Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I picked up a real nice 2011 Loma Alta grayband this summer. I was wondering if it's colors might change (fade, become darker, become brighter) as it gets older. Some of my thayeri have changed quite a bit from their hatchling colors. Anyone have experience with 277 bloodlines?

>>I picked up a real nice 2011 Loma Alta grayband this summer. I was wondering if it's colors might change (fade, become darker, become brighter) as it gets older. Some of my thayeri have changed quite a bit from their hatchling colors. Anyone have experience with 277 bloodlines?

277 animals tend to be some of the cleanest Alterna around, but if you know what the parents looked like, that's the best indicator. My male Red Bluff is a 277 from very blue parents. I tried to post a pic but my computer crashed when I opened photobucket.
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King Snakes! Who can make a better mouse trap?
Jorge Sierra

My Site > www.Sierrasnakes.com

Hi Jorge. I don't have a photo of the mother, but here's the father.

Photo by Troy Hibbitts

I went and looked at Troy's site, and he has some nice alterna!

Now...does your baby look like either the mother or the father?

Or in between?

It is very hard to tell how grayband babies will turn out, if there is any ways to forsee. Part of the fun watching them grow up. I have seen some change dramatically, and some that didn't. Overall, they always are amazing looking animals either as babies or adults. My favorite kings.
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Genesis 1:1

Yeah it looks a lot like the father. I'll get some photos of him this week.

Yea, if he looks a lot like the father, then that may be a good starting point in trying to fortell his future colors.

He must be a screamer then if he looks like the dad!
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Genesis 1:1

Most of the 277's I've seen have much smaller bands, but that one looks great!
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King Snakes! Who can make a better mouse trap?
Jorge Sierra

My Site > www.Sierrasnakes.com

hi Jorge. Wouldn't that 277 above just be considered a blairs phase compared to the alterna phase 277s that we have? sometimes this can be confusing. It seems I've seen some called alterna and others blairs so Im even not sure myself...Dave.

Yeah it can be confusing at times, as there are intermediate snakes that have attributes of both. As far as I know the only quailifier to the blairs vs Alterna thing is the size of the saddles or bands. Alterna having very little red banding with alternate black bands or speckling.
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King Snakes! Who can make a better mouse trap?
Jorge Sierra

My Site > www.Sierrasnakes.com

I have worked with several lines of 277's. All of my adults were light, or at least medium gray to begin with. Most of the babies I hatched tended to get lighter with age and if they had red in thier pattern it usually got brighter. Also if there was any black tipping in the pattern it usually increased slightly in amount, even though the red itself would be getting brighter.

I did do a breeding loan in which my friend bred a very light female and a very dark male together. I didn't see all the babies they produced but I did recieve one pair that hatched medium gray and one got lighter and the other got darker so I think alot depends on what the parents look like.
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