Bandits Designers/Giants?

Hey Guys,

My second season is coming up and I am looking to start doing some work with Giant morphs as well as bandits. I have a good grasp on the basics of genetics but am still a little confused about polygenic traits. I have a few questions reguarding these genetics.

My first question: Recently I have acquired a Giant Bandit Stripe, is a bandit hereditary (recessive/Co Dom/Dom?)? For example, if I were to breed a Raptor to this Giant Bandit, I realize I would get Normals het for Tremper/Eclipse. But would the babies get a bandit head pattern from the Bandit parent?

My second question: Is pretty similar to the first question, but with Giants. To my understanding, the Giant Gene is hereditary, but is it Dominant or Co Dominant?

My Last question: How fast do Giants grow. If I were to breed Giants will they be born bigger? Or will they just grow at a more accelerated pace?

Thanks.

Most of your questions can be answered here: Leopard Gecko Genetics - GeckoBoa Reptiles


Line bred animals will pass traits on to some of the babies. But to continue the look, you need to breed the best to the best. I don't think giants really grow at faster rates. Some people still believe it needs to be a certain weight by 1 year old, but that doesn't really work. Also, some breeders who work with giants say that they continue growing after that first year. Often times an animal will get to that weight because they are overfed. It's best to grow them normally.

It's my understanding that giants tend to be longer and lankier as juveniles and take longer to fill out. I have a number of geckos over 100 grams that aren't giants. I got a juvenile at the end of August (hatched in May) that was from giant parents. She had problems initially: she weighed 14 grams (I sold a non-giant juvenile the same weekend the same age that weighed 17 grams) and she had MBD. I was later refunded the purchase price by the vendor when I pointed this out. Now, at 6 months, she is definitely longer than my other juvies and weighs in at 38 grams! Her legs are a bit misshapen but she's walking on them normally. She may reach 50 grams by next spring, but since she's a giant and I expect it will take her longer to mature, I would not breed her until 2017. I believe giants are co-dominant.

Aliza

Breeders tend to disagree on what giants are. That is why I posted the link to the genetics page (that and it answers a lot of basic questions). This is what John says about giants: Giant/Super Giant
Debate whether considered recessive, co-dom, or line bred. I personally feel it is best described as a recessive. More to come...

Looking forward to the next installment, Kristi. I've never owned a giant before this one so i'm curious and don't know much about them.

Aliza

acpart said:

Looking forward to the next installment, Kristi. I've never owned a giant before this one so i'm curious and don't know much about them.

Aliza

Click to expand...

I haven't worked with them enough to have an opinion either way. I think it's interesting how people get different results.

There is so much false info out there on morphs right now. John's page is by far the best info out there. That's why I share it so much with everyone trying to learn.