I just bought a snow hypo and he is about 4 ins long. He is not white like the pic showed so now I am thinking that I was lied to. My question is are snow hypo white when they are hatched or do they become white with each shed?
I am sure like many other color breeds they get brighter with each shed. One thing to consider also before pointing the scammer finger is that when a beardie first gets to his new surrounding after being shipped he could be very dark and stressed. Give him a couple days to relax and get used to his new surroundings. Also, as a precaution, you want to call the breeder and tell him your concerns without accusing them of ripping off. That way you plant a seed that you arent happy.
I saw the mother and she looked white but the pics were not very good.. I bought him from breedingcircle.com. I will get a pic as soon as I get home and post it here.
Snows and marketed leucistics are not always white. I bought a baby marketed leucistic which is sometimes called a snow. Basically these are hypomelanistic dragons with clear nails. They are supposed to get lighter patterned and less color with each shed, but mine actually has a lot of peach on him and he was hatched April 14,09.
His parents are both beautiful white dragons. You are just going to have to wait and see how he turns out. Most get very white, but some, no matter how light the parents get, don't quite loose all the color. At your baby's age he is probably more tan with either a litte yellow or a little peach and when he is stressed he will probably be an almost ugly shade of brownish. That's normal when they are young. I was assured by the breeder that this is normal and just to be patient.
There is no such thing as a true leucistic bearded dragon to this point in time. They are all hypomelanistic dragons with very light shading and they are sold as marketed leucistics and sometimes snow dragons. To this point I haven't had a breeder be able to explain any genetic difference between a snow and a marketed leucistic.
Here is Ash he is 14 inches and weighs 120 grams and is 3 months old.
That is perfectly normal for a baby marketed leucistic or snow. Does he have clear nails? The nails should all be clear if he is hypomelanistic.
I think you have a perfectly normal baby for the color you were told he should be when grown. But keep in mind, sometimes they don't loose all the color and there is no way to predict. If you don't mind me asking, how much did you pay? I paid $250 for mine and mine is from Georgia bearded dragons. There is another person on the forums that has Ash's sister. Georgia bearded dragons has pictures of their snows and leucistics if you want to get an idea of adult color variation.
I paid $150.00 for him and yes he does have clear nails. I can say that the guy I bought him from took very good care of them. He started eating right away and is very active. I am very happy with his customer service.. The ones they have on Georgia bearded dragon are very nice looking.
All of mine have been slightly green when they were babies and then start to gradually color up a little. As they grow into adults they seem to lighten up gradually. And like normal beardies turn black sometimes, these turn solid grey.