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Hey guys and gals,

This little female was the lone survivor of an otherwise slugged out litter from breeding a DH Sunglow (dam) x Albino (sire). The mom slugged out big time having 30 slugs (I stopped counting after seeing painfully watching her pass 30 slugs) Anyway, along with the slugs, there were 3 premie babies born (2 of which didn’t make it): 1 normal, 1 albino, and this little girl.

My question is: what do you all make of this baby hypo? Do you think she possibly a super? She looks an awful lot like some poss supers born last year from the same mom paired with a male DH Sunglow. Actually, she looks better than last year’s babies, especially with her unconnecting saddles

Could she be the product of sperm retention? With this past year’s sire as a regular Albino, I wouldn’t really expect such a cool-looking baby to pop out of the litter. But I do know the hypo gene can do some funky things to pattern, even when breeding hypo to a normal. As the lone survivor of this unfortunate premie litter, I'm definitely counting my blessings.

I’m of course going to keep her and attempt to find out what’s going on genetically. I just wanted to hear some opinions.

Any thoughts?

Thanks in advance,

Jay

Sorry to hear about all the slugs. I don't have any idea as far as sperm retention, but that is an amazing animal. I can't believe how white it is. A keeper for sure

She's definitely an amazing looking animal. Very clean. I didn't capture it in any of the pics that I took, but her tongue is also a weird funky mottled color, with some pink and black. We'll see how she develops in the upcoming years.

Thanks for the compliments.

Jay

Looks like a paradox sunglow from this year

Hey Bill,

She's not a paradox sunglow (at least I don't think she is). Although her tongue is a mottled pink and black color. Since you mentioned paradox sunglow, I actually got a paradox poss. super sunglow from this mom last year. See the pic below.

I'm not sure about this girl being a paradox sunglow, but she's a keeper for sure.

Jay

It's certainly possible. I know of at least two cases, they weren't even bred, and produced a second smaller litter.

I say keep and breed it later and see.
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Sunset BCI

I'm certainly going to keep her and hope to successfully breed in her in about 4 years or so. We'll see. Despite all the @rappy slugs from the litter, this girl's a SWEET nice consolation prize.

Jay

I vote sperm retention. I also think she's a super hypo and with your luck will prove to be het albino as well. She looked big and healthy in person and i'm sure she will be a great boa

Shoot, I totally didn't even think of hoping she'd prove to be a DH sunglow. But yes, there's that possibility. She just keeps pounding away the food. Another weird thing is that she just had her first shed last week, after taking 3 or 4 meals already. She was a premie after all, born about a week or so from the "expected" due date, so she just kept me on my toes, from having to absorb a bit of leftover yolk the first 24 hours of her life and then not having her first shed until nearly a month of being born. She is a cool little boa

Thanks again,

Jay

All I can say is "WOW its beautiful" so light colored almost white in base color it does look like Super would usually look extremely bright pattern as well.
. . . . . . Lar M
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Boas By Klevitz
Boas By Klevitz

I appreciate the kind words. I'm very grateful to have had her make it, especially none of her two other premie sibs made it.

Thanks again,

Jay

Jay:

First I want to say congratulations on producing such a fine looking animal.

On the subject of sperm retention. I had a pastel ball python lay a 5 egg clutch in 2007 and ended up with two pastels, two normals and a mojave. The funny thing was that I bred a mojave to the pastel the previous year and she did not lay. In 2007 the only male she was with was a pastel. I'd heard about sperm retention, but had not put much stock into the idea. I would have had a hard time believing it if I hadn't witnessed it myself.

I'm not saying that your boa is a product of sperm retention, but I can tell you that it does happen.

Best of luck with her. She's sure a beauty.

Brian
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Brian Gundy

www.for-goodness-snakes.com

Hey Brian,

I had my doubts as well about the whole sperm retention thing. And I am by no means concluding that this little gal was the product of sperm retention. But reading your story and the story of some other breeders in the past years makes me want to believe it is definitely possible. Either way I am very grateful to have a produced such a SWEET looking boa, and I'm definitely hoping that she'll grow up nicely

Thanks again for the kind words.

Jay

A beautiful Hypo does not a "Super" Hypo make. There are plenty of really great looking Hypos that look better than "Super" Hypos. The look of a Hypo does not guarantee the genetics when it comes to whether an animal is a Super or not. Perhaps the best looking babies from a Hypo X Hypo breeding have a greater likelihood of being a Super, but there is no guarantee of that. That being said, that animal certainly could be a super. Also, preemies color, pattern and intensity of black are often the last things set in a neonate before birth. Sometimes this things intensify slightly after birth too but it most determined before the baby is born. The exception to this are premature babies.

Did you ever notice how many people, after having a litter of premature babies, "think" they have something crazy born when they find "Ghosts" in the litter? Ghosts they mostly are not, but simply babies whose colors being red and black, are not fully set. I suspect that is what you have in that animal.

My money would be that it is a really beautiful Hypo that will also prove to be het for Albino.
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I appreciate the insight Jeff, especially about baby boa development. Believe me, I'm just excited to have gotten her from an otherwise very disappointing litter full of slugs. I'd be satisfied if she was just a "regular" hypo. Her crazy look just got me thinking about the possibility of sperm retention from last year's breeding.

Thanks again, and if she does prove out to be het albino, wooohooo. But only time will tell.

Jay