Sunglows, Lipsticks, Albinos? Kahl vs Sharp? Q's and Pic Requests!

[Konotashi]

So I was talking to my mom, and she agreed to get me a boa for my graduation gift after I finish college! (Still gonna get a BP for myself first, though).

I was looking at some morphs, and I'm quite partial to sunglows, lipsticks, and certain albinos - particularly jungles and motleys.

Some questions....

Are lipsticks just a variation of sunglows?
Is sunglow a type of albino? I'm kind of confused about this.

From my very basic understanding, Kahl and Sharp are just the two different lines, but what separates them from one another?
My snakes will all be pets, and I want awesome looking pets. I'd want a high contrast boa with deep orange/red patterns. Which of these lines should I look at when I go to get my boa? Which of the lines tend to keep the contrast and vivid colors better?

What really separates all of these colors from one another? I've seen some regular albinos that look a lot like sunglows, but for a fraction of the price. Is it all just in the genetics? (Like I said, I'm just looking for a pet, so the genetics aren't hugely important to me, aside from wanting a healthy/temperamentally sound snake).

I've been having a tough time finding what these morphs look like as adults. Do they all tend to yellow out? The babies look awesome. Very pale color with bright, vivid patterns; then I find some as adults and it looks like the pale color yellows out and the patterns blend and pale out.
If you have any of these morphs, would you mind posting before/after pics, as babies then as adults? (Or when they're older?)

Hopefully this post makes sense! Big thank you in advance!

[TheSnakeGeek]

So I was talking to my mom, and she agreed to get me a boa for my graduation gift after I finish college! (Still gonna get a BP for myself first, though).

I was looking at some morphs, and I'm quite partial to sunglows, lipsticks, and certain albinos - particularly jungles and motleys.

Some questions....

Are lipsticks just a variation of sunglows?
Is sunglow a type of albino? I'm kind of confused about this.

From my very basic understanding, Kahl and Sharp are just the two different lines, but what separates them from one another?
My snakes will all be pets, and I want awesome looking pets. I'd want a high contrast boa with deep orange/red patterns. Which of these lines should I look at when I go to get my boa? Which of the lines tend to keep the contrast and vivid colors better?

What really separates all of these colors from one another? I've seen some regular albinos that look a lot like sunglows, but for a fraction of the price. Is it all just in the genetics? (Like I said, I'm just looking for a pet, so the genetics aren't hugely important to me, aside from wanting a healthy/temperamentally sound snake).

I've been having a tough time finding what these morphs look like as adults. Do they all tend to yellow out? The babies look awesome. Very pale color with bright, vivid patterns; then I find some as adults and it looks like the pale color yellows out and the patterns blend and pale out.
If you have any of these morphs, would you mind posting before/after pics, as babies then as adults? (Or when they're older?)

Hopefully this post makes sense! Big thank you in advance!

from what i gather with my very limited boa knowledge on genetics.. kahl and sharp are two different lines if albino that are NOT compatible. a sunglow is a designer morph (more than one morph) with albino and hypo. so a sunglow is albino x hypo. and lipstick is just a "line" of sunglows selectively bred for their sharp contrast and bright reds.

someone correct me if i'm wrong. lol

[SnowShredder]

So I was talking to my mom, and she agreed to get me a boa for my graduation gift after I finish college! (Still gonna get a BP for myself first, though).

I was looking at some morphs, and I'm quite partial to sunglows, lipsticks, and certain albinos - particularly jungles and motleys.

Some questions....

Are lipsticks just a variation of sunglows?
Is sunglow a type of albino? I'm kind of confused about this.

From my very basic understanding, Kahl and Sharp are just the two different lines, but what separates them from one another?
My snakes will all be pets, and I want awesome looking pets. I'd want a high contrast boa with deep orange/red patterns. Which of these lines should I look at when I go to get my boa? Which of the lines tend to keep the contrast and vivid colors better?

What really separates all of these colors from one another? I've seen some regular albinos that look a lot like sunglows, but for a fraction of the price. Is it all just in the genetics? (Like I said, I'm just looking for a pet, so the genetics aren't hugely important to me, aside from wanting a healthy/temperamentally sound snake).

