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How come Hypo Hondos eyes have the red tint to them? Is it just the lack of black pigment due to the hypo gene? And what other types of hypo snakes have the red tint eyes? Is that a way of telling a true hypo?
Thanks
Chris

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>>>>How come Hypo Hondos eyes have the red tint to them? Is it just the lack of black pigment due to the hypo gene? And what other types of hypo snakes have the red tint eyes? Is that a way of telling a true hypo?

For a hypomelanistic Honduran to exhibit the deep "ruby-red" eyes you mentioned, the hypo gene has to be greatly exaggerated as in the "extreme" hypo gene. The extremes are the only ones to display the red eyes, with the exception of certain "ultra-light" hypos that might not quite be "extreme", but still exhibit
a drastic reduction of melanin in the pigment cells. There are MANY genuine hypos that don't display red eyes, but still have reduced melanin.

By the same token, there are several types of other snakes in the hobby that are tyrosinase positive(lavender albinos) that also exhibit deep red eyes, but this is another genetic mutation altogether.

hope this helped some.

~Doug

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"Better to be silent and thought a fool, than to open mouth and remove any doubt!"

that because of the dark melanin pigment being so greatly reduced in the extreme hypos, you see the blood within the eye, because it cannot be "masked over" by dark pigment.

Also, I don't know of ANY other hypo snakes(besides the "extreme ghost" Honduran) that has red eyes either. It is a double mutation that involves hypomelanism x anerythrism(lack of reds/oranges which gives the animal an intensely "washed-out" look, with deep "ruby-red" eyes as well. These are VERY uncommon in the hobby, and have only recently been produced in small numbers.

~Doug

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"Better to be silent and thought a fool, than to open mouth and remove any doubt!"

I have a 2.2 very clean 06pair and 07pair that have the red pupils not as much as the first pic you posted bit he the eye looks pretty normal but the pupil has the red tint to it. I don't have any good pics because my cam blows. So what would't be extreme right because your extreme has more red in its eyes than mine.
Thanks for looking
Chris

Many non extremes have ruby colored eyes. They are not the bright red of an amelanistic snake (which the eyes of an extreme resemble) but they are a dark ruby red, definitely not black.

You can barley make it out in this pic of a definately not extreme hypo tricolor. Most everything else is down for the winter so this pic will have to do. But dark ruby eyes are common and does not make it an extreme.

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"The band is just fantastic, that is really what I think. Oh by the way, which ones pink?"

Here is a better shot.

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"The band is just fantastic, that is really what I think. Oh by the way, which ones pink?"

I didn't make that part very clear in my previous posts, sorry, I was VERY tired, in no way did I mean to convey that deep red eyes necessarily meant it HAD to be an extreme, as yours, and many others in the market show deep red eyes too that can be somewhat variable. The melanin on the REST of the snake's pattern has to be a VERY light grayish color, some even slightly blueish, yet others can even display a sort of greenish tint to the bands to constitute an "extreme". The amount of pattern can also greatly vary within all types of hypos as well. Sorry again for my not being clear on that.

By the way, nice hypo you have there!

~Doug
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"Better to be silent and thought a fool, than to open mouth and remove any doubt!"

Thanks Doug. It's one of my favorites. It's just a simple pin banded from Tim at Third Eye, and the color just explodes. It's definitely my "brighest" orange.
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"The band is just fantastic, that is really what I think. Oh by the way, which ones pink?"

Unless yours has a VERY reduced silvery grayish coloration to the pattern as well, it wouldn't be considered an "extreme" hypo, but rather a very nice, clean "normal" hypo from your discription. Those sound like very nice ones you have. As little as twelve years ago, people were paying upwards of $1,000 dollars for hypos like yours!

best regards, ~Doug
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"Better to be silent and thought a fool, than to open mouth and remove any doubt!"