Unexpected Progressive White on my female Bloodred Side Pied — Hereditary or Somatic?

[gadziewnetrza]

Hey everyone! I wanted to share my female Bloodred Side Pied, who has given me quite a surprise after her recent shed, and I’d love to get your thoughts/opinions on her genetics.

She originally had just a few small white spots near her belly, but with every consecutive shed, more and more random scales are completely losing their pigment. As you can see in the photo, she’s developing pure white patches on her back and sides that break her pattern—almost looking like bleached or corrected spots!

I have a few questions for the experienced breeders here:

1. Paradox vs. Progressive Pied: Does this look like a classic Paradox expression, or is this the “Progressive White / Progressive Piedding” effect often seen in some Diffused lines?

2. Genetics: Is this progressive loss of pigment something that can be passed down to offspring, or is it purely a somatic mutation (random cellular glitch)?

3. Future Projects: I’m planning to pair her with a Palmetto Diffused male next season (so 100% of the F1 babies will be het Palmetto). Have any of you worked with this specific combination of Paradox/Progressive Diffused Palmetto? What could I potentially expect in F2?

Would love to hear your thoughts and see if anyone else has a snake whose pattern changes like this with every shed! Thanks in advance!

[gadziewnetrza]

Just 2 months old here—looking like a flawless, classic Bloodred Pied-Sided. No visible white spots, just rich red tones and clean lines. This photo is the ultimate proof of the incredible, unpredictable nature of the Progressive White lineage!

[snakesofshadowlake]

I remember reading about something very similar to this and it was in another pied having the trouble, but other writers said it happens to their caramels, too. One lady fixed hers by removing the cheap plastic dog bowl she was using as a water bowl. Having a smooth edge made the snake rub its top scales less, and then the next shed improved the spots. In a couple more sheds, the blood red was back.

That said, hers was a small patch on the neck, which is different than yours.

My Amber stripe had something similar, but removing her plastic dog bowl and replacing with a smooth stainless steel did nothing to help:

The white scales on her neck are now mottled brown scales. They’re not raised or rotting like scale rot, and her sheds are perfect, so I’m not concerned. But it is puzzling how each passing year she has more small brown/white patches on her scales.

I asked Don Soderburg about it once and he also confirmed that sometimes pied and caramels have this issue. He said changing water bowls doesn’t help.