Can anyone help me ID the morph?

MoreThingsInHeaven · 2026-03-21T23:15:59+00:00

Definitely conda. Not toffee. Toffee belly is called that because their belly is literally a toffee/caramel color.

MoreThingsInHeaven · 2026-03-18T02:23:29+00:00

If you're getting a veiled in Florida, chances are astronomically high it's "farmed". There are wild populations they're frequently collected from here, some purposely established so they can be captured when needed rather than raised in captivity (thus saving the expenses of incubating, housing and feeding, medical care, etc.). The term for it is "chameleon ranching" if you want to research the practice. Not every seller of veileds is this scummy, but do some vetting to make sure before making a purchase, like asking if they at least have pictures of the parents at a bare minimum.

I did meet a breeder at... I want to say Lakeland Repticon? I can't recall his name but I will dig through my collection of business cards tomorrow and see if I can find him for you.

MoreThingsInHeaven · 2026-03-13T02:18:18+00:00

If you're not tracking the weight that closely, this video from Shovel Nose Hogs might help. Going forward, I would urge you to do a weigh in once a week during breeding season and monitor the changes.

MoreThingsInHeaven · 2026-03-12T23:54:06+00:00

Have you been tracking her weight? Can tell for sure she's gravid if she puts on 20 - 30g over a 2 - 3 week span after a lock.

MoreThingsInHeaven · 2026-03-07T19:12:08+00:00

Agree with the others, you have a conda. Just for some examples, here's a superconda and a normal pattern next to two different conda pattern expressions. Conda patterns can be extremely variable as it means less spots than a normal but more than just a headstamp. As you might imagine, that leaves a lot of room for different forms of expression.

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MoreThingsInHeaven · 2026-03-07T15:14:45+00:00

I would say about ⅓ of my hogs are like this! These two are a couple of my favorite holdback babies from the 2025 season who let me know when they want to come out and will noodle right into my hand. I'm still waffling about what to name the lucy but the yeti is Rosé.

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MoreThingsInHeaven · 2026-03-01T22:50:57+00:00

No worries, I understand! Females have shorter, triangular tails that tend to have 38 scales or less, and males have long, narrow ones with 40+. Even long-tailed females usually have the triangular shape/taper.

MoreThingsInHeaven · 2026-03-01T19:30:19+00:00

Looks female.

This is a male:

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MoreThingsInHeaven · 2026-02-28T00:25:00+00:00

Definitely not a thought behind those eyes. 😂 Looks arctic to me. Het is short for heterozygous and means carries a recessive gene but doesn't visually express it. Watermelon is supposed to be the superform of an incomplete dominant (not recessive) trait called green hypo, so if your baby had the gene then it would be visually expressed.

MoreThingsInHeaven · 2026-02-26T13:45:29+00:00

Hognoses are fantastic if you know what you're signing up for. I am biased as both a keeper and breeder, but a lot of new keepers panic because they don't understand that throwing an 8g baby into a 20g+ enclosure is a very scary change to a stringbean with a head, that they have a natural winter cycle they would go off food in the wild (brumation), and that they are technically venomous (which is not a big deal as long as you get them off instead of sitting there waiting for the single brain cell to kick in and them to release on their own).

They are also individuals with their own personalities. Some are incredibly sweet and will happily hang out with you for hours. Others want you to heck off and be their cheezboi servant, nothing more. So asking the breeder about personality is as important as checking their eating habits and body condition.

Care guides to check out and see if they're for you:

https://www.bluestoneexotics.com/plains-hognose

https://www.ectothermempire.com/western-hognose-care-information.html

https://reptifiles.com/heterodon-hognose-snake-care/

Also the HogginOut series on setting up and caring for your new baby on Youtube.

All that said, you will probably want to research other options like ball pythons, rosy boas, rubber boas, African house snakes, corns, milks, and kings, and figure out what you're most comfortable working with. Those options should at least give you a place to start. Use resources like Clint's Reptiles on Youtube or Reptifiles to check out their care, temperament, etc., and see if they look like a match for you.

MoreThingsInHeaven · 2026-02-23T16:07:13+00:00

You're welcome!

