Any ideas on the unexpected result of this clutch?

The pairing on this was supposed to be Black Head Leopard x Bamboo, but I’m convinced there is another gene mixed in. What do you think?

Here’s the whole clutch. Notice there are 2 that look like a BH Leo, but one has more dull brown, less gold color. There’s also another dark hatchling, but again the colors don’t look like a normal BH. It’s got a very tan/beige color on the side pattern.

Here are the two “BH Leo” side by side. The color difference is a bit more distinct than is coming through in this photo. Notice also that the pattern is also pretty distinctly different between the two. The dull one has a lot of black flecking around the keyholes, and a more ringlike shape to the alienheads.


Here they are side-by-side again, before their first shed. The color difference is more noticeable in this photo.

Then here is the “BH” and/or mystery gene:

I’ve hatched a handful of BH and BH Leo previously, and these results are unexpected enough to have me convinced that there is a mystery gene hidden in my Bamboo female. (The sire has had a couple of clutches so far. He didn’t have any strange results before, and he looked like a twin to every other BH Leo including the other one from this clutch.) Here she is as a hatchling:

I’m having trouble tracking down the pairing for how her parents were produced, so I’m at a loss for what this mystery gene might be. Any far out there guesses for what this gene might be is encouraged! I’m going to be holding back at least one of these and hopefully prove out based on what the gene is most likely. Thanks!

I don’t see anything other than BH, leo, and bamboo.

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Thanks, I appreciate hearing a differing opinion, and getting another data point.

I think the photos don’t get across how pale/tan the colors are on the one that is ostensibly just a BH. It’s unlike any normal BH I’ve seen come out of an egg so far. If it wasn’t for seeing the same shift in only one of the 2 assumed BH Leos, I probably would have just scratched my head called it BH and moved on though.

But given how this clutch landed, the consistent differences I’m seeing, my previous BH Leo clutches, and the fact that Bamboo can hide a lot of other morphs, I’m still fairly confident that there is some other gene, even if it’s something subtle. Obviously can’t know for sure for at least another year or four though.

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