I guess this is a question about dinkin'??

[DeadLegs]

I have a pastel female who has some markings in her pattern which look like...well, ghosts I guess. Now, the other night I was handling my het pied male and noticed he has the same marking in his pattern, although he has it only once where as my pastel has it like 2 or 3 times.

Is there a possibility that I could breed them and this be turned into a genetic trait?

[A.VinczeBPs]

Ghost isn't a pattern so much of a lack of pigment, so I'm unsure what you mean.

Anything could be genetic, however, that doesn't mean it's genetic in a morph fashion or just something passed on. I have a normal that passes on lighter normals, but, still normal.

You have to breed to find out, that's why it's a dinker.

[OzarkMountainBalls]

I think what the op meant was that the marlings look like a ghost. Like a haloween ghost. Breeding to try and reproduce that pattern is a great idea. Afterall that's WHY we breed snakes. To get traits desireable to ourselves.

[DeadLegs]

I'm not talking about the current ghost morph, I know what that is. I am referring to a marking in the pattern which looks like a ghost. you know, "booooo i'm here to scare yo butt"....GHOST IN the pattern.

[DeadLegs]

That is indeed what I mean, Ozark. But I'm still rather new to the game of genetics so I wasn't sure if just a small detail of a snake's pattern could be bred to BE genetic...if that makes any sense.

[Jyson]

That is indeed what I mean, Ozark. But I'm still rather new to the game of genetics so I wasn't sure if just a small detail of a snake's pattern could be bred to BE genetic...if that makes any sense.

Sometimes the dinkers with the smallest and most unnoticeable markings can give you some mind blowing results....or they can give you a batch of norms. Its really just a roll of the dice. I say breed them and find out, at the very least you could produce a pastel pos. het pied.

[stevepoppers]

Like this?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Scream

Pics help. Even crappy ones.

Go for it. It won't hurt anything. And it might prove out. It sounds like it could be pretty cool. "Screaming normals" or something.

[DeadLegs]

haha, YES Steve!! That is EXACTLY the face that is on both of them. I forgot I had already uploaded a pic of the female's pattern some time ago when I first noticed it on her.



I guess it really kind of looks more like a skull? I dunno, but like I said my het pied also has that same marking in his pattern. probably a remarkably thin possibility of it being honed into a genetic trait but it sure would be cool, in my humble opinion.

[DeadLegs]

I know what you mean, Jyson. My pastel is still too young and too small for breeding but I probably will try it once she is up to weight which should be next year in the fall.

Like I said previously, chances are probably slim to none that something super cool would come from it but half the fun is trying!

[stevepoppers]

Heck even if you only see it on just one or a few offspring, hold them back and try again, it might just increase the odds.