Leopard geckos have the most amazing colours, which vary for each individual. But sometimes you may be wondering, “Why is my leopard gecko pale but not shedding”. Is this natural, or should you be concerned at all. Through this article we will delve into the reasons why leopard geckos sometime turn pale but not shed, with reasons which vary from environmental issues, too illnesses.
(Please scroll down to the bottom of the page to find ‘Other related articles you might like’, once you are done reading).
The first thing you should be asking yourself is, “Has my leopard gecko been acting different lately”. When a leopard gecko turns pale, it’s not always considered as natural. Yes, turning slightly pale when shedding is completely natural, but in this case we have to assume it’s unnatural, due to the “not shedding” factor.
If we eradicate the possibility of shedding, then there are a couple of other reasons why your leopard gecko may be starting to look a little pale.
Reasons Why a Leopard Gecko May Be Pale But Not Shedding Includes;
- Enclosure Temperature
- Diet
- Stress
- Illnesses and Diseases
Enclosure Temperature
Just like humans, if a leopard gecko loses too much body heat, they shows signs of this thought loss of skin colour. A leopard geckos enclosure should vary roughly between 24-30 Degrees Celsius, from cool end to basking temperature. If the temperature inside the enclosure drops below this, you may well see a colour change in your leopard gecko.
To make sure the enclosure temperature is at the correct level, make sure you have a reliable thermometer placed in the cool end, to easy check on these temperature levels. Ideally you should have two thermometers, just incase one break and gives you incorrect readings.
Our BEST recommended thermometer is the Exo Terra Digital Thermometer.
This easy to use and read thermometer, makes keeping track of your leopard geckos environment temperature simple. The digital screen makes for easy use, and tells you the exact temperature of your geckos enclosure. No only that, it can be easily removed and cleaned, which you can’t do with many other similar products.
Diet
The diet of a leopard gecko can also play a big factor in its skin looking pale. If your leopard gecko isn’t getting a staple diet, with the corrected vitamins and minerals, then you could start to see signs of discolouration in its skin.
A leopard geckos diet should consist of live protein foods such as Crickets, Cali-worms, Waxworms, Mealworms and Dubia Roaches. These foods should be no bigger than the geckos head, as they will simply not even try to feed on them, as they will be too big.
Juveniles should be fed every day with about 5-7 small crickets or live foods. Adults can be fed every other day with roughly 6-7 large crickets or live foods. Leopard geckos don’t usually eat fruit or vegetables, so these should be kept out of their diets.
As an example, Crickets are high in moisture, however they are fairly low in fat. So if you are only feeding your leopard gecko crickets then it will be well hydrated, but will have fat deficiencies. On the flip side, if you are feeding your gecko mainly mealworms, these are low in moisture, but high in fat. So your leopard gecko may become dehydrated.
See how often your leopard gecko should be eating, just click here.
Dehydration is one of the main reasons why a leopard gecko may seen pale. They also get over 60% of their water from the foods they eat. So a staple diet is key to its healthiness and vibrant skin colours.
Mix up your geckos diet and purchase foods easily online for the BEST prices. (We’ve done the research so you don’t have to).
Stress
Stress levels have been known to play a part in a leopard geckos happiness. When stress levels get too high, commonly a leopard gecko will stop eating as much and become lethargic. This includes sleeping more and hiding more.
All of these combined together will have an effect on your leopard geckos skin colour. Naturally, with all these combined factored your gecko skin colour will chance. Not always pale to be fair, sometimes it gets darker, but nonetheless, it’s a chance in skin colour.
You should take the time to determine the reason why your leopard gecko is under so much stress. Has something been changed lately, for example, diet, substrate, heat lamp etc. Any of these changing factors could have an affect on a leopard geckos stress levels.
We found a book that details all the aspects which can raise stress levels for leopard geckos. The book is called THE LEOPARD GECKO MANUAL 2nd EDITION which can be purchased through the link. You will not find a better book on the market at then moment to help with shedding.
Illness and Diseases
There are many illnesses and diseases which could be listed which all could have symptoms of pale skin, however there are two which I feel are most likely.
The first being Chronic Malnutrition. Malnutrition is very common in leopard geckos as they struggle to get all the vitamins and minerals they need from their natural diets. For this reason you should always be coating their foods in powdered supplements, which boost their intake of needed vitamins and minerals.
The second being Hypovitaminosis A. This is again due to an improper diet, however the pale skin comes from impaired shedding. Basically, through the lack of correct dietary requirements, a leopard geckos body falsely believes it should be shedding. Unfortunately there is an in-between stage, at which point the shedding process begins temporarily, but doesn’t see the process through completely.
This causes the skin to to look pale, as if your gecko should be shedding, although never actually does.
If you feel your gecko could have either of these conditions, then please see a trained veterinarian as soon as possible. They will have all the knowledge and antibiotics you need to regain your leopard geckos healthiness.
Another Illness which you should always be looking out for is Mouth Rot. Click here to find preventions and treatments.
So Which One Of These 4 Factors Should You Be Most Concerned About?
Obviously you should be concerned about all of these factors. After all, other than shedding, there is no reason why your leopard geckos skin should be turning pale.
With that said, if I had to chose one of these factors to be most concerned about it would be STRESS.
Stress can be caused by the other three factors and many other as well. A leopard gecko is naturally very shy, so the rate at which stress levels rise is naturally higher too. Geckos will become stress over pretty much everything, so here is a list of factors which could cause stress for a leopard gecko.
- Incorrect Temperature, too hot to too cold – Do leopard geckos need a heat lamp?
- Incorrect Substrate – Is Eco Earth good for leopard geckos?
- There’s too much light – Can leopard geckos see in the dark?
- Incorrect diet – Do leopard gecko eat fruit?
- The surrounding is too noisy – How long do leopard geckos sleep?
- Constant predatory threats – Do leopard geckos like to be held?
- Illnesses – Leopard geckos that stargaze?
- Diseases – Mouth Rot in leopard geckos
- Being bullied by housemates
- Enclosure is changing too often – Leopard geckos natural habitat
- Enclosure is too small – Do leopard geckos like to climb?
- Going through the shedding stage – How often do leopard geckos shed?
- Going through the brumation stage
It sounds like an impossible task to avoid all of these, but after a while these should all come naturally to any leopard gecko owner. These factors should become second nature, so you will know exactly what the reasons could be to why your gecko is stressed.
In any case, if the stress levels seen to continue for any longer than a few days, I would recommend taking a visit to a veterinarian just to make sure. There could be some underlying health issues which aren’t visibly clear.
Conclusion
Hopefully this has helped answer the question “Leopard gecko pale but not shedding?”. Always do your research into dietary requirement and what powdered supplements will be bet for your individual gecko. Remember to always give a varied diet as this is one of the main reasons for discolouration.
Paleness in leopard gecko isn’t that common unless it’s for shedding purposed. So unless your gecko is shedding, you should monitor their health closely. Try to determine why this has happened and act quickly to change it.
See how often your leopard gecko should really be shedding here.
This is the best way to familiarise yourself with your leopard geckos shedding patterns, so please go take a look.
After searching into “Leopard Gecko Pale But Not Shedding”and testing many different products, we have come up with our list of “Must Have” items for recommendations for both price, and durability for the best enclosure accessories.
Bathing Water Bowl – Click Here
Heat Mat – Click Here
Heat Lamp – Click Here
Reliable Thermometer – Click Here
Vivarium/Enclosure – Click Here
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