Question regarding Leatherbacks and Smoothies.

I want to get some other opinions. I know we have some bigger breeders on here..

I usually see leather backs and smoothies listed separately, but sometimes as the same thing.

I am aware that both have a recessive, and a co dom line. I am also aware that both can make a silkie, also when crossed together you can get a silkie.


So.. What are your opinions/view? Same? Different? And what is your reasoning.


Thanks ^_^

as far as i know the only reason that they are considered as seperate "morphs" is that the leatherback line came from a breeder in italy while the smoothie line came from american breeders. The best person to answer this would be ed clark but im pretty certain that is the answer.

Im pretty sure they are all related anyhow... Wasnt there a thread here about these animals on the BOI?

Smoothies and Italian leatherbacks are separate and different bloodlines/morphs.

Alot of us are trying to keep these bloodlines pure, although some are breeding Smoothies to Leathers to make a smoother leather.

is it correct that the smoothie line came out of american breeding while leathers are from overseas

Allessandro's Italian Leatherbacks are from Italy.

There have been a few lines of Smoothies/reduced scales pop up mostly in California.

With the AC line of American Smoothies being front and center, it has been demonstrated that an Italian Leatherback when bred to a AC line smoothie are compatible and will produce a certain percentage of silkies just as breeding 2 Italian Leatherbacks together.

The Smoothies have very different looks and body shape. I certainly dont think these two bloodlines to be one in the same.

hey Ed, i got word alittle while back, that some breeders where crossing the two lines (american and Italian) to produce a healthier silkback. when you cross two ita. leathers you produce silkies but sometimes the have birth defects or other problems. some believe crossing the two lines produce healthier silkies, but your crossing the lines and not keeping them pure. what do you think?? should it not be done? should it be done to produce healthier silkies??? should silkies just not be produced? what is your out look on that?

Originally Posted by dragonluver83

hey Ed, i got word alittle while back, that some breeders where crossing the two lines (american and Italian) to produce a healthier silkback. when you cross two ita. leathers you produce silkies but sometimes the have birth defects or other problems. some believe crossing the two lines produce healthier silkies, but your crossing the lines and not keeping them pure. what do you think?? should it not be done? should it be done to produce healthier silkies??? should silkies just not be produced? what is your out look on that?

There are problems with the Silkies, some of them are the results of the keepers trying to maintain them in the same way they do all their other dragons...that wont work with small Silkies. they shed differently similar to a leopard gecko, they need it more humid to shed, getting them through their first two sheds has been problematic to many keepers.

Crosses?
My focus is trying to produce the best color that I can in pure Italian leathers and not on making Silkies.

But if someone is just trying to make Silkies crossing into Smoothies or any of the other Leatherback lines to try to strengthen them up may be a way to go as long as the produced offspring are labeled as such.

Before I jumped head first into any Leatherbacks I looked at everything that was out there as far as Leatherbacks were concerned, for me it was the Italians....they blew me away, they are the kings of Leatherbacks.

There is still alot to be done breeding Leatherbacks and Smoothies.

A discussion brandi and I had is what prompted this, and I myself am just starting to figure out all of this leathrback smoothie stuff...but my understanding is they are the same trait, same gene, just 2 different names and lines...to put it simply