What makes a good lesser ball python

No, Lesser ball pythons are not considered to be dangerous. Although they can bite in response to feeling threatened or scared by aggressive handling, their bite is not venomous and is unlikely to cause any harm beyond a few drops of blood. For young children or people new to snake handling, a bite may come as an unpleasant shock, so it can help to be prepared in case your ball python bites a child for instance.

Also, since the Lesser ball python only grows as large as between 3 and 5 feet and is fairly docile, it will thankfully not pose the threat of other larger constricting snakes. A good way to make sure your Lesser ball python will be on its best behavior is to socialize it well as a baby snake. Ball pythons typically respond well to being handled by strangers as they age if they have had early exposure to it. Of course, designer morphs of the Lesser ball python that enhance their color pattern in rare and exotic variations will go for significantly higher prices, possibly in the thousands.

If you are ready to take home a Lesser ball python as a pet, always make sure you get a young, captive-bred snake from a trusted breeder. It helps to do a little research beforehand to make sure you are buying a healthy snake.

A healthy lesser ball python should have a well-rounded body, clean eyes and show no signs of respiratory issues such as wheezing sounds or bubbles around their nostrils. This basic morph is a combination of recessive Albino and Lavender traits. They are a color mutation. These snakes typically have a lavender base color with a well-defined, bright yellow pattern and red eyes. Most have a very high color contrast and sharp clarity in their pattern that makes them very valuable.

The Lesser is a basic morph that takes on a codominant role when bred. Lesser Ball Pythons have a dark brown, blushed-out base color that lightens towards the belly.

They have light yellow spots along the sides and spines with almost no spots or disruptions within the balloon-splotches. This morph was truly unique at creation, however they are now easy to breed and have a very similar appearance and color intensity. These snakes have an almost normal pattern. Yet, unlike normal varieties, these have a thick, unbroken stripe of concentrated pigment running down their spines.

This dominant gene is known to be passed on to around half of its offspring, however, it has yet to be isolated for selective breeding. They were first isolated in when careful breeding determined they possess codominant genes. Two Butters bred together to create Super Butters. Some of the Supers are pale yellows, but others are actually Blue-Eyed Lucies. It can take several generations and a bit of luck to obtain Blue-Eyed Lucies from pure Butters!

The Pewter morph is an interesting combination of the codominant Pastel and Cinnamon genes. These ball pythons typically have a light brown or tan base color with a thick stripe along the spine.

They tend to have golden yellow keyhole patterns with dark brown or black centers and outlines. Some may have spots or more erratic patterning. A beautiful array of brown shades define the Vanilla ball python, but it can affect their offspring differently. Vanillas bring out vibrant colors in other morphs so they are commonly used by breeders. The codominant gene takes a normal pattern and brightens with a blushed-out brown base and a faded head.

Created in , the Mystic ball python is a very rare morph and becomes increasingly unique with age. They are all first born with a dark brown-black base that fades to a tan color towards the belly. They often become a purplish-gray color with age. The keyhole blotch pattern often takes on a bronze-orange to gold color and has little to no alien head shapes. Their head tends to be very dark with no blushing and the morph only occasionally leads into a pinstripe.

It was intended to be an Axanthic x Pastel snake a fairly common morph but a mostly white snake with gray and black markings was produced. The melanin production in the scales increased and the black pattern started overtaking the white portions of the snake. These designer morphs are a patternless, pinkish-white color. They have a thin yellow stripe down their spine and jet black eyes. Their heads, however, exhibit a dark lavender-gray blushing coloration.

Sometimes Ivory pythons occasionally have bright yellow and black patches on their heads. The Ghost gene is a snake with reduced pigmentation. This is known as a hypomelanistic coloration and it is the most commonly observed mutation. Hypomelanism is a recessive trait that causes reduced melanin pigmentation e. This gene was first recorded in ball pythons in Ghost morphs have a normal pattern but are paler in color. They are lighter tans, yellows, and even have gray flaming along the sides of the spots at the belly side.

