I tried to be as detailed as I could in my original post because this whole issue is so perplexing!



I'm not sure how much of an effect the events of Hurricane Katrina had on our breeders. We were without electricity for about 2 1/2 weeks at the end of August/beginning of September. It was warm after the hurricane but not unbearably hot. Since we didn't have any electricity, the ambient air temperature was anywhere between 82 to around 85 degrees.



I don't know if Hurricane Katrina had a direct effect on our production in general this season. I honestly don't think it did/does. However, I do think that it may have had an indirect effect because it affected the weather and we have had an incredibly warm winter this year. Sean has been forced to artificially cool Ball Pythons in order to stimulate breeding activity.



As for the fact of all the babies being females, I have heard and read several theories, many of which are listed in this thread. I find them all to be VERY interesting and want to look into them all a little bit more. One theory a friend had suggested was possibly parthogenesis. I asked him to post the theory on here so hopefully he will do so!



As for the "bad luck" theory - now this I can agree with as a potential explaination because there is actually the possibility of that being what actually happened here (as opposed to the "Hypo male sire" theory). However, I do not think it explains why the babies look the way they do.



I can see things as - "Okay, we had REALLY bad luck and not only did we produce ZERO Hypo Motleys but ALSO ZERO regular Motleys". But how can the appearance of the babies produced be accounted for. I know you refer to the appearance of the parents' parents to help explain this but I STILL think that these babies display VERY classic Jungle characteristics.



When I look at them, the first thing that jumps out at me is the "two-tone" coloration which is classic on the Jungles we have produced. Once again - the "paint roller" coloration down the back vs. the side coloration is just so distinct. Also, the saddle shapes are blocky with many of them being squared off with cutouts in the middle of them. One of the Hypo "Whatever" babies has a little bit of aberrancy that is seen in Jungle Boas as well.



Of course the pattern aberrancies could have been caused/affected by the Hypo gene. We all know that it is NOT uncommon to have some very aberrant Hypo Boas produced from hypo breedings. However, this still would not explain the "two-tone" coloration. I personally have NEVER seen a regular Hypo or Super Hypo boa with this sort of coloration. The only place I have seen anything similar is in Hypo Jungles.



Also - something that I just checked on this morning - EVERY SINGLE Hypo "Whatever" has a mottled tongue. This can be a characteristic of a true Hypo Jungle. It is SO EXTREME on these babies that you don't even have to look twice to see it. The tongue is white, pink, and black and EVERY SINGLE ONE of them has it to an EXTREME DEGREE!



Now I will say that the traditional "thick, black outlining" around the saddles that Jungle Boas have is not apparent on these guys. In fact, it seems to have been replaced by slight white outlining which is strange. It does almost appear like they do on Super Hypo Boas (which is why I see people drawing upon the "Hypo male sire" theory.



Also, I want to mention the non-Hypo babies in this litter. I think we may have to look at them a little more closely for some possibly insights into what is going on here. The ones we have set aside as Jungles also classically display the Jungle traits - especially when I compare them to the two that I have set aside as normals. The "two-tone" coloration, the cookie-cutter saddle shape, the thick black outlining, the intense coloration - it's all there. When you compare these to the two that I have labled as "normals" they REALLY stand out!



I don't know anymore LOL. I just don't know...



Does nobody else - especially those who have worked with Jungles - think these are Jungles? Set aside the thought of the possiblity that these are Super Hypos. Examine the non-Hypo babies closely. If this litter was the result of a straight Jungle x normal or Jungle x Hypo breeding - would you not label these babies as Jungles?



I would love to hear opinions/comments on this.



I will be taking more photos of them today - especially of that one Hypo with the laddertail look.



Thanks,

Celia
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Celia Chien

Celia Chien Photography



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