Hi folks, I just got emailed about this thread and had a good read through it. Very interesting.
I think it would be great if there is another line, especially if the mutation was different than the one originating from Blondie. It could lead to a new albino variant!
However, I am puzzled by the story. It's 8 years since I first became custodian of Blondie and her genetic heritage. I have two gravid albino females now that are second generation to Blondie and last year I bred the first albino to albino cross. The first few female albinos I parted with will be three years this summer. I did however part with some hets some years back because I didn't need them and I couldn't bring myself to euthanise them all and so sold some males here and some females there. They would have been old enough to breed a few years back now if anyone was lucky enough to get two. No doubt they will pop up "spontaneously" for some lucky folk.
The photographs of the albinos don't convince me of anything - they could be some we parted with previously or they might not??
What I don't understand is if this line started back before we started to part with any albinos why would it be kept quiet for so long (nothing is secret for long in this game)? Why wouldn't the proud owners not want to let others know about it and capitalise on it by breeding and selling the offspring? I did hear of another albino being found before Blondie was found some years back from a very credible source, but I was told by this source that unfortunately it died before it bred. I have since had independant verification which leads me to believe this well might be true.
The chances of a albino popping up in a wild reptile population is about 1 in 20,000 to 30,000 depending on who you believe. So it is possible that there is another line from a wild caught snake, but the chances are low. Of course, it could be from the same genetic line as Blondie which just popped up in another random coupling from the same population of snakes.
As to whether this line is prettier or more robust, I don't see how anyone could say. The snakes shown certainly show no evidence of this being true. We have not had one unhealthy animal and, while I think all albino carpets are lovely, we have produced some geogeous snakes.
Back to what I think is the main point, if there is another albino line its fantastic news because if the genetics are different it opens up new possibilities - and I just love the challenge of breeding new forms and everyone getting to enjoy them. If these folk really have a different line I encourage them as much as I can to get in touch with me at SXR. I'd be more than happy to swap blood or to do a breeding trial to see what we get. Even if they don't want to do this, I would love to know that there is another albino line out there and look forward to what it might bring.
That said, I am deeply skeptical about this and feel, like some of you have expressed, that the odds of it being fact are slim and more likely it is someone's new, clever sales ploy, or wishful thinking or misunderstanding. I hope I am wrong.