Good job. Those percentages you calculated are referred to roughly as "family" genetics. Just your basic heritage possibilities. Now, since you don't know whether the parents are carrying those traits or not, you have to dabble in "population" genetics. This is where you figure in the percent chance that the parents are that specific genotype. And it can get a little confusing.

So, you have your female het snow. Since both traits involved are simple recessive, let's treat the possibility of her having both traits as 50% (IE, Female 50% het for Snow). This could be 66% too, depending on what *her* heritage was. You may or may not know this yourself. Then you multiply that percentage by the punnet square percentages you calculated. For example:
Snow 12.5% X 50% het for Snow = 6.25%

Now, I will reiterate that these percentages refer to the sorting of the gametes, NOT the eggs. By definition, you are calculating the possibility of *each egg* receiving a given combination of traits. You are close to correct by saying that, out of 100 eggs, you may get close to some number of Snows based on these percentages. However, those ratios are normally proven out over hundreds of eggs (often thousands). For the small numbers you are talking about, a single clutch of Ball Python eggs, anything goes. You could get all Hets, or you may even get all Snows. I only warn you of this because it is the common gambler's fallacy. A lot of what you get out of one clutch is punnet squares, praying, and luck. This is also why a Het can be proven in a single clutch, but may take a dozen to disprove.
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Lincoln, NE
0.1 Pastel, 1.0 Pastel het Pied, 0.1 Pied, 0.1 Cinn, 1.0 Black Pewter, 1.0 Woma (hidden gene?), 0.1 Yellowbelly
2.0 Normals, 1.0 Thayeri, 0.1 Thayeri X Alterna, 0.1 crazy cat, 1.0 husband

[ Hide Replies ]

• Snowball odds? - Wyvern, Mon May 10 14:10:29 2010
• RE: Snowball odds? - bznj1, Mon May 10 14:34:20 2010
• RE: Snowball odds? - ssnakes, Mon May 10 20:16:41 2010
• RE: Snowball odds? - kingofspades, Mon May 10 23:54:30 2010
• RE: Snowball odds? - bznj1, Tue May 11 12:20:51 2010
• RE: Snowball odds? - Wyvern, Tue May 11 00:02:36 2010
• Lots of Math - Bolitochrome, Tue May 11 08:31:31 2010
• RE: Lots of Math - Wyvern, Tue May 11 13:41:54 2010
• RE: Lots of Math - Bolitochrome, Tue May 11 15:46:26 2010
• RE: Lots of Math - Wyvern, Thu May 13 10:01:09 2010
• RE: Lots of Math - bznj1, Tue May 11 22:39:33 2010