"Tells"

There are a few "Tells" out there for Hets. For instance, the tracks on a het pied. How many can we come up with, if we all put our knowledge together?

Reliable Het markers..

I can think of ....none.

I should state that het markers are unreliable. I know people get touchy about that (always go with a reputable breeder with lots of info, etc.)

With that said, I'm interested in ANYTHING anyone has heard. I'll give another example to get the "ball" rolling. The "axanthic influence".

I have heard that if you're picking through a pile of possible hets for albino, choose the ones that look "granitey" because they supposedly prove out more often. But that's only a rumor. ;)

There are Hets with traits and there are Hets without traits.

There's also a hypo one I heard about that had hooks as a 'marker'. Of course, there are plenty of normals with hooks and Hets without them.

The point of the matter is that these pattern differences can be in hets or normals alike and don't have any sort of relevance to the true Het of the animal.

Big Gunns is interested in what everyone has to say, but he ain't telling anybody squatoosh.:D Just business fans.

Big Gunns has a story to tell(like always) about "tells. Years ago he was down at Pete Kahl's facility looking at all his het and poss het Pieds with Ted Thompson(Susquehanna ectothurms) who worked there. We looked at 100 animals or more for "tells". Ted thought they have a greenish hue to them(they kinda do), but BG saw something else....the train tracks.

Now, was it in BG's best interest to tell Ted and Pete, or should BG keep his big flapper shut? This was long before it was public knowledge...Pete didn't even know. BG is a nice guy, but you know what they say about "nice guys". He didn't say squat, and was glad he never did.

BG even remembers when Mike Wilbanks asked him about 3 poss hets that Steve Roussis was selling in Daytona. BG looked at them and told Mikey to buy them, but he didn't say why. Mike bought them and 2 proved out years later.


This knowledge, along with the knowledge that het albino boas have albino flecking in them(Pete told BG this....dummmy) paid off immensely for Big Gunns over the years. BG was really PO'd when the rest of the mortals figured it out and flapped their big jaws.:taz::taz:


BG will sit back and watch this thread....maybe somebody knows something that BG doesn't....but he doubts it.:D

I had to chuckle at the similar thread on kingsnake and the mention of pied feeding habits. I've been keeping the ringer belly possible possible hets for years but they have eaten so poorly I'm only just now starting to get some up to breeding size to put it to the test. I have little doubt that is a useful marker if not 100% reliable. Estimates I've read are from 60 - 80% of hets having it, way higher than in non het pieds. I've followed the trait through generations and am raising up a very well marketed girl who's last pied ancestor was her great great grandfather.

Another one I read about was some het hypos shedding clear like hypos. When I picked up my original het hypo male (who didn't shed clear) the breeder was cleaning cages and sure enough he had some hets that shed clear. I noticed my het was particularly bright (reduced dark pigment in the light pattern areas) and half his offspring where noticeably brighter than the other half. I kept the only bright female and sure enough she has now proven het hypo. Not much of a sample size though and not breeding the other's out too doesn't help to prove anything.

I've long heard of het stripes being brighter and 'strippy". Have never been sure about what exactly the pattern to look for is though.

Another rumor I don't have even a little experience with is VPI axanthic hets tending to be black back pattern.