Determining if a trait is Mendelian

This is a section from the Cornsnake Morph Guide which explains the process of proving out a new gene. You can use the flowchart below, or you can answer yes/no type of questions about your test breedings in order to find out how to proceed. If you find an interesting looking specimen at a show or hatch something odd yourself, and you want to find out if you can make more in a reliable way, this is how you go about proving the existence of a dominant, codominant, or recessive gene that controls that appearance. Or you end up proving that it isn't, which is also useful information.

Step 1:

Breed Mutant to an unrelated, typical, run-of-the-mill specimen.

Notes:

• Do not use anything that looks like the mutant. This will ensure that, if you are lucky enough to hatch more offspring like them, you cannot tell why.
• Do not use anything that may potentially mask the expression of the presumed gene. If you are trying to see if a gene reduces red pigment, don't use an anerythristic.