Bearded Dragons — The T⁺ Albino Project
We’re stabilizing T⁺ Albino in the U.S. by prioritizing quality and health over numbers—using smart outcrossing to strengthen the gene pool and produce confident, healthy hunters.
What is T⁺ Albino in Bearded Dragons?
T⁺ (Tyrosinase-positive) Albino describes an albino phenotype in which the enzyme tyrosinase remains present and partially functional. Tyrosinase initiates the biochemical pathway that produces melanin. Because T⁺ animals retain some tyrosinase activity, they can synthesize a limited amount of melanin—far less than normal dragons, but not zero.
In practice, T⁺ Albino dragons tend to:
- Avoid “paper white.” They display warm ambers, oranges, creams, and soft browns as residual melanin interacts with other pigments.
- Show lighter, more translucent eyes. Amber/red tones and stronger light transmission are common, which is why some lines can be more light-sensitive.
- Retain softened pattern/contrast. With melanin not fully absent, pattern elements remain visible—just rendered in a warmer palette.
Breeding-wise, T⁺ Albino is treated as a recessive trait: Albino × Normal = all hets (carriers); Het × Het ≈ 25% Albino; Albino × Het ≈ 50% Albino. We emphasize outcrossing to keep the gene pool diverse and the animals robust.
When most people say “Albino”… they mean T⁻
In many reptiles, the classic “albino” people picture is T⁻ (Tyrosinase-negative) albino—where tyrosinase is absent or non-functional, so the animal produces no black melanin at all. T⁻ albinos (common in some snake and lizard species) look extremely high-contrast: bright whites/creams, pinkish undertones, and very light, red-toned eyes.
T⁺ Albino is different: a small amount of melanin can still form, pushing the palette toward ambers and oranges and allowing some pattern to persist. Both are “albino,” but they differ in how much melanin the body is capable of making.
Our Approach: Strong, Healthy Albinos
The number of Albinos currently in the U.S. is still quite small, and many circulating animals show hunting challenges tied to vision. At Liftin Lizards, we do not pair Albino × Albino. Instead, we focus on outcrossing—pairing Albino to robust, unrelated stock or working het × het—to keep the gene pool diverse and the dragons confident and food-motivated. The result: happy, healthy juveniles that are already hunting on their own here in the collection.
Adult Breeder Hets
Juveniles (Citrus, Zero & More)
We’re especially excited about the Citrus Albino—a linebred trait that pushes that beautiful, saturated yellow pop across the body. Selective linebreeding is how we dial color up while keeping the animals strong.
What’s Next
We’re forging ahead with Albino Zero and Citrus Albino pairings, keeping the priority on diverse, healthy genetics. Our beautiful cornerstone male for this project also carries a very clean Genetic Stripe, which sets us up for spectacular colors and pattern expression as the project matures.
Albino Zero? “Zero” is a patternless morph. When combined with albinism, you get a stunning, ultra-clean canvas that really lets warm tones and eye contrast shine. Paired thoughtfully with Citrus linebreeding and stripe influence, this is where we expect some truly standout holdbacks.