what is a Hypo?

I don't remember where it was... (so lotsa help there Ken, gee thanks for all the great info lol) But I saw a side x side pic of a normal and a hypo in shed and the difference was breathtaking... if I can dig up the pic, or find where I saw it, I'll let ya know. :)

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Originally Posted by JB_Orchidguy

Adam you say this is a Hypo.

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Yup ... because that's what it is. ;)

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Originally Posted by JB_Orchidguy

Is this a hypo pastel?

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Nope ... just a regular ole hypo. Amazing what you can do with selective breeding, isn't it. :D

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Originally Posted by JB_Orchidguy

I thought the hypo morph gave the snakes the always need a shed look. Is that true?

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No. Not true at all. Hypomelanism is a genetic trait like say ... blue eyes. Some people have bright blue eyes, some peoples blue eyes almost look hazel ... but they ALL carry the genes needed to make blue eyes.

Same with hypos ... some are bright, some are dull, some looks like they are in a constant state of shed ... but they are ALL hypos. Why? Because they all carry the genes needed to make them hypos and to pass on to their offspring in order to make more hypos.

-adam

ok so I need to still look up some more on Hypo then. Because that snake still looks like a pastel to me. I get what your saying about one persons blue eyes may be bright while the others no so bright, but I;m jsut not getting the what makes it a hypo side. I will try to loo some more. I thought I had it down with the constant state of shed look, but since thats not it I'm back to the drawing board. Thanks guys for helping me to understand. I will get it eventualy. My gills are still green.

You know, it's funny. While I can look at that picture of Adam's hypo, I can clearly tell it's a hypo and not a pastel, but I can't explain "why" I can tell. I was going to say faded head, but pastels can have faded heads, so that's not it. I was going to say that I've not seen that bright yellow in a pastel, but that doesn't necessarily mean there isn't one, just that "I" haven't seen an example of one. But somehow, for me, the difference between pastel and hypo is easily distinguishable. Wow, I wasn't much help now, was I?

LOL Well, Its understandable. I can look at an orchid even one that someone hasn't told me its an orchid and I can tell you its an orchid. Many times I can narrow down the species. I used to call all orchids in the Cattleya alliance family a cattleya, but now I can distinguish many apart. Not all, but many, but there is also a large number of those too. I just have experience with orchids and not with the Morphs of a BP. I can look and say that its a BP, but still lacking on some of the morphs, but its ok. So its not anyones lack of explination, because many have been great. I'm just trying to compair them to a normal to see the difference. I know these are mutations and are different in every snake. Looking at pictures is good, but the real thing would be better. All though thats not going to happen for a little while. Just bare with me I will get it eventualy.


I have an idea. What about say Adam if he has the time or some other person with a bunch of morph pics post them in one thread. Then not label them and see how many people can match the name of the morph to the picture. Lock the thread for a coupole of days and let people get their answers in order and then open it say a day or two later and let people post their answers and see how many each person got correct. It would be a good contest and learning experience. If it was a contest then the answers would need to be PMed so that they do not give it away to the other folks, but I still think it would be a good learning tool for people like me who are still having a hard time with it. I duno just an idea.

I know I haven't proven myself yet as one to stick with it because I am still new, but since there is so many people willing to help I am willing to learn. Thanks everyone!

Its me again. I have been doing some more research on Hypos, and I found this one one site, and its sites like this that lead me to believe what I believed about Hypos and why I thought Adams snake was a pastel. Here is a link to the picture I found of a pastel. According to this website this is a [pastel and to me it looks just like Adams Hypo.

http://www.vmsherp.com/ImagePages/Balls/PastelBall.htm
Now here is a pic of thier hypo.
http://www.vmsherp.com/ImagePages/Balls/GhostBall.htm
It has the washed out look I associated with Ghost/hypo BPs.
Acording to their description of the hypo they say
"Hypomelanistic. Absolutely spectacular Ball Pythons! Completely lacking any true black pigment in the epidermal layers, there are only traces remaining in some of the deeper layers of the skin. Even the shed skin lacks all pigmentation. This gives the snake a pale 'ghostly' coloration and these snakes glow!"

I didn't see this in Adams Hypo. I see the faded blushing, but thats apparent in the pastels too. It seems that most of the things I read say that the hypo's have the washed out needing to shed look as in that one in the picture. Also their ghost looks to me like its a ghost pastel too. I duno.

Adam, isn't that the hypo from a yellow hypo x butterscotch hypo pairing? ha ha...that pic is one of the reasons I wanted to start a hypo project....you have any yellow hypos or hets planned for this year?...

Josh...they still look completely different to me.....maybe you are having trouble because there are many different types of hypos and pastels....they all do not look identical and some are great quality while some are not...there are probably 10+ genetic lines of each out there. That leaves alot of animals that are named the same, but look slightly different. There are butterscotch, burgundy, yellow, orange, green, frosted and a few other types of hypos out there. With pastels there are lemons, Graziani, Blonde, BHB, Stonewash, Enchi, VPI....the list goes on. If you look at A LOT of pictures from A LOT of different places, you will begin to notice the common qualities of each a pastel and a hypo....and if you still can't tell the difference.....you will just have to see them in person because when you see them there will be no doubt that they are completely different snakes ;)

The same goes for hypo-pastels.....it all depends on the genetics of the hypo and pastel that created them. I have seen some hypo-pastels that looked like nice pastels.....but then I have seen hypo-pastels that will light you on fire....

....thats why if anyone is getting into morphs, they should buy from a good breeder that has excellent breeding stock.....because who really wants an average looking hypo when they can have a SCREAMER like the one in Adam's pic? :D

That seems to be what Adam was saying and that clears it up a little more. TY I guess I am doing what I always do when I get into something new. I want to learn everything all at once and dive in head first. Well it leads me to get lost sometimes, and mixxed up like with this situation. I still cannot see it yet, but thats fine I will in due time. Thank you everyone for taking the time to assist me with this head first dive into the unknown!! You guys/gals rock thanks!


So I take it that something like what I linked to woulc bbe considered a stonewashed because of the ghost apearance or something? Or am I still a little off base? Thanks again.

Josh,


In the examples you posted, the pastel looks like a pastel and nothing about it looks hypo to me. It doesn't "pop" like Adam's hypo. Geesh, I still can't explain how I can tell. :oops:

Interesting note on that VMS ghost in the link. I just happened to stop by the pet store right after it's mother or grandmother (not sure which generation he pictured) was brought in as a stunning 1000 gram animal. The story was she was sold as a ch normal through the same store and the guy had just brought her back because she was too big. I don't know what they paid him for her but the manager was trying to sell her for $800. This was very shortly before NERD came out with the first ghost combos. The store owner ended up with her and paired her with a generic ghost male bought on KingSnake and produced a slew of ghost with them the very next year. The price of their decedents has been one of the very few morphs to go up consistently. Maybe starting low discouraged making as many ghost hets early on. Sean at VMS bougth some of those offspring and was surprised to find he could sell thier offspring for even more than he paid.