This morph has been around since around the 1990s, and has quickly become a popular and wide-spread color in many geckos.
The Tangerine Leopard Gecko morph is an orange variation, usually with few markings like bands or spots. This is also one of the cheaper morphs that are available, except for extreme variants.
Tangerine Leopard Geckos have started out as basic, orange-colored morphs, but have eventually been used to breed even more unique lines like the Tangerine Tornado, the Mandarin Tangerine, or the Hypo Tangerine Leopard Gecko.
Traits of the Tangerine Leopard Gecko
The most important and obvious trait of the Tangerine Leopard Gecko is its orange coloration. Additionally, tangerines often feature little to no spots or bands. They do, however, often have color variations across their belly. Additionally, they often have different heads and/or tails – dominated by white, and with the usual dark bands or spots.
Leopard Geckos with “tangerine tails” are called Carrot Tails, or Carrot Heads if the same applies to the head.
Hypo Tangerine Leopard Geckos feature a lighter, often brighter orange color, also often with fewer blots and dots than regular Tangerines.
Tangerine Tornado features a very bright, strong reddish orange, bred by UrbanReptile.
Firewater Leopard Geckos are another Tangerine line, a cross between Tangerine and Rainwater morphs. These feature dark orange bands on a lighter orange body, usually with both strong orange coloration on the head (Carrot head) and lighter orange tails (Carrot tail).
Extreme Tangerine Leopard Geckos are close to regular Tangerines, but as the name suggests, are uniquely bright and strongly colored, almost reaching a neon-orange color. They are bred by AC Reptiles.
Tangerine Leopard Gecko breeding information
The tangerine is actually not quite a morph – it’s a polygenic trait that leopard geckos can have. This means that it’s not always passed down from parents, and can be found in geckos where neither parents have this coloring.
For breeding purposes, having tangerine parents increases the chance of tangerine children, but does not guarantee it – much like hair or eye colors in humans.
Because of this, having some orange coloration, or even a strong tangerine look, is not really rare, and not limited to a select line of leopard geckos or breeders. This makes this a relatively easy variation to obtain.
Tangerine Leopard Geckos buying guide
There are Tangerine Leopard Geckos for sale in many local pet or reptile shops, as well as on most trustworthy gecko shops online. However, if you are interested in a specific line, it’s best to put some additional research into the purchase. Ideally, get in contact with the seller and ask about the history and parents of the gecko you’re buying.
Basic Tangerines can be bought for less than $100 – barely more than the base prices of Leopard Geckos.
However, special morph variations, like the Tangerine Tornado, might cost you $300-$500 or even more, depending on the seller and current availability.
Especially if you think about breeding, buying your Tangerine Leopard Gecko from reputable breeders as directly as possible is a worthwhile investment.