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 3 months for $50.00 |
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Posted by Miss_Marbles on May 02, 2003 at 00:03:53:
In Reply to: Blonde Leopard Tort posted by dragonlady01 on April 30, 2003 at 19:48:17:
Young Leopards often go through phases where they first grow out blonde, but then later begin showing dark streaks.. if it's a young tortoise, don't take it for granted it will stay blonde. I would consider a true blonde leopard to be an obvious large adult with minimal black marks.. (and not sanded!! ) But in the case of a young leopard, you just can't tell! I've seen these so-called blondes become quite dark-streaked later as they grew.
Also, a lack of central spots in the scutes of hatchlings does NOT indicate a Leopard tort will grow up blonde.. I've had plenty of hatchlings without central spots grow up normal-colored, and not blonde.
And also, for breeding purposes, I would think it would take many generations of selective breeding to produce a dependably blonde line of tortoises. Blondeness may be a trait of an individual that isn't necessarily genetically transmitted to offspring. In any event, I would think that spottedness is so ingrained in Leopards that it would take a LOT of selective breeding to dependably eliminate it.
Good luck finding a blonde.. I've had at least one stay spot-free up to about 10" before the spots began to appear..
:I am interested in this blonde leopard tort:
:http://market.kingsnake.com/detail.php?cat=50&de=85547
:Do you think it's a nice one? Is the asking price reasonable? Comments? Suggestions? I have other species of torts but not leopard. Thanks!
