Leucistic Question

[Pals BP]

I have another question about ball python genetics, I think I stumped a few people on my last thread! Does anyone know if black eye leucistics (super fires) can breed, or are they infertile?

I know that super forms of some genes can cause the animal to be infertile, and I have not heard of anyone breeding a black eye leucistic yet. I was wondering if leucistic x fire would work? I believe this would produce all fires and leucistics.

Any insight into this would be appreciated, thank you

[OhhWatALoser]

yes they can breed just fine, and yes a lucy x fire would produce fires and lucys.

what genetics make them infertile?

[RichsBallPythons]

Breeding a super form in any paring will yield NO normals.

[Pals BP]

yes they can breed just fine, and yes a lucy x fire would produce fires and lucys.

what genetics make them infertile?

I have mainly been into boas and the super forms of the jungle and motley, from my understanding, have yet to reproduce. In fact, I have not seen evidence of the super motley even surviving into adulthood. Check out this link http://superiormorphs.wordpress.com/...oas-infertile/ It's from 2008, but I believe it still applies. I was not sure if the Super form of some BPs act the same way as in boas.

Breeding a super form in any paring will yield NO normals.

Yep, that is what i would like from this kind of pairing, all of the little ones would be more marketable than normals

[jsmorphs2]

I don't think there is any evidence to date of any ball morphs being infertile. Even ball hybrids can reproduce. Now, will there ever be a point at which morphology interferes with fertility?...that's a good question.

I think the closest thing you'll find regarding fertility issues would come up researching the caramel gene. If you search the forum for female caramel albino infertility a few interesting threads come up with questions regarding females not being able to produce fertile clutches or slugging out consistently. From what I understand they DO lay fertile clutches but it seems they are usually small and have a large ratio of slugs to fertile eggs. However, I've had mixed success with regular morphs and normals too. So, does the caramel gene effect fertility? I don't think there is enough organized data to prove it does.

[OhhWatALoser]

I have mainly been into boas and the super forms of the jungle and motley, from my understanding, have yet to reproduce. In fact, I have not seen evidence of the super motley even surviving into adulthood. Check out this link http://superiormorphs.wordpress.com/...oas-infertile/ It's from 2008, but I believe it still applies. I was not sure if the Super form of some BPs act the same way as in boas.

I havn't herd anything like that about ball pythons, closest thing I've herd is super jag carpets, which are lucys, do not survive, longest one lived out of the egg was about a day as far as i know.

[jjmitchell]

as far as the super motley boa.... something Brian talked about in the last snakebytes... the columbians dont seem to thrive, but the argintines seem to do fine....

[Pals BP]

as far as the super motley boa.... something Brian talked about in the last snakebytes... the columbians dont seem to thrive, but the argintines seem to do fine....

Hmm, I did not know that...any pictures of Argentine super motley adults available?...and are they able to breed?

[$Hakeem$]

I have heard that Woma balls babys can have some genetic defects...Is that true?I have never heard that about ifertility in some morphs...Im a little confused!

[Serpent_Nirvana]

AFAIK, the only "woma" problem is not with the womas that most people have, but with NERD's "hidden gene" woma (which is NOT in any way related to the more common woma). The homozygous ("super") form of that is called the pearl, and they die shortly after hatching.

Female caramel albinos are rumored to be infertile. After reading through the thread below, it sounds to me as though, as jsmorphs alluded to, they are capable of producing fertile eggs but that they tend to lay a very high proportion of slugs. You can't call them infertile with even a few good eggs, but in my mind, I would consider them subfertile until proven otherwise. I would need a whole lotta pictures of caramel females sitting on 4+ egg clutches with NO slugs to start believing otherwise.

http://www.reptileradio.net/reptiler...ad.php?t=20146

That's just my line of thought, though, based solely on reading that one thread (in which, unlike other, more "speculative" threads, a number of folks have come forward with numbers and pictures). Others may feel they need more evidence one way or the other to form a conclusion, which is also perfectly logical.

IMO, it isn't reason to avoid the caramels -- I really like the morph, in fact just bought a male who hasn't even arrived yet -- but it was enough to make me re-think and alter my original game plan with them.

I haven't heard even any rumors of other morphs being infertile.