Confused by hatchling colour

[memojo1979]

Well, I've got 117 hatchlings in the past 24hrs(ish) with less than 10 eggs left to hatch.
Parents are a (possibly melanoid) white albino girl + a leucistic boy. The babies all look pale wild-type from the top, but completely white underneath, like they're wearing little cloaks XD
I'm guessing they're leucistics though, as the wildtype babies I've seen look more coloured. All have dark eyes, so I get the dad doesn't carry any albino genes.
I've been told that wildtypes start out with the white underneath (though, from what I remember, they're more of a pale grey underneath, whereas these guys are bright white)
Since both albinos + leucistics must be d/d (using Axolotls - Genetics and Colour as a reference), all the babies should be white, of some sort. If the dad was A/a, then I'd expect some albinos, but looks like he's A/A instead.

Am I right in saying that given that BOTH parents are white, they can NOT carry the "D" for dark colour, otherwise that "D" would be dominant over the "d" + they wouldn't be white? If so, what are the babies likely to be, since they're heavily speckled on top?!

Sorry I can't include a photo - my camera isn't good enough to get a non-blurry photo of the babies

 

[Neil C]

I've never raised leucistics myself but from what I've heard they start off looking like light wildtypes which is what you've described. If you had albino babies then they would not have dark eyes unless you had something quite unusual. They all sound like leucistic young to me. Good luck with them.


Regards Neil

 

[Kaysie]

Albinos are not necessarily d/d. Only white albinos like mum are d/d. Goldens are D/x. But if Dad's leucistic and mom's a white albino, all your babies will be d/d, leucistics.

Hatchling leucistics are usually heavily spotted. The spots fail to migrate off the neural crest as they develop, so that's why leucistic often have freckles on their face and back, but not sides or belly.

 

[memojo1979]

Thanks guys - I'd heard about the freckles not leaving the head, which is what confused me - they go down the back too. If the freckles fade from the back as they grow, then that makles perfect sense. Ta :happy: