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How to Morph a Ball Python to a Pieball Python

Ball pythons are beautiful, docile members of the python family that generally do well in captivity. The standard or normal color pattern for ball pythons is a maze of black and golden brown that runs the length of their entire bodies. Ball pythons have been bred for decades by private breeders around the world. Over that time a number of recessive traits that result in unique colors and patterns, referred to as "morphs," have been developed into strains of ball pythons that are sold to the general public.

Piebald ball pythons are one of the most unique and beautiful ball python morphs. Piebald means "having patches of two colors, especially black and white" and piebald ball pythons have patches of pure snow white mixed among uniquely patterned areas of the snake that are the standard color pattern. It is possible for piebaldism to occur in all animals, including humans. The piebald color variant occurs naturally in the wild and is one of the most sought after color patterns in the pet trade.

Things You'll Need

Normal phase ball python
Heterozygous for piebaldism ball python
Homozygous for piebaldism ball pythons

Instructions

Genetics
- 1
  
  Genetics are involved in creating a color morph.
  
  Educate yourself about genetics and recessive genes. Breeding a piebald ball python baby requires that at least one of the parents carries the recessive gene for piebaldism that is inheritable. The recessive piebald gene is only visible (the piebald pattern will be visible on the snake's skin) in its homozygous form where the gene from each parent is the same. If a normal ball python is bred to a ball python that carries the recessive gene for piebaldism, a percentage of the offspring will carry the recessive gene for piebaldism and a percentage will not. This is termed heterozygous ("het" for short), or possessing two different genes for piebaldism. The issue is that it is not possible to tell which offspring are heterozygous for piebaldism until you breed them to a het for piebaldism ball python.
  
  A piebald ball python with visible pattern is produced when two heterozygous parents are bred to one another (1 in 4 offspring will have visible pattern), when a heterozygous parent is bred to a homozygous parent (two in 4 offspring will have visible pattern) or two homozygous parents are bred to each other (4 of 4 offspring will have visible pattern).
- 2
  
  Ball python hatchlings
  
  Create a ball python piebald morph using a "het" for piebaldism as the mate. You will need to purchase or arrange for a loan of a ball python that is either "het" for piebaldism or homozygous for piebaldism (shows the pattern).
  
  The first step is to breed the normal ball python with the "het" for piebaldism ball python or the homozygous for piebald ball python. Two of four offspring from the normal/"het" pairing will be "het" for piebaldism. Breed the offspring from the pairing back to the "het" parent, and if the offspring are "het" for piebaldism, one in four of the offspring will be heterozygous for piebaldism and show the piebald pattern.
- 3
  
  Ball python hatching from its egg
  
  Create a ball python piebald morph using a homozygous piebald python as the mate. If a homozygous piebald ball python is used to breed with the normal ball python, all of the resulting offspring will be "het" for piebaldism. Simply breed the offspring to each other or to another "het" for piebaldism ball python and one in four offspring will be homozygous for piebaldism and show the piebald pattern.

Animals & Science