*PICS* albino variations and words of advice

[SFgeckos]

Hi everyone,

First off, by no means am I targeting anyone in particular. I'm just speaking to the community in general.

Recently, I noticed some discussion on the variability of "albino" fattails. The introduction of another proven strain of albino to the market, the "caramel albino" (proven by The Urban gecko) which is NOT compatible with the previous albino strain, is extremely exciting to say the least. I can't wait to see the future of fattails and all the endless combination potentials!

However, on the downside, we must all become more cautious when purchasing albinos because there is ALOT of variation among both strains.
Every fattail gecko is different and the same goes for the albino individuals. In my experience with the ORIGINAL albino strain, I've seen that they can range in different shades of orange, some are dark, some are lighter, others change as they get go through hormonal development or as they age. It would be wise to ask detailed questions or check references to ensure that you are indeed "paying" for what you are getting. Simple questions such as "Where did you purchase your breeders/adults from? Who produced these geckos? Do you have photos of your adults/eggs incubating? etc" can help to avoid future headaches or loss of monetary funds in the form of misrepresentation scams.

I would hate to see any fellow gecko enthusiasts purchase albino fattails "respresented" as one strain, grow them up to breed and find out they didn't get what they paid for!

I attached some photos to show an example of this variability. BOTH, I repeat BOTH of these albino fattails are 50gram females of the ORIGINAL ALBINO STRAIN (not caramel albinos) produced by myself. One is orange, while the other is very dark and could "look" like a caramel albino.

The first two photos are of the orange albino, the rest are of the "darker albino".

Jon

 

[SFgeckos]

Here's a patternless striped male! I have a bad habit of posting photos of non-leopard geckos in the leo section haha
Jon

 

[robin]

i don't know anything about the two strains but those are gorgeous animals jonathan!

p.s. i think can be said about mixing the different strains of albinism in leopard geckos

 

[Imperial Geckos]

well here is my Carmel Albino and my Tangerine Albino Side by side..yes my caramel is lighter than it should be...but it is a caramel..and i notice the difference between the two as the tangerine amel has lavender bands, and the caramel has well caramel bands but CARAMELS SHOULD BE MUCH DARKER! (if you go on the urban geckos collection page under AFT's you can see a beautiful example of a dark fat tail gecko)..does anyone else notice the difference in my picture? (snared99 we know your opinion lol =p )

 

[Olimpia]

Gah. I could kill to have a little fat tail like those lol

 

[SFgeckos]

Nice comparision photo!

I have many adult albinos from the original strain, as mentioned before there is so much variation. Many have white bands, but others have lavender or dark lavender bands. From what I know, the ADULT caramel is a much darker animal as pictured on the TUG website. Amazing animals!

Who produced the caramel and did you see the parents?

Jon

 

[Imperial Geckos]

no i did not see the parents, but this animal was produced by touch of class reptiles, he has a lot of very nice fat tails

 

[Sally Salamander]

Jonathan - I'm extremely new to the AFT game (2 Amel hets recently purchased) - so how do you produce the amels with the white banding? It's not like Trempers, with heat, correct? Is it just a matter of line breeding?

Thanks...

 

[snared99]

no i did not see the parents, but this animal was produced by touch of class reptiles, he has a lot of very nice fat tails

When i talked to the owner of touch of class about these very fatails(including the one you have pictured) He didnt breed any caramels but rather they originated from TUG...I dunno.

Pretty much the you have to trust the breeder in some of these cases, but i can gurantee they can not be mixed. We are going into the 2nd season with the caramels and let me tell you the possibilities are endless!

O by the way call me Pat...lol

 

[paulnj]

Pat, touch of class has many animals from Craig and Jeff(whiteouts)

 

[snared99]

Pat, touch of class has many animals from Craig and Jeff(whiteouts)

Paul, I wasnt debating they came from them. They told me they havent breed them. It was said above these were produced by touch of class, thats what i was commenting on.

 

[paulnj]

I understand and was only saying they have them.

 

[snared99]

I know they have them we saw them in daytona..lol

 

[paulnj]

I guess I stated the obvious :main_laugh:

I was just saying touch of class has them and can be trusted as to the identity of them. I do agree that it's very possible for a person to say they have them and sell a dark original amel as one :main_thumbsdown:

 

[Golden Gate Geckos]

Before we go any further, I would like to remind eveyone that it is against the TOS of this website to discuss the business practices or ethics of any individual or breeder. I'm no saying it's happeneing, it's just that threads like this one sometimes tend to wander off in that direction. Thanks!

Now [takes off Admin hat], I honestly wasn't aware of 2 separate albinos strains in AFT's. Thanks for the information, Jon! I do not claim to be an expert on these geckos, but the two geckos in this photo both look like the standard amels to me. The only difference is that the stripe has darker, more brownish bands. The comparison pic Jon posted... well, I would have never known that the darker of the two is an albino. Have there been tests on their skin to determine the tyrosinaise type? What do their eyes look like... is there melanin in the eyes?