Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I've heard that it may be possible to tell if a boa is het for snow or other traits by other genetic markers. Is this true? If so what are they? Thanks, Travis.

0.1 sub adult Columbian
1.1 03' 100% het for snow columbian
1.2 03' Possible het for snow columbians
2.2 Adult Kenyans
0.1 Sub adult kenyan (from my first litter)
4.14 03' kenyans (my second litter)
0.3 03' ball pythons
1.1 Borneo Blood pythons

A genetic marker is something which is used when you look at the DNA of the snakes, basically its done in a computer program now a days where you run a blood sample of a normal and compare it with a blood sample from that of the Snow boa and you see if you can find a "link" between the two samples linked in the DNA... Then you run the possible Het for snow and look for a similar pattern to either of the first two samples. Its a pretty complicated explanation and its not tooooooo difficult but in order to do this it would cost you a large sum of money.... But it is possible.... Hope that helps... i tried to be clear...

Sincerely,
Rose Hipskind
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www.srsnakes.com

I understand what you were talking about (bio degree), but what I was meaning was what visible traits people use when they say a snake "looks" het?

Hello,
Many people beleive that because Pete uses a certian lin eof albinos to begin withh that the original hets have a certain look to them. However no one has proven this to 100% true more often it has been disproven. Pete disproved it with Brian in the beginning back in the early ninties or so I was told. The truth is if you breed you albino to your normal and they come out with a certain look it is because of the backgrounds of the parents not the albino gene. Hope this clears it up a little even though this issue has never been officially cleared up...
John