hets

ok so im completely confused on the whole heterozygous, homozygous breeding trait thing. We just got a 50% het for axanthic ball today(hes gorgeous by the way!!:) ), so if we breed him with our normal female what exactly are our chances of getting an axanthic? is there even a chance of getting an axanthic out of a the clutch between those two?

if you have a 50% het for axanthic, that means that your new python has 50% chance of being het for axanthic or 50% chance of being just a normal. If the guy is het axanthic and you breed him to a normal female, each baby would be 50% possible het for axanthic. If the guy is not het axanthic and you breed it to a normal female, all you would get is normals. You have to breed a het to a het to produce a homozygous animal.

thanks, but then what should i breed it with for an axanthic? another het?and does homozygous mean that it is the actual axanthic or is it something else?

If your ball python is a het for axanthic, you would have to breed it with another het axanthic or an axanthic to produce an axanthic. Homozygous forms of recessive traits show....so yes, the homozygous is a visual axanthic.

Sounds like you need to read up on some genetics :) Here are some good links:

http://www.newenglandreptile.com/care.html (scroll to the bottom for articles)
http://www.ralphdavisreptiles.com/matrix/squares.asp
http://www.ballpython.ca/genetics.html (great visuals)

wow thank you so much, that stuff is really confusing

do you suppose there are any ways of identifying hets? do they have any physical characteristics that might give a hint?

nope....you have to breed it to prove it :) Thats why possible hets are usually cheap...if people knew they were true hets they would be priced alot higher :)

Although.. some genes are said to have 'markers' or hets that do look different. For example.. I think it is ivory bloods.. a het ivory is a 'marble' blood.

That may just be a co-dominant trait though. Markers are controversial.. some morphs like granite burms have some hets that show 'markers' and some that don't, so then it gets REALLY confusing.

Co-dominant is where the het form (one copy of the gene) of the gene is different from normal (ie pastel) and the homozygous form (two copies of the gene) is even different from the het form (super pastel)

In retics there is tiger, and super tiger.. etc etc.

i learned genetics by this http://www.ballpython.ca/genetics.html i think daniel already showed you that one though.