Hello everyone. I have been working with Cresties for a few years and have been hatching a “DARK” line similar to Charcoal or possibly Axanthic. I highly doubt that they are Axanthic but they look very similar to the Axanthic postings. Curious if there are any signs to tell if they are Axanthic or another morph.
I love these babies either way!
A few of the “Dark” babies are pictured next to a Lily White and a Harlequin.
Breeding was possible Axanthic (Black and White Gecko) to a Red Confetti. Then those offspring back to the possible Axanthic and these are a few of the babies. Pic of Sire, (Black and White Crestie)
@ghoulishcresties Thank you for your response. I don’t agree with inbreeding anything. The research and individuals I’ve spoken with said this was the way to try and prove out the Axanthic possibility without spending $10K on a proven Axanthic. Was I misled?
So should I list them as anything specific?
Chocolates, Blacks, Charcoals, Browns or Darks etc.
I also disagree with inbreeding and when selling this should be mentioned. Inbreeding can lead to health problems and you may need to reduce price too reflect this, even if seem healthy ATM. The darks look to have small head structure, this could be genetic or due to inbreeding.
If I’m honest it looks like you’ve just got dark patternless / bicolour geckos next to Lilly Whites & doesn’t look to be axanthic or charcoal.
The only interesting thing is the tail. But they look newly hatched so could be nothing. If not newly hatched then they appear to have shedding issues.
Unless your willing to keep the offspring and breed with another unrelated offspring, you’ll likely never know your answer (meaning don’t use any inbred geckos). I know a few geckos were sold before ppl knew exactly what they were, like axanthics but a black and white gecko doesn’t mean axanthic. I have several black and white geckos, but they are not axanthic.
Does the sire have lineage giving more info as to what’s in his genes?
Can you possibly stud him to someone who has an axanthic in return for offspring?
But it’s whether your on to something new or not but you’d need to spend years breeding sire to several females then breeding the offspring on before then breeding the offspring together in order to avoid the risk of issues.
Is not a quick process plus you’d need to keep majority of the offspring the whole time
People do it, but not something to do just to make money. So I wouldn’t listen to them again.
And you will also have to say inbred when listing any babies and I’d sell as pet only myself now too.
The sire is lovely! Dark cresteds are always so nice, I’d be interested to see what the babies looked like close up.
I’m curious, is there a reason inbreeding is less acceptable in geckos? From an outsider perspective I feel like it’s more normalized/common in the snake morphs side of the hobby (or maybe that’s just what I’ve been exposed to?).
I don’t have any strong opinions either way, but I was surprised to see the recommendation of selling as pet only from a single generation of inbreeding.
@foxreptile Thank you for your compliment. You are also correct. Better off not done.
If I ever decide to sell them, I will be sure to do so as “pet only” and explain the situation. Best to always be transparent.
@hs-goldfish Thank you for your compliment. The babies become dark black in their enclosure, stunning really. Many people in the reptile hobby say this type of breeding is common among many reptile species, but I ultimately believe it is better off avoided. It is not worth potentially jeopardizing the health of the offspring in any animal. First and last time for me.
Thanks again everyone for your opinions, thoughts and input!
Do you have a photo of the female that these offspring belong to? Really interesting how dark they are but the reddish tone wouldn’t be axanthic. What color are the eyes and tongue of the babies?
