SS Tremper Albino Eye Colour...

[messengermatt]

Originally Posted by about_a_girluk

i see what you mean in the Herpetoculture of leopard geckos it was interesting to see how incubation even effected the percentage of dark pigment on normal siblings making them more like hypos although they called it "unlocking the geckos true potential" rather than forcing a change

I like your way of thinking there

[MrMike]

Originally Posted by messengermatt

They are just supersnows but still people say they are supposed to be black and they arent.

Just checked ours, his are definately black (as far as I can tell). Melanin (well eumelanin, a form of melanin) is responsible for brown/black pigment, i think. That would explain the brown colour.

[LoveGeckos.com]

I'm not fully convinced on the incubation temperature theory. All but two of my TUG/Mack Super Snow Albinos were incubated at a high temp, and I cannot see any red in their eyes, although they are some of the pinkest geckos I have seen, now that could be temperature.

Normally with a deep dark red eye, I can tweak it in Photoshop; normally just increasing the brightness is enough. However, since the starting value for black is 0, jet black, it doesn't matter what you do; you will end up with black.

Now it may be that the camera is picking up the eye as black and they are a real deep red, but I cannot see any red.

Anyhow, Black or Red, they are still Super Snow Albinos ;-)

Mr Mike, I don't live a million miles away and every now and then pop down your way for a day out. If you want to see a Super Snow Albino with black eyes, I am sure we can arrange it Would could even debate all day, no they are black, well I think they are red, black, red, black red .... lol .... BLACK! I win

[messengermatt]

Albino Strains (Tremper, Rainwater, and Bell)
There are three strains of albino leopard gecko, each named after the last name of the person who first produced the particular strain. Las Vegas albino is another name for the Rainwater strain. All three strains are recessive traits, therefore hets can be created for these traits. All three strains of albino are sensitive to bright lights, and will close their eyes tightly if exposed to bright light. Additionally, many will not feel comfortable eating during the daytime due to their sensitivity to light.

Each of these strains are genetically incompatible, meaning if you were to breed a Tremper albino with a Rainwater or Bell albino all babies would be normal looking (spotted) and heterozygous for both strains of albino. Apparently there are three different ways to create an albino!
Every so often I get an email from someone who purchased an albino leopard but was not told the identity of the particular strain. There are some differences between the three strains, but often it is not possible to wager more than an educated guess. Below I will discuss the differences between the three strains.

Tremper Strain:

Tremper albinos were the first of the albino strains to hit the market, and are by far the most common. Tremper albinos have the unfortunate stereotype of being dark (often brown), which is likely more a factor of incubation temperature than genetics. (See section on the effect of incubation temperature on coloration). I have seen Tremper albinos that are so dark that I have had to question whether they were indeed albinos at all! Some breeders market these darker Trempers as the “Mocha Strain”. However, I have seen (and own) plenty of Tremper albinos that are bright white or pink, certainly not deserving of the brown stereotype.
Eye color is variable between Tremper albinos, ranging from slightly lighter than a “normal” (non-albino) leopard gecko eye, to bright, bright red in young animals incubated at a high temperature (90 degrees F). I have observed the red eye color of young animals often changes as the animal ages to the normal beige color of the typical Tremper albino.

Rainwater Strain:

Rainwater albinos are the next most common of the three albino strains after Tremper albinos. Rainwater albinos are often thought of as pinker than other strains. I have observed this to not always be true, as Tremper albinos can be bright pink or white if incubated at a high temperature. I have experimented with the effect of incubation temperature on coloration of baby Rainwater albinos, and observed only a slight difference between babies incubated at 80° or 90° F.

Bell Strain:

The Bell strain of albino is still relatively rare in the leopard gecko world. Bell albinos often have a high contrast, with “pink” areas often much darker than other albino strains. Eye color is the reddest of the three strains, staying red or pinkish even in adult animals.

Patternless
The patternless trait was the first of the leopard gecko recessive traits to be discovered. Patternless leopards were first marketed as “leucistic”, although blizzards are the true leucistic leopard gecko. Once blizzards were discovered “leucistic” leopards were renamed to patternless, although I still see some people using the antiquated name. The patternless trait is recessive and hets can be created.
Patternless animals are devoid of black spotting. Ironically baby patternless hatch with a pattern of darker blotches on a lighter yellow body coloration. This pattern often fades away as they age, but may be visible in some adults. Body coloration is often quite variable, ranging from bright neon yellow to a dull chocolate brown. Exceptional individuals have orange “carrot-tail” coloration on at least a part of their tail. The dull chocolate brown patternless may be the result of low incubation temperature or genetics. Eye color is the same color as the “normal” leopard gecko.

