![]() There may be something that sets off the syndrome - but tbh nobody actually knows. However I also have a 2yr old male who 'touch wood' is fine. I had one last year that was fine up to about 18 months then started to get very odd very quickly. Now on the point of when the 'syndrome' starts - this is a real tricky one. Only other options for badly affected enigmas is euthanasia in my opinion - indeed some will get to the point where they flip etc and will need this course of action. I'm not so sure - I have 3 now which I consider perfectly normal.). (as an addendum to that - there is a belief from many people that even 'good' enigmas suffer some issues just to a very low level, basically that if you look hard enough you would find something. My personal belief is that the lines can be cleaned up by only using the 'best' examples that do not express any symptoms, however mild. ![]() However there is always a chance they will be bred at some point, to me this is the biggest issue with them at the moment. ![]() I have passed on badly affected ones as 'pet only' to homes I trust will apply that 'rule'. I have purchased and bred enigmas, and had some that show issues badly,mildly and in my opinion not at all. Is it really acceptable to turn around and say well yeah thats the risk you take and it was fine when I had it? Personally I think not. What responsibilties do we have as breeders when dealing with examples of this morph and its combinations? Anyone who has seen a Gecko that is severely affected by the syndrome knows its far from an ideal way for them to live.Īnyway as I also have a number of unaffected enigmas from other breeders I think my question is really this. They have both endeared themselves to me greatly but that makes me feel even worse about the idea of putting further generations at risk of the same problems. Thats not to say I don't love the ones I have. I am aware some people might take that risk but I personally think it only serves to increase the level of genetically defective geckos in circulation. In my opinion they should only have to make a trip of such magnituded once in their lives.Īnyway as it is I now have two geckos which cost an arm and a leg that I would never consider breeding from. I decided to decline the offer of the swap partly because the other female could well be exactly the same and secondly because I feel it is extremely unfair to pass animals back and fourth like hot potatoes. As far as the male was concerned I was simply told Enigma syndrome is like a time bomb and the male was fine when he left the breeder. Naturally I reported these issues to the breeder and because I had been sent the wrong animal in the case of the female I was offered a swap for the animal I had originally ordered. The female (which also happened to be the wrong animal) was not quite as bad but is also a serious case and often stargazes, spins and will snap at anything that moves seemingly unaware of whats going on. The male was significantly worse than the female and has great difficulty in feeding himself to this day. Upon arrival the two latter Geckos showed obvious signs of the syndrome both spinning furiously in the boxes they arrived in. Two were sold as possible enigmas and two were guaranteed to be enigma combination morphs. This year I purchased a number of geckos from a relatively well known breeder none of which were anywhere near what you would call cheap. Before I go any further I just want to make it clear I am not out to cause damage to anyones reputation and I have no intention of mentioning names. I'm interested to know peoples opinions regarding the ethics of dealing with Enigma Syndrome in Leopard Geckos.
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