Axanthic experts, what the heck did I just hatch?

The two surviving babies from my disastrous VPI snow clutch are crawling out of their eggs. And... I don't know what they are! They looked axanthic in the egg, but they don't have that perfect gray-and-black monochrome look to them. There's definitely some gold on top, but it's very pale, very washed-out.

Here's a picture of the one that's out already, hanging out with the het pieds and black pastels from my first clutch. It's much paler than a normal, but I'm not convinced it's an axanthic, either. Is it just a really, really pale double het?

Help! What the heck did I hatch?

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-H...o/IMG_7519.JPG


The two eggs that failed contained one albino het axanthic and one more maybe-axanthic-maybe-double-het.

Hi,

It should be easier to tell after their first shed, given how much the colours change at that point.

But I also have to say that black pastel on the right is stunning. :bow:

Haha. Yeah, both black pastels are pretty awesome. I'm waiting for them to shed, too, then I'll show them off properly.

Hey, the maybe-axanthic just BIT me! First biter in 7 clutches. I was starting to wonder if I had magically charmed happy snakes.

I agree that after the first shed it will be easier, but as of now I think it looks like a double het to me. Hope this helps!

With the gold on top, they'd almost have to be het. But they look so silver on the sides... it's almost like I've got visual het axanthics.

Dad's a very pale albino. Could the albino gene be washing them out?

Definitely no Axanthics in that pic.

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Okay, calling them double VPI hets for snow, with some kind of visual het axanthic look to them. I'll post pics when they shed out.

I saw a thread a long time ago about some het albinos that hatched out silverish like axanthics, but darkened up after the first few sheds. They looked very similar to you lighter one that is already out. Of course I cant find the thread now.

*updated*
I did just find a youtube post with something similar
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sUgBOHOz-yg

So maybe it's the albino gene?

Oh, no, and the male double het has a TERRIBLE neck kink. This clutch just continues to be a disaster.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by loonunit

So maybe it's the albino gene?

Oh, no, and the male double het has a TERRIBLE neck kink. This clutch just continues to be a disaster.

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You're over thinking this...It's a light normal (DH whatever)...You have some dark normals in the clutch and light one...That's it...

Sorry about the kinked one.

Oh, the whole clutch (all two of them, plus one of the dead babies) are this color. It really is very silvery. But I'm pretty sure they are just double hets. The darker snakes are from a pied clutch.

Thanks, I'm not sure what I'm going to do about this kinked male. I think he'll be okay if he can eat, but I'm terrified of feeding him with that huge kink.

So both surviving babies have shed out, and yeah, they are DEFINITELY hets. They're still kind of pale and olive-toned next to my het pied clutch, but they're certainly not axanthics.

And... I'm not sure what to do about the kinked male. I've seen worse kinks, but it's in sucha terrible place, high up on his neck. He has a hard time moving from point A to point B. I had to start his shed for him. I don't know how he'll eat.

I posted a video of the kinked male and his super-bitey sister over on the deformity thread. It really is kind of painful to watch him moving around:

http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...=1#post2162649

oh that kink is terrible :( :tears: i dont think he can feed. Maybe frozen thawed, but even then its hard to see how it could work. Also stuff like that is really painful. Sad to say but my personal stance on this neck kink would be euthanasia.

that is a real disaster clutch. Nature is cruel and all breeders of whatever species have to face it, unless they breed guppys or spiders (i mean actual spiders) where the offspring is so tiny that failure doesnt register.

You're not the first person to suggest euthanizing. But the thing is, I'm not even sure if there really is a humane way to euthanize? And he's tongue flicking, and he's less stressed than his amped-up sister, so he's not in obvious pain there. He's mostly just frustrated.

So I'm going to wait until his sister eats, and then try assisting f/t pinkies. If he can swallow without choking (or without snapping his own neck), then I'll let him have a go at it.

If he can't, well, not much to be done about it, is there?

(And I'll have you know that 8 year-old me wept and wept over my guppy babies!)