mack snow or tremper albino.

[Allee Toler]

I'm trying to decide which one to get. My fiance told me I can only get ONE. Arrggg.

Our local petco, which is very good if I do say so myself keeping leos on paper towels, and only putting two in one tank together, have these nice fat 3 week old babies.

It was feeding time when I went, so I asked if I could watch them eat. So I did. They all ate great.

There were 4 Tremper Albinos, 1 Mack Snow, about 10 normals, 3 LVPA's, and one SHTCTB.

They're all $20 each. I'd get them all if I could. Haha. I'm just glad this Petco takes CARE of their animals. They have hot and cool sides for each tank!

I just don't know which one to get. I don't want the SHTCTB, it hissed at me and tried to bite. I already have an LVPA, and I'll have more LVPA's once I breed her. I don't want a normal, at least not yet. A show is coming up I can probably get one cheaper. So it's between the tremper or the mack.

I need to know the up side to both morphs. I think Mack Snows, when full grown, look kind of like faded high yellows. Which doesn't appeal to me. But this hatchling is so darn cute!! At least, while it has this pattern it is. And the tremper is pretty. Pretty now, pretty later. And there was one with really bright eyes. Nearly all blood red.

So my hands are tied. Help?

 

[ColdBlooded]

Honestly it comes down to what you want. I have two Mack Snows and I think they're stunning - quite different from just a faded high yellow. Tremper albinos are cute too, but really it's up to you.

Also, the SHTCTB could grow out of the snappyness with handling and age, you have to remember how you must look to it (a predator).

 

[SaSobek]

First, are you planning to breed them at all ? that is the first question that you want to ask your self.

if you get the tremper and it is a male. all the babies when you cross it to the one that you have will be normals that will be het for Tremper, rainwater, and patty. most people that are going to breed geckos don’t want to mix the albino strains

on the + side, usually tremper albinos are very calm as they age and make great pets. I have noticed that in our lines our tremper albinos are calmer then say our non tremper albinos. but at the same time most of our tremper lines have giant in them and the albino giants seem to be a little calmer as well.

as for the Mack, they can be cool if you are looking to breed because you can see results in the first year because of the gene being co dom. The only problem is you don’t know what it is possibly het for.

In the end it is your choice. I would just pick the healthiest. if its at a pet store im sure they are to small to sex as well. for them most part most geckos that are sold at chain stores are temp sexed female.

Also you may want to wait and see what is at the show. And buy directly from a breeder. Typically geckos that are at shows are very healthy but again you will have to use your best judgment. Privet Breeders wont take unhealthy geckos to a show because even the sight of a unhealthy gecko on their table would look bad. So breeders bring there best that they have to sell to shows.

At the shows just be careful with dealing with people that are selling all kinds of reptiles. These are usually people that buy from other people and resell. That means that they have already changed hands. At least once and who knows how they were kept in the middle mans hands. If you are going to a show I would by from a breeder that bred the actual thing you are looking for. Less hands and cages that your new reptile has gone through the better. Less chance of stress and picking something up.

I hope this helps. Another big thing dont buy an reptile and say well i will fix it or nurse it back to health. If it is showing that it is sick it might be to late to fix it.

"Use your head, then use your heart"

 

[zack]

wow thats a hard choice if i were you i would go with the temper snow but the one with the red eyes sounds cool.

p.s. go with the one that gets your attention most

 

[cat_named_noodles]

I would personally choose the Mack Snow, but that's just me, I think they're great.

 

[hyposhawn]

I would choose mack snow but that's your choice. If the Mack snow isn't het for anything and you bred it to your LVPA you would get 50% Normal doulble het Albino patternless, and 50% Mack Snow double het Patternless albino. However if the Mack Snow was het for Rainwater albino you would get 50% Mack Snow Albino het Patternless and 50% Rainwater Albino het Patternless. If the Mack Snow was het for Patternless you would get 50% Mack snow patternless and 50% Patternless het albino. If you got the Tremper albino they would most likely not turn out breeding because your not supposed to mix the albino strains. I hope this helps and let me know your decision.

