Aliza
Ron Tremper, who could rightfully be called one of the “fathers” of leopard gecko selective breeding, has recently launched a new app (for iphone and android) called “Leopard Gecko Pro”. This new app is one of a series of leopard gecko morph, gecko care and the most comprehensive of the apps that he has released (others include leopard gecko, snake and tortoise care). I was unable to resist this app and its $9.99 price tag which includes a “lifetime” of free updates in a field that is constantly evolving. snake tortoise care apps that he has released. I was unable to resist this app and its $9.95 $9.99 price tag
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Overview of the App
The app consists of two sections: a long article about leopard gecko genetics (“Introduction” and “Overview of Morphs”) and a photo gallery of captioned leopard gecko morphs. Tremper states in his introduction that he has no intention of trying to provide photographs of every possible new morph, but has put together a fairly exhaustive, indexed collection.
The article that accompanies the app, “Overview of Morphs” greatly expands upon material which can be found in other Tremper publications: The Herpetoculture of Leopard Geckos (with Philippe de Vosjoli and Roger Klingenberg, 2005 Advanced Visions Inc.; out of print), his website www.leopardgecko.com and a video-based presentation produced for the museum show Geckos: Tails to Toepads currently exhibiting at the Museum of Science in Boston MA (January to May 2012). It includes a general summary of leopard gecko genetic components (color, pattern, eye color, size), designer morph combinations and tips for breeders illustrated by examples of his own successes and failures: “How to Design a New Morph” and “So You Think You Have Something New?” The morph section also provides a much awaited update on the “blue morph” leopard gecko. The photographs of specific morphs include one or more pictures of the morph in question with relevant, though not exhaustive, notes about each morph.
My Review
On the whole, I consider this app to be money well spent both in terms of the quality of the photos that have been provided to date and the promise of future updates, which I expect to primarily reflect Tremper’s developments with his breeding programs. The overview article does have minor punctuation and wording errors (which, in an email to Mr. Tremper, I have offered to correct) and contains a few more significant debatable points, some of which I will describe as examples:
— Tremper describes the circling and clumsy behaviors of the enigma morph and states “this behavior is intensified when enigmas are bred together”, an assertion which many would disagree with, maintaining instead, that the manifestation of the enigma syndrome has been found by many breeders to be inconsistent within the morph regardless of the behavior or genetics of the parents.
–The RADAR is described as an “albino Bell RAPTOR” even though the “T” of “RAPTOR” stands for “Tremper (albino)”.
–”When a blizzard is bred to a murphy patternless you get young that are normal banded in appearance (phenotype), but are called “double hets” since they carry the genes for “blizzard and murphy patternless.”
Despite this quote, there is no mention anywhere in the article or the morph photographs of the “banana blizzard” which is the common name for the patternless blizzard cross.
–”Albino blizzard: AKA Tremper Patternless Albino=TPA. This morph is the result of combining two recessive traits. The Tremper Albino and Blizzard were used to create this new homozygous morph. This means it is not carrying any recessive genes, and therefore, cannot be “het” for anything”
Actually, the TPA is carrying only recessive genes. By definition, an animal which expresses a trait both phenotypically and genotypically cannot be “het” because it has only recessive genes. In the bigger genetic picture, though, these genes are still recessive.
This last quote is the source of my most serious, though still minor criticism of the app, and a caveat to those who will consider buying it: I find the use of some genetic terms and phrases to be occasionally sloppy and mis-applied.
Those who consider purchasing this app must be clear to take it for what it is: a wonderful photographic archive with notes from one of the more successful and innovative leopard gecko breeders in the field. It is not, however, a genetics textbook or even a reliable breeding “cookbook” because of some of the inconsistencies. However, as a print version of the experience of following someone like Ron Tremper around, listening to his comments and anecdotes about his work and creations, this app can’t be beat.
Download the app on the iTunes Store or Android Store.
Any edits made to this article will be marked and replaced with corrected information.
Thanks for the review on Ron Tremper’s new app. The photos shown here are indeed beautiful.
To be honest the app is very good with great quality photos.
There are some thing that could be improved but that is the same with any aspect of life.
I wouldn’t stick to everything that is said religiously but it is a great app for the money and i definitely do not regret buying it.
The fact that i could have a quick look without requiring an internet connection seems great.
I use it as a gallery more than anything else and if I want to look at a morph than I can without connection.
I don’t see how you can disagree with breeding an enigma to enigma increasing the chance of syndrome.
As surely if an animal gets two copies of the same gene then it has double that chance of getting the syndrome?
and the raptor/radar thing is a way of explaining it to people who have knowlege of the raptor(the more common of the two) but may not have any on radar.
Raptor is used a lot and by saying the t stands for tremper which it does then why are many raptors which are in fact not patternless stripe called so. As the p stands for patternless?
There are a few really great contributors to our beloved Herp Hobby, and I stand behind each of them. If it weren’t for them and the many years they spent working to achieve the basic morph traits, we would not have access to the amazing morphs and genetic pool that we do today.
That being said, after reading this review, I feel it is incomplete, erroneous and comes off as a biased attack on what is a massive collection of information and research.
