Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Okay, I have always wondered this. If I got a red dragon and yellow dragon, would the babies turn out orange? And then, If I bred one of those babies (once it turned to an adult of course) to a red dragon, would there be some pure red and some orange? I have always wondered this. Also, what would be good phases to work with genetics? Would dragons or leopard geckos be better to work with? This has always been a question of mine since I got into breeding dragons (2 years ago). I have never really got a good answer that more than 1 person said. I would like to get someone that has tried this. Thanks.

do you know the classic "Mendelian" stuff thats the basis for most of the genitics for stuff like "hair color" and so on??

example:

rabbits one parent black, one white

x% all black
y% all white
z% patten - mixed black and white

and so forth....
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I have tried that. If I go two generations, I should end up with some pure red or yellow dragons. Would that be a good breeding project? Would anyone be interested in hearing the results?

to try to learn the basics and it also has some good info on usnderstanding pedigrees and abnormality.

I think bearded dragons are a bit tougher to fit into these patterns as they really do not have set recessive traits ( not for lack of people trying)

Its not just cut and dry red or yellow, as you would have to understand that the generations PRIOR to those two dragons that are one red and one yellow, would play a factor in them. Its get interesting trying to understand recessive, dominant normal, dominant recessive, dominant mutation, dominant abnormal, recessive normal, recessive abnormal, etc

Take leucistics for example, if it was a recessive true trait that WOULD show in offspring, bred to each other they should produce leucistics, but their not, its not a recessive trait.... YET. Het to het should produce all hets, plus some showing the trait, yet at this time, as far as we know it does not in bearded dragons...

Is the name leucistic being properly applied them? We don't think so, we may be wrong, but we have yet to see this prove out. So, its probably a co trait, either dominate abnormal or dominate mutation.. time will tell

Anyway, here is a good link to get you started in understanding them.
Introduction to Mendelian Genetics

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www.reptilerooms.com

That was really confusing.

Basically when talking about color in bearded dragons, you really have to throw genetics as they are typically known out the window. The colors (reds, yellows and oranges)in dragons are not recessive or dominant traits, but they are hereditary traits. You have to understand that the skin pigment cells making these colors are one in the same, they just develop to different degrees. These cells are called xanthophores. Over the course of time certain breeders have refined these characteristics to obtain a more predictable outcome, however by no means is it 100%. There are also other factors contributing to the intensity of these colors such as light intensity, light spectrum, diet and overall health(physical & mental). Generally when breeding 2 dragons you may get a couple that resemble 1 parent or the other, but generally you get offspring that have characteristics of both parents. If breeding for color was as simple as a recessive or dominant trait it would not be so difficult to obtain animals with the desirable intense colors. As far as leucistic dragons go....in my 15 years of breeding dragons I have yet to see a true leucistic. They DO NOT exist. It's simply a marketing tool. A true leucistic does not have the ability to make ANY color. A true leucistic would be PURE white with either blue, black or dark brown eyes. A leucistic animal cannot make color because the cells that make color do not exist in the skin, unlike a hypomelanistic where the cells that make melanin exist, but do not function properly. The animals that are marketed as leucistics, in my opinion from the individuals that I have seen, are different. They are hyperirristic which means they have excessive white, but at the same time are still able to produce other colors. This would explain the light oranges & yellows that you see in the head area. This trait may be recessive meaning both parents have to carry it in order for it to be passed on. The same goes for hypomelanistics. Both parents have to carry the trait in order to produce hypomelanistic offspring.