Sep 22, 2026 · 2 hr 51 min · 17 segments
In episode # 619, we are joined by Nick Mutton to talk about carpet python genetics, morphs, and the state of the market. Inland Reptile **MPR Network Socials**…
Nick MuttonGuest
Owen McIntyreHostEric BurkeHosti'm curious so i've heard you you've been on a couple podcasts recently and one of the things that um you guys were talking about was um super zebras and i agree with you that the melanin blends in or whatever is it i get the argument that people will say that if they breed a lower
black a higher yellow jungle low black
bit anything the problem is um people are shitty at selective breeding uh that's a huge the biggest single biggest problem is people are i don't want to spoil anything for anybody listen to this but people are lazy and bad at things uh in other words and in other news water is wet wet people tend to do the bare minimum so let's say you're going to selectively breed your super zebras And because the nature of super zebras is to basically half of them tend to drop dead in the egg.
And what are the odds that's the best one? You will never get anywhere in a long-term project keeping back one holdback.
Because when do you know what they're going to look like? Not until they're adults.
So if you're willing to make eight or ten super zebras for over three clutches and get eight or ten of them, and you keep all of them for three years, you'll probably have a pretty nice one in there somewhere.
But since most people are going to make one clutch, they're going to get three Super Zebras, one dies in the egg, two hatch, they sell one and keep one.
The odds that they're going to get the best one out of the ten they could have hatched is pretty low.
All of these mutations, like Zebra, they are pigment distribution mutations, which is why they have more baggage associated with them.
If you look at mutations broadly speaking as pigment synthesis mutations, i.e. it's a mutation that boogers up the animal's ability to produce a pigment in the first place, those tend to be very free of problems.
The morphs that always have problems are almost always pigment distribution mutations.
When you rearrange, not the ability to make a pigment, but you rearrange where the pigment goes.
i'm curious so i've heard you you've been on a couple podcasts recently and one of the things that um you guys were talking about was um super zebras and i agree with you that the melanin blends in or whatever is it i get the argument that people will say that if they breed a lower
black a higher yellow jungle low black
bit anything the problem is um people are shitty at selective breeding uh that's a huge the biggest single biggest problem is people are i don't want to spoil anything for anybody listen to this but people are lazy and bad at things uh in other words and in other news water is wet wet people tend to do the bare minimum so let's say you're going to selectively breed your super zebras And because the nature of super zebras is to basically half of them tend to drop dead in the egg.
And what are the odds that's the best one? You will never get anywhere in a long-term project keeping back one holdback.
Because when do you know what they're going to look like? Not until they're adults.
So if you're willing to make eight or ten super zebras for over three clutches and get eight or ten of them, and you keep all of them for three years, you'll probably have a pretty nice one in there somewhere.
But since most people are going to make one clutch, they're going to get three Super Zebras, one dies in the egg, two hatch, they sell one and keep one.
The odds that they're going to get the best one out of the ten they could have hatched is pretty low.
All of these mutations, like Zebra, they are pigment distribution mutations, which is why they have more baggage associated with them.
If you look at mutations broadly speaking as pigment synthesis mutations, i.e. it's a mutation that boogers up the animal's ability to produce a pigment in the first place, those tend to be very free of problems.
The morphs that always have problems are almost always pigment distribution mutations.
When you rearrange, not the ability to make a pigment, but you rearrange where the pigment goes.
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