Right out of the shute the reviewer states Ron “could rightfully be called one of the ‘fathers’ of leopard gecko selective breeding.” Minor, but intentional. This to me, sounds like the reviewer “dumbs down” Ron’s level of reputation and veritable gifts to the leopard gecko world by marginalizing him.
Anyone who knows the name Ron Tremper, would agree that he IS “the Father” of leopard gecko genetics. Make no mistake of that. He has brought us two recessives, the super giant codominant, striped, reverse striped, carrot-head, (one of my personal favorites) the Diablo Blanco, the Emerine, the Galaxy and a few more. The majority of the gorgeous and seemingly impossible morphs owned by thousands worldwide have one or more of the special traits he developed over the past 35 years, and will no doubt still continue to bring more.
If we want to nitpick errors, the reviewer’s first paragraph contains some errors. There has been no snake care app published by Ron Tremper and the price of Leopard Gecko Pro is $9.99. The reviewer lines up a few “issues” that one would also file under nitpicking, from complaining about simple punctuation errors, to not listing every single morph common name.
Such as the comment on the “Bell albino Raptor,” when every website that offers the “Radar” refers to them as such. No one that has studied geckos for very long would think that both albino strains are in one gecko. The use of the term, “Raptor,” points to the R for red eyes. Many postings in the gecko community simply say, “Banded Raptor”. This is short slang way of saying “a banded albino gecko with all red eyes”. In the Herp community, there are loads of these “slang” terms that are known.
However, the reviewer fails to mention the debut of the Platinum gecko, a new morph that is pictured and discussed for the first time anywhere. There is also no discussion of the other mind-blowing morphs like the Inverse or the Super Blood mentioned. Rather, the reviewer brings up something leopard gecko enthusiasts have already known for two years, and which is clearly posted verbatum on Ron’s website, by proclaiming, “The morph section also provides a much awaited update on the “blue morph” leopard gecko.” Someone clearly did not do their homework.
And while we are discussing morphs, defending enigma to enigma breeding is nonsense. For two years the Net was filled with accounts of top breeders having to euthanize babies that would not eat or that walked in circles endlessly. Ron Tremper’s track record suggests that he does not just randomly print anything that he can’t stand behind. Remember, this is HIS app, which details information known worldwide, as well as documented by the man himself.
Finally, something that irks me and no doubt would anyone that contributed to this app’s creation, was the comment on future updates, “which I expect to primarily reflect Tremper’s developments with his breeding programs.” What? It is very easy to see, from studying the app photo credits, that every top breeder in the world has been included and given generous praise for their morphs. What I get out of her similar remarks throughout the review, it’s like she is saying, “stop hogging all the glory Ron.”
A major point not addressed is the fact the review is supposed to be about an app. The reviewer fails to address the major concerns with apps and the functionality of this one. Omitting the fact that his most recent version is “device resident” (not dependent on Wi-Fi), which allows for instantaneous screen changes is huge. And his addition of a “top” button, making for stream-lined navigation throughout the app, are what make its functionality impressive.
In the advertisement details for the app, online in Android Market and iTunes, it clearly states what the app contains and what it does not. It is a cheap shot to say it is not a genetics textbook. However, the app does clearly give the genetic components of each morph, and for many, tells the reader how to create a given morph. If that is not a breeding recipe, I don’t know what is.
The last slap in the face are the words used to describe this app as “unreliable, sloppy and misapplied.” In all my years of following Ron Tremper’s works, I have never heard anyone call his efforts, sloppy, unreliable and misapplied. Nothing could be further from the truth. What is sloppy, unreliable and misapplied is the above review.
Anyone that is considering acquiring Leopard Gecko Pro is getting a first-class app that covers gecko morphs very thoroughly, fairly and professionally by the leading authority on the subject. Not only is it a great product, but once again Ron has led the way by having the first app out there of any kind concerning itself about captive breeding, and he has set the standard very high. With a lifetime of free updates, combined with fabulous photos and great information, this app is a bargain for any herper.
I have mixed feelings about this app. I did purchase it for some clarification on certain things, which it has done. The only thing i dislike is that most of the pictures on there are of Ron Trempers personal collection and are of the best quality of each of these morphs. I really wish they had pictures of the more “common” form of each of these morphs. Over all i think this app is worth the money for any Gecko fan.
I downloaded this on my LG for 13 bucks and it won’t load the pictures I feel completely ripped off I emailed the site and no response thanks for nothing LG piece of crap
Sorry this happened to you. Please realize 2 things:
this review was written 3 years ago. I just tried to open my app that I got when I wrote the review. I got a message that says: “‘Gecko Pro’ needs to be updated. This app will not work with future versions of IOS. The developer of this app needs to update it to improve its compatibility”. That means, as far as I can see, that the person who did the app (Ron Tremper) has not updated it and 3 years after it was released, it may not work.
Gecko Time just reviewed the app. We didn’t produce it. I’m sorry you’re disappointed but it’s really not our problem.
I do appreciate finding out that the app isn’t currently functional.