Super Motley and Super Jungle Boas Infertile?

October 16, 2008

Super Motley and Super Jungle Boas Infertile?

Someone asked a great question over on the boa forum at kingsnake.com – Supers Infertile?. Are super motley boas and super jungle boas infertile?

Albino Super Motley - credit: Jeremy Stone

There is a lot at stake here for breeders that spent or traded a lot for their supers hoping to cash in on the offspring. The fact that a big name, experienced breeder has not answered the question at this point is quite telling. According to the posts, someone pinned down Pete Kahl at the Daytona show (regarding the Jungle question) and Pete told him he had not produced from a super jungle yet. At this point I don’t know why anyone in their right mind would purchase either morph in hopes of creating supers, or purchase a super strait out, until this is proven.

Granted the super forms are amazing in both morphs, but if they can’t produce than the price should be adjusted to a “pet snake” price and not a breeding investment price.

Many people are saying the supers have not been around long enough to prove them out or not, but I just don’t believe it. There are at least 3 to 4 year old supers in the hands of very capable breeders. Why are there no offspring? It is possible that they had offspring, but did not get what they expected and that outcome will depreciate their current stock as well. Either way, breeders need to be honest about it.

The Super Motley, and Albino Super Motley is amazing enough to justify a pair of hets as far as I’m concerned, but not at the current market price.

There is a chance that the super motley that have not produced are defective from inbreeding and not because of a genetic issue. I don’t know how this could be the case, since we didn’t even see this with albino boas. And albinos were inbred much more due to being a recessive gene.

My hope is that breeders won’t sell supers at insane prices until they prove one out. I also hope that breeders that did sell them with any knowledge of infertility will be exposed. If they had no idea then it’s fine, but if they did and sold them for full market value, I hope their reputation takes a hit for it.

UPDATE: Another great thread about this over on http://www.redtailboas.com/forum/morphs/35919-supers-3.html#post326257

UPDATE 2: More discussion here: http://www.redtailboas.com/forum/morphs/39121-super-motley-boa-2.html#post372062

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