Pied Question

[Firebird]

So getting back into things after a few years being out. I got asked and cant find a google answer. Does the amount of white on a pied effect the babies? I thought I remembered that its purely a luck thing, like a low white x low white could make a high white and vice versa.

[Alicia]

Generally speaking, the amount of white on a Pied is random and not related to the amount of white on the parents.* Two high whites will throw low white babies and vice versa. That is, if both parents are just plain ol' Pieds.

Combining pied with other genes can and will affect the amount of white the resulting babies have. For instance, Enchi Pieds tend to be lower white, while Spider Pieds are very high white.



*There may well be modifiers that influence the amount of white. But unless you're line breeding, it's probably not worth chasing them.

[Firebird]

Thanks, wife is breeding BPs, or setting up for it rather. We used to when we lived in KS but like I said that's been a bit ago and my memory sucks lol.

[JobForARetic]

In Ball Pythons it has minimal effect. Two low white parents will routinely produce high white offspring and vice versa.


With other species not so much, like Retics for example, such a pairing won't regularly produce high white offspring.