Carotenoids???

[toph427]

I own a hypo tangerine carrottail leo and was wondering if carotenoids can bring out the orangish color more. I was wondering how they can receive this nutrient. Will they get more of it if I gutload my mealies with carrots, or is there a certain supplement i need to buy to dust them with??

 

[fl_orchidslave]

I like the way Rephashy's Plus brings out their color.

 

[UnicornSpirit]

I've read that even on a diet high in carotenoids it only produced "irregular dark red blotches" (202. Ron Tremper, The Herptoculture of Leopard Geckos).
"Other carotenoid pigments in the diet, such as carotene (the source of the orange color in carrots) or xanthophylls other than canthaxanthin, could possibly enhance the brightness of yellow or orange geckos".

I don't think it would be enough to make an overall difference in your gecko. Carrots are what I love to use as gut-load as they don't seem to mold like other veggies do, they just dehydrate.

It would be interesting if you do decide to try this out and somehow pump up the levels of carotenoids in your geckos diet. Take before and after photos!