form of albino, but his eyes are light tan with no hint of red.
3. If I were to cross him (hopefully he's a him) with a normal leo, what should I expect as offspring?
4. Is it common for babies, as I assume he is, to be light-sensitive and/or have vision problems? He can't seem to catch his own crickets and when I feed him with tweezers he bites the tweezers more often than the crickets. Luckily we've determined that he loves mealworms, and they don't run away from him, so he's fine for now.

Thanks for any info you can pass along!

Lyn

 

[PhoenixCoconut]

I think that s/he is a bell albino

 

[Daidra]

It is a bell albino.

 

[Jordycakes]

Lol "fancy"
SO cute though

 

[LeopardShade]

1. How old do you suppose he/she is? His body is roughly 3" long.

While I cannot be approximate with the age, it is definitely a young juvenile. In surprisingly good shape as well for a pet-store bought gecko. Pet stores are not the best places for purchasing healthy reptiles, and some are notorious for giving out misinformation that can potentially lead to health declines in animals.

2. What morph would you classify him as? I was thinking some form of albino, but his eyes are light tan with no hint of red.

I concur with everyone else; Bell albino. The pinkish eyes are the indicator for Bell.

3. If I were to cross him (hopefully he's a him) with a normal leo, what should I expect as offspring?

You'd end up with Normals that would all be heterozygous for albino. That is, if this gecko is a pure Bell and isn't carrying any hidden genetics in the genotype. Since it's a petstore gecko, however, you really have no way of telling what genetics it holds. Due to this, it is best to refrain from breeding geckos purchased from petstores, as you could end up with a whole genetic mess in the offspring. If you are serious about breeding, have the knowledge, experience, time, and space to do so, invest in quality geckos from reputable breeders, like the ones on the ads above.

4. Is it common for babies, as I assume he is, to be light-sensitive and/or have vision problems? He can't seem to catch his own crickets and when I feed him with tweezers he bites the tweezers more often than the crickets. Luckily we've determined that he loves mealworms, and they don't run away from him, so he's fine for now.

It is natural for leopard geckos to be light sensitive, they are crepuscular reptiles whose vertical-slitted eyes are adapted for seeing in darkness, not daytime. Due to the light coloration of their eyes, albinos are known to be even more sensitive to bright light, especially juveniles and hatchlings. I would highly recommend not using any bright overhead lighting.

 

[Thorgecko707]

Bell Albino. Remember pet stores offer pets, not breeding stock. Occasionally pet stores may order/carry special order animals with specific genetics. Believe it or not, but they do have SKU's in their systems for all of the combo morphs. I've never seen special orders in California or Nevada though, but all stores are different.

 

[hatlerbratton]

Thanks for all your help! He is a cute little guy - our first was a PetSmart purchase too, and she's always been very healthy. If we do get serious about breeding, we'll likely do more research and buy from a breeder.

 

[ARabidToeanail]

bell albino

 

[hatlerbratton]

Thanks for all your help! He is a cute little guy - our first was a PetSmart purchase too, and she's always been very healthy. If we do get serious about breeding, we'll likely do more research and buy from a breeder.

It's a GIRL! Leonard is now named Priya - she's very exotic. Her coloring has now changed - she's now yellow with brown markings and some orange on her legs, and has a very fat tail. Below are a couple more recent pictures of her.

 

[Wheaty5]

She's turning out very nice! Congrats


Matt.