This was my most anticipated clutch of the season. This clutch would prove the genetics of one of my females or prove that I had something new. It would also give me a certain level of satisfaction because of the controversy created when I posted pics of this female last year. Some of you may remember that it started with a request of a pic of a motley hypo bloodred. I posted the pic before her eggs hatched out and based primarily on her appearance not genetics which were unknown. I expected the eggs to hatch and prove her genetics. She has the look as you can see from the pic but she also lacks a solid white belly. An important trait of bloods and motleys. When the pic was posted on another site, the slamming started. One individual even questioned whether or not she was a hypo. I promised to show the results of her breeding and did post pics of the hatchlings. Nice but only one had a solid belly and it was orange. The hatchlings did prove she was hypo but no motley patterns and no solid white bellies. I then purchased a nice male bloodred from Don. That male bred 3 females, a charcoal, a ghost, and my project female. Of the first two clutches, 35 hatched and only 1 looked just like a bloodred. The others show blood influence but as expected, their hets. The one that looked just like a blood drowned in the egg. No explaining how one ended up looking like dad when neither of the females are het or outcrossed bloodred. 17 eggs hatched out from the project females clutch and 7, almost half, have the look of pure bloodred. Mostly gray heads, solid white belly, red dorsal, red sides without pattern. That percentage is the expected result of breeding a homozygous to a het. As an example, an amel to a het for amel will yield approx 50% amels and the rest are hets. The clutch proves that she is an outcrossed bloodred. Last years clutch was produced by breeding her to a hypo. So the yearlings are hypo het for bloodred. Below are pics of the project female, yearlings, and one of the holdbacks I've already selected. The new project? Well, the hatchling below has a slightly different look. Have you ever seen a whitesided bloodred? Not saying it is. It just has less red flecks on the sides and a well defined dorsal/lateral edge. It will be interesting to see if the sides stay reduced red or if the paler sides fill in with red.

Thanks to Don and Kathy for looking at my pics last year and offering their honest opinions. Thanks to all of you that offered positive support and encouraged me to breed her to a bloodred.

This is the female breeder

Closeup of her head showing a lack of black and what black is present is really faded, gray looking.

Last years hatchlings that I can now say are Hypo het/outcrossed bloodred


The yearling with the solid orange belly.

One of this years hatchling. The camera shows more red on the sides then you can see without the aid of the macro magnification. Look at the sides just behind the head, much less red. Definitely a keeper.

[ Hide Replies ]

• FINALLY!!! The hatchlings I've been waiting for and another project..Long - John Q, Fri Aug 20 23:07:59 2004
• RE: FINALLY!!! The hatchlings I've been waiting for and another project..Long - Hawk, Sat Aug 21 13:10:26 2004
• RE: FINALLY!!! The hatchlings I've been waiting for and another project..Long - John Q, Sat Aug 21 13:43:37 2004