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Choosing holdbacks 100% het clutches

herbager

herbager

Snake Bitten
So, I am curious about how breeders determine which snakes to hold back on 100% het clutches. This clutch is Kisatchie X Diffused Caramel het amel.
The babies are all generally kisatchie looking.

I have 4 "distinct" color groups of normals from a clutch. The one with the least gold body color is essentially a smokey gray (only 3 of these) one group I have labeled Std (limited but some gold) another group golden and the other copper (not to be confused with the snakes out there called coppers just my interim term for the ones that have the most/deepest golden color.)
Their blotches are all dark chocolate colored.

7 std
6 golden
4 copper
3 Smokey

They are unsexed at this point...but for the sake of simplicity lets say that each group is 50-50 male/female.

So I have some initial thoughts on what animals to retain but would like some input from someone out there who has gone down this road in the past.
If I'm trying to produce a unique type of caramel colored snake without regard for diffusion...do I pick the "copper" snakes as hold backs or an array
of each color.
Thanks.
 
I'd start with 1.1 or 1.2 of each colour. As they mature, you can decide if one colour variety is developing more like what you're working towards.
 
I'd have to agree with Dionythicus, keep a pair or so of each, and once their color starts to develop, choose what you prefer.
 
Thanks, I was just thinking about holding back some of the "gold"/"copper" and the smokey...but not the std...picking the extremes only...guess I figured that the middle ground would probably show up in the F2. But I am very new at this...L
 
I would have to agree with the other's on that also. They will all undergo some very substantial color changes as they mature, and what any of them look like right now and what they will ultimately become later as they mature are two very different things. I would cover all my bases by keeping a pair of each phenotype until you can decide which look you are striving for. Even a couple different looks is a good idea too to be honest. This way you can line-breed a couple different types, or let go whatever one's you don't wish to keep working with when you see what they become.

The important thing is to not cost yourself another two or three years raising more up because you sold some that you probably shouldn't of. Also, this will let you develope a decent "feel" about what types turn into what different phenotypes as adults too.


~Doug
 
We keep pairs of the extreme different ones. Out of 70+ hatchlings this year we currently have over 30 hold backs! This includes 21 coral ghosts/ghost babies however so that # will decline once they are all 6 months+ and we have narrowed the selection (that being said we are in Canada and they are one of if not the first clutches hatched here so they are uncommon as of this moment)
Otherwise we held back the very different looking babies from only 1 other clutch.
But I do also agree with holding back a 1.1 of each of your selections, the fact is they all carry the same genetics and the ones you least expect may produce the "best" stuff later on.
 
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