types of boa?

[Ohio snake guy]

I was looking at hatchling boas and other snakes for sale and I see that a snake is 66% this and 40% that etc. how do you tell what % of something a snake is do you have to take them to a vet for testing? Thanks

[FireStorm]

The percentage you see is the percent chance that the animal is heterozygous for a particular trait. To know, you need to know the genetics of the parents. For example, if you breed an animal that is known to be heterozygous for, say, Albino, to an animal that is not heterozygous for anything, then each baby has a 50% chance of being heterozygous (het) for Albino.

[mackynz]

It comes from knowing the lineage of the animal. Some one else can probably explain it better than I can.

[Evenstar]

The percentage you see is the percent chance that the animal is heterozygous for a particular trait. To know, you need to know the genetics of the parents. For example, if you breed an animal that is known to be heterozygous for, say, Albino, to an animal that is not heterozygous for anything, then each baby has a 50% chance of being heterozygous (het) for Albino.

^^^ This. Here are a couple of other examples:

100% het albino x 100% het albino = all offspring have a 66% chance of being het albino

Albino x 100% het albino = offspring will be visual albinos or 100% het for albino

Normal x 100% het albino = all offspring have a 50% chance of being het albino

Here's one final example: My male normal is a double het (he carries 2 recessive traits). He is 66% het for leopard and 100% het for albino. His parents were: Normal het leopard x Albino het leopard. My normal female is also a double het for the same - she is 100% het for both. When I pair them, if they produce even one leopard, my male will then be referred to as a 100% double het for leopard albino because he has now been proven. And all their normal appearing babies will be considered 66% het for both. Yes, it is a bit confusing.....


These are just examples. The percentages for genes are used when referring to simple recessive traits (ie, you wouldn't use a percentage with a dominant trait because if the animal carries that trait, it will be expressed - a dominant gene is all or nothing). The percentages are used to give an idea what the likelihood is of an animal carrying a specific trait.


One other thought... The percentages can also refer to the animal's locality instead of it's genetic makeup. For example, a breeder could cross a Colombian boa and an Argentine boa and the offspring will be 50% Colombian and 50% Argentine. A boa that is 25% Argentine had a 50/50 parent that was then bred to a Colombian.

I hope this helps and doesn't muddy the waters for you.....

[iPanda]

This is the best explanation EVER, though you forgot one ;P

Visual x Normal = 100% het =3