Mack Super Snow Tremper Albino with darker coloration

[Camaleonides]

Hi everybody, I have been around here for a while but I rarely post something, now here I am, better later than ever.

I have been breeding leopard geckos for a while and a few years ago I got a Mack Super Snow Tremper Albino that is darker than any other I have breed. I am posting a comparison picture for both a normal Mack Super Snow Tremper Albino and the darker one. Both are males and both were incubated at constant temperatures of 83.5 F.

Does any one have seen this? What could be the reason?

 

[PanJaster]

I really can't tell why is she (?) so dark, but looks absolutely awesome !

 

[acpart]

I feel as if I answered you on another forum (maybe not), but, as far as I know, albinos can manifest a range of brown coloring. Some people feel that albinos incubated at lower temps have a greater chance of being darker (or is it the other way around?) but I incubate them all at the same temp and I've gotten results similar to both of your examples.

Aliza

 

[DrCarrotTail]

I'd second Aliza's thought. Trempers incubated, kept, or even exposed to cold temps for a short time can look a whole lot darker than their siblings. It could be something else going on but my guess would be temperature.

 

[Patrick]

New morph ???

 

[Camaleonides]

I really can't tell why is she (?) so dark, but looks absolutely awesome !

Thanks Pan, it really looks great. :main_yes:

 

[Camaleonides]

I feel as if I answered you on another forum (maybe not), but, as far as I know, albinos can manifest a range of brown coloring. Some people feel that albinos incubated at lower temps have a greater chance of being darker (or is it the other way around?) but I incubate them all at the same temp and I've gotten results similar to both of your examples.

Aliza

Aliza thanks for your reply, the thing here is that they were incubated at the same parameters, and both were incubated for males (not low temps) an it is the first time it happens. If you have seen this variation without any further explanation maybe we should try to breed darker ones to see if the coloration keeps showing as a regular basis or it is only random. This season I mated same parents and got only clear ones. Unfortunately I do no have another with dark coloration to make the exercise.:disappointed:

 

[Camaleonides]

I'd second Aliza's thought. Trempers incubated, kept, or even exposed to cold temps for a short time can look a whole lot darker than their siblings. It could be something else going on but my guess would be temperature.

Will try to replicate and find out if there is something else

 

[Camaleonides]

New morph ???

Too soon to say something like that but will work on it.

I do not feel that lucky myself :juggle:

 

[Patrick]

Too soon to say something like that but will work on it.

I do not feel that lucky myself :juggle:

I would still breed it back just to check

 

[Camaleonides]

I feel as if I answered you on another forum (maybe not), but, as far as I know, albinos can manifest a range of brown coloring. Some people feel that albinos incubated at lower temps have a greater chance of being darker (or is it the other way around?) but I incubate them all at the same temp and I've gotten results similar to both of your examples.

Aliza

Aliza, do you have pics?

 

[Camaleonides]

I would still breed it back just to check

Will do!

 

[DrCarrotTail]

Google "chocolate albino" - that's the name given to Trempers with a darker coloration caused by temperature. Tremper albinos seem to be more affected by temperature than Bell's or RWs. I'm sure there are some interesting articles, videos and pictures out there. For the colors to be darker the geckos don't necessarily have something genetic at play or only get the darker color from incubation temperature. If they are kept a few degrees cooler (for example if their bin is at the bottom of a rack near a drafty door) or even if they are taken out long enough for their body temperature to lower a bit just for a short while (for example in shipping or in transport to a show) their colors can drastically change in a short while.

 

[acpart]

Aliza, do you have pics?

This is the best I can do:

Darker albino gecko from 2014 at about 6 weeks:



Lighter albino as hatchling from 2016:



I don't think the difference is as striking as what you had and, unfortunately, it wasn't till 2015 that I started taking pictures of all my geckos upon hatching, but I do think that the first one is somewhat darker than the second one.

Aliza

 

[Camaleonides]

Google "chocolate albino" - that's the name given to Trempers with a darker coloration caused by temperature. Tremper albinos seem to be more affected by temperature than Bell's or RWs. I'm sure there are some interesting articles, videos and pictures out there. For the colors to be darker the geckos don't necessarily have something genetic at play or only get the darker color from incubation temperature. If they are kept a few degrees cooler (for example if their bin is at the bottom of a rack near a drafty door) or even if they are taken out long enough for their body temperature to lower a bit just for a short while (for example in shipping or in transport to a show) their colors can drastically change in a short while.

So, as far as it goes, the only explanation would be incubation temperature. Will work a bit further with the chocalate one to find out if there is something else. Thanks for the info

 

[Camaleonides]

Thanks Aliza, I have seen the "chocolate" variation with several Tremper Albino geckoes but never with Mack Super Snow Tremper Albino. Will do some more tests next season

 

[OhioGecko]

Has the darker boy always been darker, or did it get darker as it aged? Do you have baby pics of the two?

 

[Camaleonides]

Has the darker boy always been darker, or did it get darker as it aged? Do you have baby pics of the two?

The darker one borned that way.

I am posting baby pictures of the darker one and a normal one

 

[acpart]

I guess incubation temps could cause a color variation, but i have gotten the color variation even with geckos incubated at the same temp (though the number of darker colored ones has been quite low at my lower end incubation temp of 82-83).

Aliza

 

[Camaleonides]

I guess incubation temps could cause a color variation, but i have gotten the color variation even with geckos incubated at the same temp (though the number of darker colored ones has been quite low at my lower end incubation temp of 82-83).

Aliza

Will do a few tests