Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Does anyone know how hypo campbelli came about? I don't recall ever hearing about anyone hatching out the first one or a w/c hypo being imported. Recently a friend suggested they might have originated from cross breeding a hypo honduran. They look pretty much pure campbelli to me but just thought I would table this and see if anyone knows for sure. Thanks. Stu Tennyson

Check out this thread: Hypomelanistic Pueblans. Even visually there appears to be be two different strains of hypo (two forms???) in campbelli. Shannon had some enlightening comments.

I was also of the impression that at least a significant portion are the result of crossing in Hobby Hondo genes, but that may be more inaccurate than I'd originally thought (though there are surely some hypo crosses floating around), per this thread: More on Hypo Pueblans.

-Cole

Wow, that's funny this thread popped up today....My breeding trials between the two lines are pipping today(Well atleast 1 is). I can't really tell quite yet if it has a black head yet or another shade....It keeps going back in its shell once I step close to it. Hopefully, I will have an update for everyone in the next day or so on the out come....

-----
Jimmy Tintle

it certainly gives me something to ponder regarding the future of my campbelli project.....

Stu, they are pure campbelli and there are two seperate lines out there.Mark Bell popped out his own line about 7 or 8 years ago from a couple normals.The other well astablished line is from Louisiana and is also pure campbelli and more of a t plus albino if you ask me.I know they are seperate lines cause a few people have bred them together and got all normals.Also,I have a buddy that likes messing with mutts and has crossed them with nelsoni and hondos and always got totally normals.There hypo ( or t-plus gene) is not a barrowed gene from the hobby.Its the real deal man.
L8r Shannon

I must have been knee deep in exams back then because I've been dying to know the answer to this. I'm thrilled that Jimmy was able to prove these traits incompatible. Great analysis by Doug and Shannon!

I've come to believe that the "LA strain" is as authentic T-positive as we've seen in campbelli and not the "hypo" as we usually think of it. I agree with Doug that calling anything "T-positive" without biochemical analysis is scientifically inappropriate, but to the extent that the black bands in the "LA strain" hypo are IDENTICAL in coloration to Shannon's T-positive nelsoni (and I keep both), I think "T-positive," as a term, is a uniformly well-recognized hobbyist expression for this color variation that is appropriate and will ultimately stick.

I bought my "LA strain" breeders from veterinarian Jerry Bedsole out of Foley, AL -- they were the last of his stock as he departed the milk snake world. From what he told me, there was a single guy who produced these by pure happenstance and had them for sale at a show. Jerry and another guy, Rob, from Bayou Reptiles, bought out the entire group. Rob later confirmed that he got his from Tim Ricks, but I never did verify whether Jerry's were actually from the same source. Anyway, to my knowledge, Rob was more successful in pioneering the line and has, since that time, been simply calling them "hypo apricot" pueblans. I imagine it was Rob's success with the line (and that of the locals he sold to) that led to the idea that these were "LA strain" hypos.

In any case, I've been working with these for several years now and die a little inside every time I go to a show try to describe these snakes to other vendors and milk enthusiasts. Everyone who produces a hypo thinks his is lighter and cleaner than the next guy's -- call it "hypo" envy. I'm glad someone can corroborate that I've been working with something special!

Cheers!

Brad Waffa

-----
http://www.waffahousereptiles.com

I have one male that looks more like a "T-albino" and 3 others that look like regular hypos. I've bred them together before and got regular looking hypos. Not too sure about all this...much too complicated!