# what does this mean...



## xDEADFAMOUSx (Jul 15, 2011)

Im new to all the genetics etc... but im picking up a dwarf pastel female 66% het kahl boa from donny in june...

What is 66% het kahl.... sorry if this is a obvious question.

Also what male would create some great hatchlings if added to this female?

Cheers


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## 8people (Jan 16, 2012)

It means both the parents were 100% het Kahls - both of those had one Kahl parent each.

if two 100% het Kahls have a clutch each offspring has
25% of being a Kahl
50% of being het for Kahl
25% of being not het for Kahl at all.

Of the non-Kahl babies then there is a 2 out of 3 chance they are het for Kahl, 66% chance.

Hope that has made sense and not confused you further!


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## paulh (Sep 19, 2007)

Kahl is short for Kahl albino, an albino mutant gene. Pete Kahl was first to breed boas with this mutant gene in captivity. The other albino mutant gene is Sharp albino. It is no relation to Kahl albino.

Pastel and dwarf are line bred characteristics. You are more likely to get pastel dwarf babies if you use a pastel dwarf male than a male that is neither pastel nor dwarf. If you are going for albinos, get either an albino or a heterozygous albino. Motley, hypo (= salmon) and arabesque are other possibilities.

Good luck.


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## xDEADFAMOUSx (Jul 15, 2011)

Cheers guys.

Another question, what does het and het for mean?


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## 8people (Jan 16, 2012)

Het stands for heterozygous

Each gene has two parts to it - one comes from the sire, one comes from the dam. If those two parts are the same then that gene is homozygous, if the two parts are different the snake is heterozygous for a particular trait.


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## paulh (Sep 19, 2007)

8people said:


> Each gene has two parts to it ....


This is the only incorrect part. Genes come in pairs, like socks. There are two genes in a gene pair. One gene comes from the father, and the other gene comes from the mother. If the two genes are the same, the gene pair (and the creature with that gene pair) is homozygous. If the two genes are not the same, the gene pair (and the creature with that gene pair) is heterozygous.

It does not matter whether whether one gene is dominant, codominant, or recessive to the other gene in a heterozygous gene pair. The gene pair is still heterozygous as long as the two genes are different. The most common heterozygous gene pair is a recessive mutant gene and its normal counterpart. Many herpers assume that is the only type of heterozygous gene pair, but that belief is wrong.

The next question you will ask is "What do dominant, codominant, and recessive mean?" See http://www.reptileforums.co.uk/forums/genetics/814850-genetics-101-a.html


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## xDEADFAMOUSx (Jul 15, 2011)

So what male could i pair with the fem pastel 66% het kahl to get some nice snakes?


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## xDEADFAMOUSx (Jul 15, 2011)

So if i pair a salmon male with a pastel 66% het kahl what would i get?


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## paulh (Sep 19, 2007)

xDEADFAMOUSx said:


> So if i pair a salmon male with a pastel 66% het kahl what would i get?


Salmons and normals. 

As pastel is a line bred trait and you are breeding away from pastel, there is no way to predict how much pastel will appear in the babies. To get any Kahl albinos, you would need to use a Kahl albino or het Kahl albino male. And then hope your 66% probability het Kahl albino female is really a het Kahl albino.

Pastel and dwarf are line bred characteristics. You are more likely to get pastel dwarf babies if you use a pastel dwarf male than a male that is neither pastel nor dwarf. Motley, hypo (= salmon) and arabesque are other possibilities.

Good luck.


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## xDEADFAMOUSx (Jul 15, 2011)

paulh said:


> Salmons and normals.
> 
> As pastel is a line bred trait and you are breeding away from pastel, there is no way to predict how much pastel will appear in the babies. To get any Kahl albinos, you would need to use a Kahl albino or het Kahl albino male. And then hope your 66% probability het Kahl albino female is really a het Kahl albino.
> 
> ...


So what would i get with a salmon male?

Can you breed a common bci male with a dwarf bci fem? Sorry for all the noob questions lol


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## paulh (Sep 19, 2007)

xDEADFAMOUSx said:


> So what would i get with a salmon male?


Salmons and normals.



xDEADFAMOUSx said:


> Can you breed a common bci male with a dwarf bci fem?


Yes, though partly it depends on the size of the two snakes. But do not expect dwarf babies. Dwarf babies may be worth more than non-dwarf, but I have not looked through the various classified ads to be sure.


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