BANDITS

October 18, 2023 - Recently John Scarbrough reached out to Helene and I to brainstorm and discuss some of the confusion and unknowns surrounding the Cinnamon. John and I are also in contact with one or more breeders, which are asking for clarification. We did agree that the Cinnamons from our Bandit line are definitely Tremper Albino Bandits. Overall, John and others have produced geckos that resemble the Cinnamons, but don't fit a clear genetic definition. Plans for some essential test breedings are in play. So for now, this is a work in progress.

Bandits: AKA Bold/Bandit.
A Bandit is a designer phase gecko with a distinct broad dark band running across the nose area between the nasal openings and the eyes. The rich and lasting black color trait was a random mutation that has been bred here since 1995. For 12 years we selectively bred for reduced head spots resulting in individuals that have 3-4 head markings. This morph has the richest concentration of black pigment as adults than any other morph, which is eye-catching when contrasted with the creamy yellow body color. They come mostly in Jungle and Striped patterns. Banded Bandits and Albino Bandits were somewhat rare as of 2012.

The Bandit pattern is a polygenic trait so the best examples need to be bred to each other, and back to the parents, to maintain the desired results. Since this trait is not a true recessive and the fact that Bandit offspring may or may not have the nose banding, such offspring are still considered Bandits and can be called Bold Bandits. The Bandits with a complete nose band may be called Full Mask Bandits or Bandits.

Cinnamon Albino Bandits: AKA Cinnys.
Our purebred true Bandit line produces this uniquely colored Tremper albino. Limited numbers of this variation have been around in Europe and the United States since 2012.

We tested the Cinnamons by breeding Cinnamon Albino Bandits that were het for Tremper albino eclipse to each other and got Cinnamon Albinos and normal Tremper Albinos from the same clutch of eggs (see below). This result has been duplicated with many clutches of eggs and we also got albino eclipse as expected.

Cinnamon eggs incubated at 89-90F produce males (see photo #2 below) that have the same coloration of cinnamon, light creamy yellow and sometimes a lavender blend, as the female Cinnamons, proving that the cinnamon color is not caused by temperature. One would expect that a Tremper albino Bandit to resemble a typical Tremper albino in coloration, but this is not the case whatsoever. The same mechanism that creates the highly concentrated black pigment in the best Bold Bandits and Bandits also concentrates the albino pigments in the Bold Bandit Albinos and Bandit Albinos resulting in the Cinnamon Albinos. The Cinnamon Albino appears to be a marker indicating the presence of our Bold/Bandit line.

Simply put, the Cinnamon Albino Bandit is a Tremper Albino color variation linked directly to our Bandit line. It is a recessive genetic that breeds true. Cinnamon x Cinnamon = 100% Cinnamons. Cinnamon x Normal = 100% Normals het Cinnamon.


Above a normal Tremper Albino and a Cinnamon Bandit hatched from the same test clutch.



Photo #2. Cinnamon Albino Bandit male that hatched in 2013.