Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I was wondering if two perfectly striped Cal kings where bred together would the offspring produced be all striped? Or will there be banded ones in the clutch as well? Is the stripe morph genetic, or does it vary? Thanks in advance to all who reply? I have kept boas and pythons for years, but the striped cal kings keep catching my eye, and I am starting to learn more about them before I go and pick a few out. Thanks
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"Life is a Safari"

I believe striping in cal kings is an incompletely dominant trait. So homozygous striped individuals will have complete stripes, homozygous banded individuals will be completely banded, and heterozygotes will show aberrant patterns.

If you buy stripers from a good breeder who has been line breeding, you should get stripers that breed true.
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Chris Harrison

I am more inclined to call striped a dominant mutant gene that shows variable expressivity than an incomplete dominant (or codominant) mutant gene. Many heterozygotes show aberrant patterns, but one of the best striped Cal kings I've seen came from a normal x very poorly striped snake. So I don't know of any way to just look at a striped king and and say it is a good heterozygote or a poorly striped homozygote.

Certainly buying the most complete striped snakes you can find from a selectively bred line will make it more likely that you will get homozygous striped snakes. And ask the breeder what the parents looked like. Reject any from a striped x normal mating as thoy are automatically heterozygous.

On the other hand, you could buy a couple of heterozygotes and produce your own homozygotes.

Good luck.

Paul Hollander

Every time I breed stripe x stripe I get 100% stripe babies.

Aberrants with partial striping does not count, as they will produce aberrants as well.

Kerby...