In simple terms het is short for heterozygous.

A heterozygous animal is an animal that looks wild type (ie normal) but carries the genes needed for a recessive visual (homozygous) trait.

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some terms:

heterozygous

a genotype consisting of two different alleles of a gene for a particular trait (Aa). Individuals who are heterozygous for a trait are referred to as heterozygotes.

genotype the genetic makeup of an individual. Genotype can refer to an organism's entire genetic makeup or the alleles at a particular locus. See phenotype.
alleles

alternate forms or varieties of a gene. The alleles for a trait occupy the same locus or position on homologous chromosomes and thus govern the same trait. However, because they are different, their action may result in different expressions of that trait.

homozygous

having the same allele at the same locus on both members of a pair of homologous chromosomes. Homozygous also refers to a genotype consisting of two identical alleles of a gene for a particular trait. An individual may be homozygous dominant (AA) or homozygous recessive (aa). Individuals who are homozygous for a trait are referred to as homozygotes. See heterozygous.

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How much do you know about genetics? Starting at the beginning incase you don't know much about them...

The basics

A gene codes for a protein and in corn snakes, quite a few proteins make the different layers of colour in the corn snakes skin. If a snake has all the normal versions of the proteins (i.e. the normal genes) then they will be a normal (wild type) corn but sometimes mutations happen in the genes which gives mutant proteins which lead to a change in the colours.

For every gene there is out there, an individual will have two copies: you get one copy from your mum and one from your dad. If the mutant copy is recessive to the normal copy then it means that the normal copy hides the mutant copy and all you see is normal proteins (and so normal colours).

In corn snakes all the mutations (that we know of so far) are recessive so:

An individual that has one normal copy and one mutant copy (this is called het) will look like a normal corn, but it will have hidden mutant copy

An individual that has two mutant copies will have the mutant colours (because it has no normal copy to hide the mutations)

Where does 50% het come from?

Well, if you breed a corn that has one mutant copy and one normal copy to another snake that has two normal copies then there are several different offspring that can be produced (because each parent only passes on one copy and you don't know which):

50% with one mutant copy and one normal copy
50% with two normal copies

but because the normal copy covers the mutant copy, all you will see visually is 100% normal snakes so you say they are 50% het because you know 50% of them have a hidden het.

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Available:
2 pairs normal corns (08s) het amel, bloodred, charcoal and lavender
£85pair until 15th December!
More info
Pictures

there is also a rather good genetics tutorial to be found here.. for those with enough interest to read it..

(rather than just click the link, open it, think its looks complicated, and leave it to ask someone on here when you get stuck..)

Genetics

N

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Some people beat me to it , oh well. Sorry if you do know the basics and I sounded condescending...its just easier to explain it that way since I don't know what your background knowledge on it is.

To answer your other question:



You see on this snake there is a light background and then darker bands on the top? The darker bits on the top are the saddles.

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Available:
2 pairs normal corns (08s) het amel, bloodred, charcoal and lavender
£85pair until 15th December!
More info
Pictures

Thanks alot!
It kinda makes sense I found on this Ball Python care sheet it explains everything in detail at the bottom The Reptile Rooms and how to breed for certain characteristics.
Makes more sense to me now.
So is the saddle the solid colour or the bit underneath is all? In the pic below there is a solid red bit (A) and a black underlying area (B).
Is it colour A or B that is referred to as a saddle? (I've thought it was B until this point)

No I didn't think you sounded condescending. I'm willing to admit if I don't know something. It's the only way we can learn.

A and B are both part of the same thing, the saddle. B is just the dark edging of the saddle

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splitting hairs, but yes i would say A is the saddle, and B is the saddle border..

N

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