They are recognized by their dark lavender base coloration with bright orange blotches. Each of these blotches fades to a yellow color along the edge giving the illusion that the spots are glowing. Some Coral Glow morphs resemble Banana ball pythons as they can have dark specks along their body. Also called the Puma, the Champagne morph is one of the most unique patterns of any snake in this list. They tend to be anywhere from tan to dark brown in color with a light stripe down their spine.

Other than their color gradient, these snakes lack any real pattern. Because of their unique pattern they are often bred to create variations of patternless morphs. The Red gene is a basic, dominant trait that affects color alone. This Ball Python is popular with breeders because it brings out copper and red hues in other morph patterns.

It can also intensify color contrasts with darker morphs. The Lemon Blast is a clever mix of the codominant Pastel and dominant Pinstripe genes.

This designer morph tends to have fine-lined, complex linear patterns of dark brown and black colors, sometimes with flecks of color scattered around the body. The base color can be bright yellow to sunset orange with a lighter, pattern less pinstripe along the spine.

The Highway pattern is an incredible designer morph created by crossing a Gravel with a Yellow Belly. Most Highways have a base color of copper-brown to gray-brown, though some can take on a more pastel yellow color. Some are solidly colored along the body and others can have small rings. Regardless of color, all Highways have a yellow, broken stripe pattern along their spine similar. Some stripes may have a dark shadow around them, emphasizing the bright pattern.

The higher the contrast in the morph, the higher the price. Dreamsicles are highly complex designer ball pythons that require generations of breeding to ultimately achieve an Albino-Lavender and Piebald mix. All three Albino, Lavender and Piebald of these genes are recessive, making the morph even harder to produce, though the coloration is well worth it to many breeders.

Each blotch is bright orange and well defined, often containing small spots of white as well, a trait not usually observed in normal Piebalds. Yellow Bellies are known for their ability to intensify the color of other morphs when bred together. They have only subtle differences from normal Ball Pythons.

They have a clean, yellowish tint on their bellies and a speckled pattern bordering their scutes. Otherwise, they appear totally normal. This morph is named for their banding pattern because it mimics the Woma Python. These snakes have brown sides that gradually lighten towards the spine. Their heads are dark with mild blushing and yellow upper lips.

They also have dark bands across their bodies that become thinner towards the belly. The Phantom ball python possesses a gene that is extremely close, if not the same, as the one that causes the Mystic morph. Most of these snakes have a black base color that fades to tan as it approaches a white belly.

Their pattern has dark golden-yellow alien heads with black spots. They also have spots along their spine with some striping towards the tail. They have a light pink or lavender base color and a bright yellow blotched pattern.

There is a slight fading around the blotches, highlighting them for a truly spectacular appearance. Most of the spots have dark centers that are balloon shaped. They also have solid caramel spots along their spines, and their heads appear relatively normal in color and pattern.

When compared with normal variations these snakes have more alien head shapes and have a faded light brown spotting pattern on their head with a dark background. They are truly interesting because of their drastic color changes that occur as they age.

Candy balls are hatched looking albino, but quickly begin to wash out in color. They start to take on dark lavender, gray, and beige base colors while keeping the bright yellow patterning. Species from the VPI bloodline retain this black and white color throughout their life. The other three bloodlines normally develop a brown coloration as they age. A butter ball python is a co-dominant morph that has yellow markings and a caramel-brown background. Their genetics make their dark colors lighter than normal.

They can be bred with others to create designer morphs. Ball Python Morphs are Ball Python snakes that have been selectively bred for a specific color or pattern appearance. Morphs are bred by specialized snake breeders who try to isolate mutations found naturally in the wild.

They use selective breeding to produce especially vivid and interesting color variations. Pastel Ball Pythons are vibrantly colored snakes perfect for beginners and experienced keepers. They are a color morph of the Ball Python — a species known for their calm, friendly temperament and vibrant colors.

Their vibrant color and pale eyes make them beautiful to look at. Does a ball python bite hurt? You will probably feel the effects of a python bite because it can cause scratches, puncture wounds, bruising, and even possibly deeper internal damage. These bites may be painful during the bite and as your injuries heal.