Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi there I just had my first baby come out of my first clutch of eggs!!! I am elated and now fully understand how herping is addictive. But, I was wondering if babies undergo any sort of color change. My little guy is the result of a Hypo to Orange Sandfire breeding and I expected the color to be a little more striking. I know Sandfires' take some time to develop color, but do there babies after a few days or so brighten up at all???

Yes, you'll notice quite a change in color if the parents are of higher color themselves. Usually after each shed it gets better and better. Many of my babies come out of the egg gray or brown, and within 2 months the color increases quite a bit, and some are fully colored by that time. Different genetic lines, and morphs will color at different rates. Some come out of the egg with very high color, and some tend to gradually increase over time. It's all in the genetics really.

I remember my first season breeding when I hatched my Foster X Candy babies. I was a little dissapointed when I saw them just hatched. Hehe Everyone of those babies turned into solid colored adults LOL... I learned the leason of not to judge so fast early
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Mystical-Dragons Web Site
Webshots photos

Babies can be a little under-whelming when they are born, but the excitement of each shed is awesome! I suspect that once you start experiencing this you will again be excited.
J Marchon Reptiles

All of ours hatch out light gray with bronze-gray markings. Generally speaking, the ones with very light (white) bodies always are screamers when they get older. As others have said, more color comes in with each shed. By six to 8 weeks, I can tell which ones will knock your socks off but it is sometimes hard to convince others. I have had other breeders “turn their noses up” at one when it was six weeks old but standing in line for the same one at four months old (for 3 to 5 times the price).

Also, as others have stated, different lines color up at different times. I have noticed that many hypos color up very quickly but then fade while many Sandfire line Dragons color up slowly but hold their color better into adulthood (especially the males). And yes, before I get flamed, there are hypos that hold their color too and Sandfires that fade. When dealing with livestock; the only certainty is, nothing is certain. I have some before and after pics I may try to post when I get time.
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Rick
Never Enough
Reptiles

My first little guy is a grey/olive color, but has mostly areas of white markings. He's a day old now and I can't wait to watch them grow. The two animals that he came from are exceptional....besides my own personal bias. Jabba is 18 months (her little face looks exactly like Jabba the Hut) and is a hypo and has the sweetest little face, and Tang is a sandfireXorange male that is about two and half and is a stunning bright orange color....so needless to say I can't wait to see what these babies will look like when the reach their color maturity.