Tri-color Crested Geckos for sale in the UK

The base colour of a Tri-color crested gecko counts as one of the three distinct colours along its sides. Most are Harlequins with a second pattern colour laid in beside the first. The grade turns on how evenly those three colours share the sides.

Appearance

The base is typically red or a dark shade such as brown, black or lavender. You only count the colours on the laterals. Two pattern colours, which are often white or cream and yellow or orange, sit on top of the base. The dorsal does not count and on a standard animal it looks like a Harlequin or Extreme Harlequin back. Separate traits like quad-stripe markings, portholes and white spots never count as the third colour. Grading is subjective, so judge the photograph yourself rather than the label. While some keepers insist on an even split, others accept any animal where all three are clearly present. The ideal is roughly equal amounts of the three colours including the base. Most Tri-colors sit on a Harlequin pattern but pinstriped animals can qualify too. The animal is sold as an Extreme Tri-color when the pattern climbs far enough to cover most of the upper sides. This is the Extreme Harlequin version of the same look, but it is harder to tell the three colours apart as the base disappears.

Genetics

Because Tri-color is polygenic, neither het nor super exists. These animals are listed as Tri-color or Pos Tri-color, and the hobby also calls them Calico. A Tri-color on an Extreme Harlequin pattern is called Extreme Tri-color instead of being a separate trait. No first-produced year or originator is recorded.