Toffee Belly Hognoses
A Toffee Belly western hognose is warm caramel to gold-brown with a toffee-coloured belly, and some animals carry paradox spots in amounts that vary from snake to snake. The gene is also part of named combos such as Toffeeconda, Candy, Toffeeglow and Toxic.
About the Toffee Belly gene
Toffee Belly is a recessive gene in the western hognose snake (Heterodon nasicus) that strips most of the black from the animal. It is a T+ (tyrosinase-positive) form of albinism, unlike the standard T- Albino. Keepers buy it for the soft colour and the belly.
Appearance
A Toffee Belly has a warm caramel to gold-brown ground colour in place of a normal's browns. The belly gives the morph its name: it is toffee-coloured, where a normal's is marked with black. Not all the black is gone: paradox spots turn up on some animals, in amounts that vary between snakes and change as the animal ages.
Genetics
Toffee Belly is recessive, and anything other than a visual looks like a normal western hognose. The family runs Toffee Belly, Het Toffee Belly, 50% Het Toffee Belly, 66% Het Toffee Belly and Pos Het Toffee Belly. The gene is separate from the standard Albino, and the two together make Toffeeglow. The other named combos are Toffeeconda with Anaconda, Candy with Superconda and Toxic with Axanthic. Listings also say Toffee and Toffeebelly.