Well you have your basic genes... i.e. cinnamon, mojave, calico, pied, hypo, etc.Originally Posted by Productmur
So what you breed isn't necessarily what you get? Interesting, I wonder how it's determined then. ....I smell experimentation!
Those genes determine what the snake looks like in terms of color and pattern.
BUT in addition to those basic genes you have modifiers, which can modify the pattern and color. I.e. modifiers can make the cinnamon darker or lighter, more red or more black, more pattern or less pattern, etc. These modifiers may work on multiple genes, or may only work on select genes. Depending on what modifiers each parent carries, and how those modifiers combine in the baby will determine what the baby actually looks like. I'm not sure modifiers (or at least not all of them!) have actually be identified or "mapped" out... but I could be wrong. Either way... breeding "good" quality to "good" quality is more likely to give you more "good" quality. If one pair doesn't work, those two animals paired with different animals might work.
It's all very interesting stuff.
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