Opal coloration factors

Well since I got zippy responces on the CornSnakes.com Forum I'll try here...

Rich and others have commented on the two lines of lavender, with the "mocha" line infusing more color into a morph than the other "lavender" line, using SerpenCo "Pearl" opals as an example...Any opinions or info on some other factors that may "color" Opals?...Did I read this wrong?...I know Rich's description of his lav's on his site mentions mochas and lavenders to be one and the same line genetically, so maybe i did misinterpret something somewhere...Anyway I want to breed my hypo het lav, amel and anery A to an amel aztec het lavender, and both are very "red" happy, so I'm hoping any Opals will reflect this (or will it still come down to the Lavender gene)?

I wish I could help you, but I've only recently gotten into lavenders and have had only 1 clutch hatch out from a pair of hypo het lavs. The 2 hypolav hatchlings look like they'll have plenty of pink/peach color (which is what I personally like). My lavender female won't be ready to breed until 2006 (slightly slow grower). I chose her as a yearling because she also shows alot of color. But as to whether any of these snakes will definately produce offspring with lots of color, I can't say. I would think that it is something that could be selectively bred for, and your "red happy" snakes may influence the amount of color in any opal offspring. All I can say is...breed them and see what hatches out! Personally, that's where the most excitement is...finding out what is actually in those eggs you've been watching for what seems like an eternity!

I agree with Susan.
Selective breeding can add to the amount of colored pigmentation. With 2 heavily red animals, there will be a strong chance of a lot of the babies having a strong red influence. if you get a very red hypolav, hold it back to breed back to the parent of corresponding sex.
Hold back a pair of very red hypolavs if you can, each to pair with one of the parents when they are of age.
Once you have the babies ready to breed back to the parents, is when you'll probably have the best chance at getting a lot of red.
Im getting some corns to add, since my male right now is a normal.
Anyhow, hatching season will be very fun for me in about 2-3years.