Pos Extreme Red Hognoses
Pos Extreme Red is a western hognose from Extreme Red lines, and because the colour cannot be read from the parents alone, its deep red has not been confirmed yet. Expect it to keep changing through the early sheds, so ask to see how the parents turned out.
About the Pos Extreme Red gene
The name Pos Extreme Red refers to a western hognose from Extreme Red lines where the adult colour remains unconfirmed. This Extreme Red line was built over generations by pairing the reddest hognose available. A trait created in this way cannot be worked out on a Punnett square like a dominant or recessive gene. A hobbyist genetics calculator hits the same wall. Since the outcome cannot be predicted from the parents, this name marks a line-bred trait as possible rather than confirmed.
Appearance
A Pos Extreme Red hatchling might look like a normal hognose or have only a slight warmth to its tone. This happens because the burgundy and deep crimson of the Extreme Red line often build up through the first sheds rather than appearing fully formed at hatching. For a line-bred red trait, the colour commonly keeps deepening with each shed. How fast a snake develops this colour and how far it goes varies between individuals, even among snakes from the same clutch.
Genetics
Because Extreme Red is not backed by a single gene, there is no locus to test and no het to look for like there would be with a recessive trait. Pos Extreme Red does what a het label does for a single-gene trait: it marks an animal from Extreme Red lines whose colour has not been confirmed as strong enough to carry the name outright. The line traces to Justin Mitcham of Extremehogs. Ask what the parents look like as adults if you are weighing one up. The colour itself is the only evidence, because no test can settle it.