Crested Gecko Morphs

Crested Gecko Morphs 

For first time gecko owners you might be wondering what type of crested gecko to get. I am positive that you have probably seen many different colors and patterns on geckos. These specific different color and pattern combinations are called a morph. 

Crested geckos have many different morphs, which is why they are considered to be polymorphic. Through different types of breeding, there are more morphs now than there are in the wild. Since morphs are based on color and pattern, each color and patter creates a different types of morph. There are three colors that crested geckos tend to be: brown, yellow, orange, and tan. Crested geckos can also be all black or white, however, these are extremely rare. 

The different types of morphs are:

I. Patternless: This one is pretty much self-explanatory. The crested geckos of this morph do not have any particular pattern and are a plain color. 

II. Tiger: They have vertical stripes down their backs on top of their base color. 

III. Fire/Flame: These crested geckos have an orange tint to them when they are fired-up. (Pongo)

IV. Harlequin: This type of crested gecko has an extreme pattern. 

V. Pinstripe: You guessed it, they have pinstripes all the way down their back. 

VI. Dalmatian: Crested geckos of this morph are covered in black spots that turn darker when they are fired-up. 

VII. Brindled: They have lots of little dots and lines that are darker than their base color all over their body. 

VIII. Chevron-back: These have a chevron design going all down their backs. 

IX. White fringe: White fringe is exactly as it sounds. This is one of my personal favorites, especially with a dark brown or black base color. 

There are special combinations of morphs. 

I. Creamsicle: They are a mix between a base color of yellow or orange, causing them to look like a creamsicle. 

II. Halloween: This is a mix between a flame morph (orange/cream base color) and the harlequin morph. 

III. Cream: These are a mix between the fire/flame and the creamsicle morphs. The head of the gecko is a cream color and the body is an orange color. 

IV. Moon glow: These geckos are all white! This is an extremely rare morph and can range anywhere between $500 to $2000

An interesting fact about crested geckos is that they actually change colors. While their color changing is not like chameleons like changing from green to blue to pink, their coloring varies by shades. For example, fire dalmatians like Pongo vary from a light tan to a dark orange. This color change is actually dependent on their mood. When crested geckos are sleeping or just resting, their color is pale. When they are "fired-up", they are bright and vibrantly colored. The term, "fired-up," is not used to describe their mad or upset mood, but rather when they are active or excited.