I've been having a tough time finding what these morphs look like as adults. Do they all tend to yellow out? The babies look awesome. Very pale color with bright, vivid patterns; then I find some as adults and it looks like the pale color yellows out and the patterns blend and pale out.
If you have any of these morphs, would you mind posting before/after pics, as babies then as adults? (Or when they're older?)

Hopefully this post makes sense! Big thank you in advance!

Lipstick albinos are Kahl albinos (a blood line of albinos) that have been specifically bred for their coloring.
Sunglow is a hypo albino.
You're right that Kahl and Sharp are separate lines, that means they aren't compatible and if bred together the offspring would be double het kahl albino and sharp albino, but all visually normals.
Regular albinos yellow out the most. I think if you want something that will hold it's color and contrast the best then a sunglow would be way to go. If that's too pricey, there's been a lot of selective breeding with both strains of the albinos so just look for a reputable breeder.
Adding jungle and motley will jump the price up even more

[Evenstar]

Lipstick albinos are Kahl albinos (a blood line of albinos) that have been specifically bred for their coloring.
Sunglow is a hypo albino.
You're right that Kahl and Sharp are separate lines, that means they aren't compatible and if bred together the offspring would be double het kahl albino and sharp albino, but all visually normals.
Regular albinos yellow out the most. I think if you want something that will hold it's color and contrast the best then a sunglow would be way to go. If that's too pricey, there's been a lot of selective breeding with both strains of the albinos so just look for a reputable breeder.
Adding jungle and motley will jump the price up even more

This is correct, in a nutshell.

To add to that...

Sunglows are hypomelanistic albinos and carry and express both a recessive and a co-dominant gene.

Kahl and Sharp albinos were developed by two different individuals and are not compatible because the gene sits at different loci. They are not bred together because it would be impossible to know which albino was produced when the resulting hets were then bred.

All albinos, no matter what complex, will yellow out as they age. Sunglows tend to retain a more orange hue and more distinct tail patterns as adults, but they do yellow. The Kahls will tend to yellow the most, but retain more oranges/pinks in the tail pattern. The Sharps won't yellow quite as much and stay whiter, but their patterns tend to fade more.

There are two additional "color lines" of the Kahl albinos - lipstick and coral. Both of these tend to have an overall pink blushing to their color and the lipsticks in particular have very dark and distinct patterns. Of all the albino complex, a lipstick sunglow will definitely hold its color the best.

A jungle or motley albino is going to carry a pretty heavy price tag. A sunglow will be mid-range. A top quality lipstick albino will run about the same as a sunglow. Sharp albinos cost more than Kahls and tend to be harder to find.

This is my Coral Sunglow Arabesque, Pandora, as a baby.....

[Konotashi]

I think that considering what most people want for graduation gifts, she'll be willing to get me a snake. Haha.

So for a cool pet that'll keep its color best, I should probably take the route of a lipstick sunglow?

Haven't read much about corals - she's beautiful! Are they more pink than the others?

[Marissa@MKmorphs]

Everyone has said pretty much all that is needed to be said. All I have to contribute is pictures of my February 2011 female lipstick sunglow. She is my perfect sunglow.








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[Evenstar]

I think that considering what most people want for graduation gifts, she'll be willing to get me a snake. Haha.

So for a cool pet that'll keep its color best, I should probably take the route of a lipstick sunglow?

Haven't read much about corals - she's beautiful! Are they more pink than the others?

The lipstick line has more distinct and darker pigmented patterns. The coral line has all-over pink blushing and hues. Both are very pretty and tend to help the adult retain color.


And, yes, if you want to work with the albino gene, a sunglow will be a good investment for the future. Later on, you can pick up a male snow to breed to her (albino x anery which is a double recessive) and produce babies that are het moonglow!

[Daybreaker]

Great info so far!

Here's my Sharp line albino female as a baby:



As a young adult (about 4' here):

[Konotashi]

Everyone has said pretty much all that is needed to be said. All I have to contribute is pictures of my February 2011 female lipstick sunglow. She is my perfect sunglow.








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WOW! She's gorgeous!
She definitely looks like her markings got DARKER as she got older!
And I couldn't help but notice Pikachu in the background, LOL.

ETA: AND we have the same name. Spelled the same too!

[Gio]

I have zippo to add to the question,,,,, but that picture of the snake going vertical off of the shoulder is a trip!! Very cool and made me smile!!