Quote Originally Posted by WingedWolfPsion View Post
Is bug-eyes tied directly to the Lesser Platinum gene? If it is, then the snake is not genetically flawed at all.

If bug-eyes is caused by an additional recessive gene that's present in Lesser Platinum lines, you would expect to see normal snakes from Lesser clutches throwing bug-eye offspring as well.

Unless this gene reacts with something in the lesser gene to produce bug eyes--or reacts only when the lesser gene is doubled, to produce this effect.

I think it's HIGHLY premature to call this a genetic flaw, though, until further research is done. It's like saying the spider wobble is a genetic flaw in spiders--it's not, it's part of the spider gene itself and cannot be bred out. (You could call the spider gene itself the flaw, but most of us like them anyhow).

So, the question becomes, is the bug-eyes caused by an additional gene reacting to lesser platinum, or the SAME gene as lesser platinum. It's a crucial difference.

Does the problem cause any actual issues, or it is purely cosmetic?
Good questions.

I would imagine that the bug eyes only occur when the gene is doubled, which is why butterxbutter/lesserxlesser/lesserxbutter's have such a significant turn out... I'm not sure on the percentages, but no body really hears about mojavexmojave getting bug eyes.

I wonder if there are functional issues with the bug eyes as well.
I imagine that the ones up for sale are eating alight, so maybe it's just cosmetic? Either way, ball's don't really need eyesight to survive in captivity. Ben Siegel has an eyeless ball that eats and lives perfectly fine.

That's just my 2cents and opinion.