Adopting an exotic animal like a gecko has becoming one of the most popular hobbies around the world, because it is the easiest and most quiet gecko to keep. Moreover, the colors and patterns of gecko are really gorgeous. They don’t need a large cage and quite cheap compared to some other pets. A kid of 8 years can easily handle them without any problems. So for those reasons the Gecko can be one of the best choices for pet owners. There are however many species of the gecko to choose from. We are going to be discussing specifically the carrot tail.

The Carrot tail species of gecko originated from the deserts of South Asian; in the 1970s pet retailers started to import these geckos into United States. There began to occur quite a few species and subspecies of leopard geckos. As a result of inter and cross-breeding, mutations started in patterns and colors largely due to breeding by inexpert handlers. These particular mutations made it prone to predator attacks as it “stood out” in the wild.

Eventually “nature” eliminated this problem through a series of mutations. This resulted in a lesser orange colored tail which made it blend better with grass and trees, thereby allowing it to blend better. A gecko will be considered as a carrot tail only if it meets this characteristic: it should have ¼ or 15% orange pigmentation in its tail. Even with the lightening of the tail some geckos develop a bright orange tail The bright tail trait seems to mostly develop in Ruby-eye Albino and Tangerine Line geckos when they are bred together.

This carrot tail subspecies is what is considered a line breed. This means that, both the female and male need to be same type (i.e. carrot trails) to breed a carrot trail progeny. So that, while buying a carrot trail leopard gecko, a pet owner is sure that he is buying the original subspecies. This type of gecko has another variation from usual leopard gecko, which is carrot head. They have orange tinged markings on their head. Exclusively this occurs in the Tremper Albino strain subspecies. For these reasons bright orange carrot tails are very unlikely to occur in nature as they are a result of cross-breeding done in captivity. Nonetheless this species of gecko makes a very interesting pet due to it’s uniqueness.

George Lemahn is a leopard gecko expert. For more great information, visit his website at www.leopardgeckosresource.com. Be sure to signup for the Free Mini-Course on carrot tail geckos.