 

[Palor]

I would get the SHTCTB. A gecko with spunk is more fun

 

[landen.smith]

The albino strains not mixing is a good point to keep in mind. The mack, if it's co-dom would produce a more varied range of hatchlings. I would say to pick the healthiest one that you like and more importantly it likes you! Pick the one you want but sounds like the general concences is to pick the Mack Snow.....

 

[hyposhawn]

Yeah, pick the healthiest one. But if your gonna breed I would pick Mack Snow...

 

[Allee Toler]

The thing is, I spent all day yesterday there, and today. Lol! My friend's an assistant manager so he didn't care too much and handed me the key saying "help anyone who comes by, but don't like the cornsnakes out". Haha. I talked this one person out of getting a tokoy. He was 8, and wanted a gecko he could handle and love. Pshht. Those things bite! and hard! Not to mention the store was selling them for $100. And they weren't too big either, just babies. ANYWAYS!...

I decided to run a test. I would hold each for an hour, put them on my shoulder and walk around, tap their noses, touch their bellies, poke their eyes, hand feed them a worm, and watch them eat crickets.

They were the exact same. They are some of the most energetic babies I've seen in a while. They would crawl all over me. They clearly loved to be held, at least, didn't mind it.

They're both extremely healthy. I had Dr. Boyer (GiGi's vet) come check them out since he was down the street making a home call anyways. He said they both passed. He got a fecal done on both, and I got the results not even 10 minutes ago, they're clean.

I don't want the SHTCTB. At all. He was biting other babies, and running around hissing. They have him isolated now, since he bit a babies tail and the poor baby dropped it. =[

All of the babies are 2-4 weeks old.

The Mack Snow as slight yellowing on the hind legs. Like barely any, but slightly? So he's sold white and black, but about 1/9th of his back legs are baby yellow. Really faded looking yellow. What does that mean? Could he possibly not be a MS?

I loved the albinos. They're all so adorable. I tested them all, with my little test. And only one passed it. So he's one of the ones I'm trying to decide about.

I don't plan on breeding the MS or the TA. At least, not to GiGi.

I'm going in tomorrow to pick one of the two up... but I still don't know who. =[ But thanks everyone for your input. The yellow coloring on the MS is my main question right now.

 

[Holly12]

Um I would go with the temper snow myself all cuz they are very pretty to me and when looking at them you see the colors and makes you want to sit down and look at them all day long nowthats me but I think it is your choice what do you want to get?

 

[Allee Toler]

It's a tremper albino, not a tremper snow. Haha.

 

[ColdBlooded]

I'm going in tomorrow to pick one of the two up... but I still don't know who. =[ But thanks everyone for your input. The yellow coloring on the MS is my main question right now.

Many Mack Snows can and do have yellow on them. Both of mine do, it's a highlighter yellow color.

 

[Palor]

Yes, most Mack snows have varying amounts of yellow. Only the Super Snows are just black and white.

 

[Allee Toler]

It's a baby. So the babies can have yellow on them?

 

[ColdBlooded]

I wouldn't see why not. Do you suspect it's something else?

Here's a pic of Loki when he was younger (Losing his dark bands):

You can see the yellow on the backs of his legs and on his sides a little (Might be hard to see depending on your monitor)

 

[Allee Toler]

Jamie told me she had a normal look like a Mack Snow. =[ Then it turned into a normal.

I'm just second guessing myself.

The yellow on the back legs are a little more yellow than that.

 

[ColdBlooded]

There are mack snows that are low quality that end up looking more like normals as they age. That was probably the case with hers.

 

[Allee Toler]

I don't want to risk getting the MS and having turn into a normal's color pallet. =[ I don't like it too much. I'm not one for black and yellow. Lol.

--------
Now with the albinos. There's 3 strains. As babies, can you tell them apart?

They have Bells Rainwater Trempers, but they're all mixed together. And they all look so different from each other.
I don't mind getting a bell or a tremp. It's no big deal to me. I think they're both pretty. And I already have a rainwater strain.

So how could you tell them apart?

 

[ColdBlooded]

Could be extremely hard to know without knowing the parent's genetics. Hopefully someone with more knowledge will reply.