Super Dwarf Retics: Het albinos (a little back ground)
In 2005 I aquired 2.2 adult super dwarf retics. They were originally imported as babies back in the late 90's by a fellow who of all places lived in Calgary. (I remember seeing them at the shows there and wondering if they truly would be "dwarf" retics, my concern was unfounded!). Although he lived in Alberta, he did it legally and had all the necessary permits. They then changed hands at some point and one of the females was bred by Chris Marshal in '03 I believe, and then again by a well known breeder the following year before I got a hold of them. In 2006 I decided that I would try and breed one female to the super dwarf male and make straight supers and breed the other female to my dwarf albino male.
Well both breeding's were a success, the picture on the left is of the super dwarf mother with her eggs laid Feb 25th 2006 that were fathered by the dwarf albino. The resulting babies were virtually no different in size compared to the straight super dwarf babies. Only their color and pattern were slightly different. The picture on the right shows one of the babies after it's first shed and before it's first meal. This was an average weight of the babies that I checked, considerably smaller than a dwarf and about half the size of a regular retic. This is a project that really is still in it's infancy, NO ONE has produced any albino super dwarfs yet. Probably someone will this year or next but this truly is a chance to, "get in on the ground floor", so to speak of a really exciting breeding project.
The potential for these is limitless, because of their truly small size and the amazing albino coloration that retics have they will be hugely popular for years to come.
Unfortunately this year 2007, my attemps at producing het albino super dwarfs failed. Although they bred the female did not ovulate and no eggs were laid. Better luck next time.
