i hear you randy and respect your point, - doing the math, even when the odds get that weird still helps you say "ok, what else might be at work here?". all the egss were good... she's a big healthy gal, and does not go every year - she's stingy, but when she's ready, she's plump and the eggs are good.

for the same reason that i dont mention the breeders name, is the same reason why others are not always honest about these things - whether my weak het / gene theory is scientifically viable or not, breeders do not want the possible stigma of potential customers thinking "wasn't buckley's 1 in 30 het from him/her?... think i'll purchase elsewhere - just to be safe". who wants to risk that sort of bad odds.

i'd also be interested in knowing if the females that throw low white pieds show to throw fewer visible offspring than those who throw high white. i may be way out in left field with this, but if i have this gal that seems "faulty" and her one offspring was very low white, it's just something to think about... though clearly theory cannot be built on that one snake and i'm not throwing much weight behind the theory... i'm simply curious if there might be a correlation... but it's an interesting thought, and maybe those who breed tons of pieds have noticed if there is indeed a difference in success rate in these low white / high white clutches.

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