BEL noob questions

[sampsonight]

Hey, I'm new to the ball python addiction. I'm interested in starting my first project, a white snake. Now I know the cheapest way to go about it would probably be through yellowbellies, but I don't find yellowbellies that appealing and mojaves and lessers are a ton better looking. I have very limited space amd can only get two more snakes because I'm at a military academy for the next year. (I already have a female normal.) So my questions are:
1) What is the deal with Hypos/Ghost? How do you produce them? What kind of gene is it? Can you have a hypo mojave, hypo butter, or hypo lesser?
2) What in the world is a Het Russo? I have heard that you can breed these to mojaves, butters, and lessers to produce a BEL but i cant find a picture of them or description of them anywhere! Can you help me out?
3) Have/can pinstripe mojaves or pinstripe lessers been/be produced? If yes and if i got two and lets say breed Pin Mojo X Pin Mojo, would that decrease my 1 in 4 chance of getting a BEL?


If anyone has any pictures of these animals theyd like to post id greatly aprreciate it. Thanks Everyone!!!

[WingedWolfPsion]

1) What is the deal with Hypos/Ghost? How do you produce them? What kind of gene is it? Can you have a hypo mojave, hypo butter, or hypo lesser?

Hypo is a simple recessive gene, which means 2 copies of the gene must be present for the animal to be hypomelanistic. If only one copy is present, it is "het for hypo"--heterozygous. You can combine hypo with other morphs--but again, unless 2 copies of the hypo gene are present, the animal will not be hypomelanistic. That means in order to produce one, you must breed a co-dom such as a mojave to a hypo, and take the mojave offspring--which will appear to be normal mojaves but will carry the hypo gene--and breed them back to a hypo to get hypo mojaves.

2) What in the world is a Het Russo? I have heard that you can breed these to mojaves, butters, and lessers to produce a BEL but i cant find a picture of them or description of them anywhere! Can you help me out?

This is a Russo: http://www.vpi.com/snakes/873
It looks a lot like a normal, but it is a co-dominant gene that produces a BEL when doubled. And no...looking at that snake, I couldn't tell you how to distinguish it from a normal. I'm sure it must have some obvious markers, or it would be considered a recessive gene instead of a co-dom.

3) Have/can pinstripe mojaves or pinstripe lessers been/be produced?

Yes.

If yes and if i got two and lets say breed Pin Mojo X Pin Mojo, would that decrease my 1 in 4 chance of getting a BEL?

No. I'm not sure if a pin BEL would look different from a normal BEL, though. Haven't seen one.