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i work at a pet shop and we have a leo that is labeled a high yellow(before i got there) and i know its not. there are no black spots on the back, but there are some on the head and tail. that would make it hypomelanistic, right? there is orange on the tail which makes it a carrottail. there also may be some orange on the body, its about to shed so im not sure if its orange or just an orangish yellow. if it is orange would it be tangerine, or what makes it a tangerine? so far i have decided it is a hypomelanistic carrottail. if it does have orange on its back, what would that make it? thanks for all the help.

a picture would help but all a high-yellow is a gecko with bright yellow and no spots on its back legs.

thats not what i have heard of as a high yellow. i have never heard that it matters if there are spots on the back legs. they just have fewer spots and are yellow. there are no spots on its back but you can tell where they would be. it is a carrottail no matter what else it is. there are traces of light orange on its back but not in any special pattern that i know of and not really orange enough or abundant enough to alter its morph as far as i know. for now im assuming its a hypomelanistic carrottail.

"i have never heard that it matters if there are spots on the back legs. they just have fewer spots and are yellow"

hearing something and knowing something are two different things, and why'd you ask what morph it is if your guess is the only answer you'll take.

out of all of the reptile experts, books, and leo breeders i have talked to no one has ever said anything about it mattering if there are spots on the back legs for it to be a high yellow until you. therefore i am assuming that it does not matter. i am wondering if anyone has a usable definition of hypomelanistic or if my description brings to mind any other possible morph variations.

I too have heard the "no spots" on the legs. As far as a carrot tail, as I understand it, it should have at least 15% solid orange to be considered a carrot tail.

so how exactly do you suggest measuring 15% of orange on a tail? what if it is only 14%? where have you guys heard of the no black spots on the back legs rule? was it in a book, person, or website? if it was a website do you know which one so i can look at it. i am open to correction when it is supported. but a completely new concept from someone i have never talked to before and have no idea what their credentials are will not make me change my mind. two people saying the same thing will lead me to ask for evidence which is what i am now doing.

I have heard of the no leg spot rule mentioned in the distant past. The problem is, there is no clear cut rules for most leo morphs. While I have heard of that rule, I don't follow it myself. To me, a High - Yellow is just that. A leo that has a high amount of yellow.

I think the no leg spot rule may have something to do with Ron Tremper...but as I'm not sure, I'm not about to get into that theory.

I also think high-yellows have become the new "normal". A true normal is tan - not yellow. Those are becoming hard to find (or at least I don't see them that often).

My High-Yellow - spots of the legs, but clearly very yellow.

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Official Leopard Gecko Herder

5:7:1 Leos Getting to have too many to name here! (1:0 more on the way! WOO!)
2:0 Cats - Troi and Mitsu (shhhhh...don't tell them they're neutered!)
4:0 Betas - So pretty, yet so violent!
1:0 Husband - Eric (He's a lot of work, but it's worth it.)

Actually I've seen it discussed by various breeders on other forums I go to. One forum has recently discussed the fact that a Leopard Gecko Registry needs to be formed in order to better standardize what constitutes specific "morphs". The breeders have discussed may times how it is wrong that people claim Leo's to be a "carrot tail" simply because there is some orange on it. As far as the 15%, that is the low end of what I've seen the breeders say. Some won't consider them a carrot tail unless there is more than that. As far as the spots, I've seen that discussed but I admit if you go to breeder sites, a majority of the High Yellows do have a few "faint" spots on their legs, but not the regular darker spots like you see on their bodies.

The high yellow thing depends on who you are talking to. Some people say that if it doesn't have spots on its back legs than it is a high yellow, like me. Other people classify them by how bright yellow they are. Just like some people classify hypo geckos and super hypo. Some will say a hypo has 6-10 spots on its body and supers have less than 5. Others will say supers have to be spotless on their main body to be considered a super hypo.