Q) If low temps produce dark colored albinos how can I produce light
colored albino females?
A) Sex in leopard geckos is determined within the first 3 weeks
of incubation. So if you let albino eggs experience 78-83F for 22
days that will lock in the female
sex and then you merely move those female eggs to a constant 90F
for the remainder of incubation to get the best looking possible
female offspring.
TOP
Q) I have produced dark brown albinos from beautiful parents. Can
these dark albinos produce beautiful young?
A) The good news is.....absolutely. Just follow the steps outlined
above.
TOP
Q) Can temperature effect the skin pigments of albino lines even
after hatching?
A) Yes. I have tested this on geckos from 1 to 12 months old. Those
given a hot spot of 90F all the time don't darken compared to geckos
that have been exposed to temps below 84F. This darkening does not
reverse itself.
TOP
Q) So are the "lavender" albinos genetic or from temperature?
A) Temperature. These are the result of incubating eggs at 84-86F.
TOP
Q) Can temperature influence non-albino leopards like the various designer
colors?
A) Yes. Viets' paper proved that for high yellow banded leopards.
I have found this to be true to some degree for the tangerine phases
also.
TOP
Q) So when is the color locked in for incubating albinos?
A) Not until they hatch.
TOP
Q) So what will happen to the color of the neonates I have incubating
at a constant 90F if the eggs get cool for a few hours?
A) The color pigments will migrate and the young will be then hatch
much darker in color. I even tested this 2 days before hatching at
a constant 90F and got noticeably darker albinos.
TOP
Q) So are the "pretty" geckos something that are not real
genetically? Are they just temperature manufactured?
A) No, it's just the reverse. The geckos incubated at 90F are actually
showing us the true potential of the genetic cross of each breeding
while the dark pigments are creating an artificial "mask",
which prevents us from visualizing the genetic potential at hand.
TOP
Q) Can temperature change the genes of leopard geckos?
A) To my knowledge, there is no evidence of this.
