Stragazer or S-Faktor
Introduction
Stargazer is a recessively inheritable Gene, that is proven. This Gene first appeared in the same line and at the same time as Sunkissed was discovered, but thanks to careless and/or greedy breeders it is now a problem for all Morphs.
The problem was first discovered in the USA, but thanks to Imports or "Retirement sales", it has been shipped into Europe. The problem is not the Gene alone, it is the Breeders who take no precautions in respect of this problem, up to now there has been only one Breeder in Europe to actually openly admit he has Gazers, but the real amount of Breeders with it is probably much higher.
The Gene and its effects
Cornsnakes that are hom. for Stargazer are Physically and mentally okay, the Gene affects thier neurological movement control system and thier balance centre.
The result of these mental disruptions can be seen in how they hold thier head most of the time, they look into the Sky or Stars, hence the name "Stargazer", this is especially the case when the snakes are excited if they feeding or when being handled. It has also been observed that a Stargazer Corn sometimes "falls" onto its back and continues to crawl on its back, this is due to the lack of coordination and balance. Stargazer Cornsnakes eat normally, possibly a little slower in growing (still being investigated) and sadly they also have no problem in reproduction.
Here you can view two videos of what happened with cornsnakes if they are hom Stargazer. I would like to thank Ian from Ian's Vivarium for this possibility.
www.iansvivarium.com
How the Gene is inherited
Here is a small example
Anybody can figure out now how quick and easily this gene can be passed on without even knowing it, in the example above there is not one Stargazer hatched to show its there, but still the gene is in there.
Due to the fact that it is a recessive Gene, it is inherited exactly the same as Amelanistic or Anerythristic. This means when 1 parent het. for Stargazer is then all offspring are 50% poss. het. Stargazer.
The Male is het. Stargazer and the Female is Stargazer free. Imagine 16 eggs in the clutch, all 50% poss. het. Stargazer. Just imagine there were only 8 that really were het. Stargazer. These 8 get bred to other non Gazer Corns, with a average of 16 eggs per clutch, that makes 128 eggs, all 50% poss. het. Stargazer, and so on and so on.
Attention!
(This bill is not representative, it is only a sample calculation that illustrates the sensitivity of this situation!)
What can be done to prevent the Gene spreading?
Basically there is nothing that can be done to prevent the gene appearing in your collection. One thing possible is to ask the Breeder of a snake your interested in if he has bred hom. Stargazers, or if one of his sold offspring has produced Stargazer somewhere else. Sadly there are not many Breeders that would answer this question as honest as they should. It is a matter of trust. At the moment the Gene can only be tested by a test breeding with a known het or hom. Stargazer Corn, but even then you cannot be 100% certain that Gazer is not in there. There will always be a small chance that an animal could be het. for Stargazer if less than 16 eggs hatch , if minimum 16 eggs hatch and no Gazer is there then the chance is over 99% that the Corn is Gazer free. And I think 99% chance is better than doing nothing at all.
Many breeders say test breedings are not possible or not needed. It is possible, even though there are very few Test Corns in Europe, this will change over the next few years, as people will start producing Stargazer Corns from parents which they didn't even imagine could be het. Stargazer, and that gives the best reason why testing is needed, imagine 4-6 years of work on a certain project, and as the project is completed you get what you were after, but it is also hom. Stargazer, this would be devastating. This Gene has up to now been very good in bringing the best out of some breeders (honesty etc.) but also the worst in some others (greed, secrecy etc). The best method to try and reduce this Gene is honesty, be honest about things and nobody will feel conned.
What we are doing
We, Snakemorphs, and breeder friends of ours have started importing het. and hom. Stargazer Corns from America, so that we can test our own collection of Corns and where possible help others with testing. This will take time and will be a costly action, but its the only way we can be sure that we are selling Corns with no unwanted Genes in them, which means we can sell with a good conscience. And due to the fact that it is not possible to predict how big this Gene could affect the Hobby Breeders, it is also a good investment for the future of Cornsnake Breeding.
ACR Registered Breeder: No. 658