Patternless Albino
Patternless albinos are one of the newest leopard gecko morphs, and are the result of combining two recessive traits. Hence, patternless albinos are expressing both the patternless and albino traits (both are outwardly visible). The combination of the albino trait with the patternless removes the dark coloration from the patternless, making a bright neon yellow patternless, with a white or pink tail, rather than a purplish or brownish tail in a normal patternless. Many exceptional patternless albinos have carrot-tail coloration in the tail as well.
The majority of the patternless albinos available today are from the Rainwater strain of albino. It appears the Tremper albino gene does not combine as readily with the patternless gene as the Rainwater gene. The reason for this is unclear, but from conversations with leopard breeders that have attempted this cross it appears only 1 out of a couple hundred of double het (het Tremper albino and het patternless) to double het results in a Tremper patternless albino, although you would expect 1 out of 16 to be a patternless albino. Tremper patternless albinos are becoming more common recently, but are still rarer than Rainwater patternless albinos. The few Tremper patternless albinos I have seen up close don't appear much different than Rainwater patternless albinos.
Young patternless albinos can be differentiated from patternless by having pink heads, rather than dark heads. Since these geckos are expressing the albino gene, eye color is lighter than a normal patternless, and I find this to be the most clear cut way to differentiate a patternless albino from a really nice patternless. The eye color of the gecko in question should be compared to both an albino and a non-albino (“normal” or patternless). Body coloration alone cannot always be used to differentiate patternless from patternless albinos because some nice patternless are as neon yellow as patternless albinos.

[marcgroovyge]

Albinos do not have black pigmentation. If you take a pic of a supersnowa eye it is actually a very very dark brown. If you have a albino with a 100% black eye then it should not be classed as a albino strain but only albino patterned

[SleepyD]

Originally Posted by about_a_girluk

although they called it "unlocking the geckos true potential" rather than forcing a change

or as someone I respect highly commented ~ another euphemism for charging more

[MrMike]

Originally Posted by LoveGeckos.com

Anyhow, Black or Red, they are still Super Snow Albinos ;-)

Very true! Still interesting though.

Originally Posted by LoveGeckos.com

Mr Mike, I don't live a million miles away and every now and then pop down your way for a day out. If you want to see a Super Snow Albino with black eyes, I am sure we can arrange it Would could even debate all day, no they are black, well I think they are red, black, red, black red .... lol .... BLACK! I win

We have spoken at a few shows before, however, you probably don't remember me. I'm usually the guy with Sam12345 (Sam) at shows local to here.
Will definately take you up on that offer though

[forgottenEntity]

Originally Posted by LoveGeckos.com

Normally with a deep dark red eye, I can tweak it in Photoshop; normally just increasing the brightness is enough. However, since the starting value for black is 0, jet black, it doesn't matter what you do; you will end up with black.

Now it may be that the camera is picking up the eye as black and they are a real deep red, but I cannot see any red.

A rather simple way to test that theory is to use the flash on your camera (the shots that I have posted on the thread are done with a flash btw)....

Given that the red eye we see isn't due to a red pigment (this is me making an assumption that it works the same in Leos as it does in most other red-eyed animals out there) but due to light that enters the eye being reflected back by blood vessels on/around the retina, making the eyes appear red... The more light you put into the eye, the more likely you are to see a red tint if there is one to be found.

Edit: Erm, but please, anyone reading this... don't go sticking the flash on your camera or a torch or whatever into the eyes of your leos!! If someone did it to me I'd be mighty unhappy... and I am not a light-sensitive albino, who definitely wouldn't like it up close and personal

[Lisasgeckonursery]

Originally Posted by SleepyD

or as someone I respect highly commented ~ another euphemism for charging more

Touché sleepyD as everyone knows Tremper is a king when it comes to marketing.

[marcgroovyge]

Originally Posted by forgottenEntity

A rather simple way to test that theory is to use the flash on your camera (the shots that I have posted on the thread are done with a flash btw)....

Given that the red eye we see isn't due to a red pigment (this is me making an assumption that it works the same in Leos as it does in most other red-eyed animals out there) but due to light that enters the eye being reflected back by blood vessels on/around the retina, making the eyes appear red... The more light you put into the eye, the more likely you are to see a red tint if there is one to be found.

Only if the light hits the eye directly so it can bounce back. Otherwise if the picture is taken on a angle and the red still shows then the eye is red and not blood vessels reflecting back