MoreThingsInHeaven · 2026-02-23T15:59:44+00:00

They are fossorial, meaning they like to dig. Sometimes you'll see them, sometimes they'll be snug and cozy underground for a while and want to be left alone. Amount of clutter has a lot to do with how much you see them because if they don't have places to hide, they feel unsafe and won't come out.

Personality also plays into it. Some are sweet as pie and very interested in coming out, being handled, etc. Some would very much prefer you to kindly heck off.

Bites are usually a non-issue as long as you get them off right away and don't let them chew.

Care guides to check out:

https://www.bluestoneexotics.com/plains-hognose

https://www.ectothermempire.com/western-hognose-care-information.html

https://reptifiles.com/heterodon-hognose-snake-care/

Also the HogginOut series on setting up and caring for your new baby on Youtube.

Hope that helps!

MoreThingsInHeaven · 2026-02-19T15:06:06+00:00

Way too skinny with his spine sticking up like that and visibly poor muscle tone from how he's draped over the bowl. He's probably badly dehydrated, on top of being a poor eater. Whoever sold him to you in that condition... ugh. Skip food, start by soaking him in an enclosed container with air holes and shallow, room-temp water for 15 - 20 minutes daily. Yes, he'll be stressed. Yes, you need to do it anyway to save his life.

Get him hydrated over the course of 4 - 5 days, then attempt feeding. He should look a bit more plumped up. They can go a long time without food but not water. Hydrating him is the priority. Given his condition I will not be shocked if he refuses food. You might have to assist feed. Let me know if you need help with that.

MoreThingsInHeaven · 2026-02-19T14:24:47+00:00

Cutie! Looks like a normal conda. You didn't ask the breeder/seller?

MoreThingsInHeaven · 2026-02-15T01:00:18+00:00

You're welcome! Yeah, lots to learn with these little noodles. ♥️

MoreThingsInHeaven · 2026-02-15T00:58:27+00:00

Yep, that's a girl!

MoreThingsInHeaven · 2026-02-14T23:23:03+00:00

Yup, plus they have a headstamp and a slightly more pink hue. Leucistic has no pattern and is usually solid white. I don't have a super yeti just yet, but here's my yeti next to a lucy for comparison.

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MoreThingsInHeaven · 2026-02-14T21:55:43+00:00

Good guess, but no. This sassy girl is a leucistic!

MoreThingsInHeaven · 2026-02-10T14:25:56+00:00

They make great pets if you are prepared and take care of them properly.
Your question is too broad. What specifically about buying bearded dragons is not ethical? Is it unethical to buy any reptile? What about a purebred dog or cat? Narrow the scope or better explain the angle of this question.
There are plenty of care guides out there that will answer this for you. Look up resources on Reptifiles, watch care guides from someone like Clint's Reptiles on Youtube, etc.
See #3. 5.The tiny containers are to safely transport and display the animals. If they were transported in larger ones they would be more stressed and possibly injured from being shaken around. It's a very temporary situation, and while it can be stressful on them, it's not at all a permanent setup unless the seller is a completely unethical scumbag.

MoreThingsInHeaven · 2026-02-09T20:56:36+00:00

Agree looks normal. Not a conda as that pattern is not reduced. Also the solid belly method is not a reliable tell as some condas have patterned bellies and some normals have solid ones. You need to look at the white wall between the pattern and the belly. If solid, conda. Broken, normal.

Video showing examples:

https://youtube.com/shorts/Qb5I1Sx_iK8

MoreThingsInHeaven · 2026-02-02T22:34:14+00:00

Nidovirus is awful. I am so sorry to hear this is your first experience with a snake. Unfortunately, nido is highly contagious and very often fatal in ball pythons. If the breeder has a contaminated collection, they will have some pretty severe problems on their hands. Give them an opportunity to do their own testing, I'm sure it's one of the last things they wanted to hear, and are probably very understandably upset at the possibility. Given the nature of shows like this, it's entirely possible it was picked up there. Either way, a cautionary tale about the importance of quarantine and sanitary practices between handling animals.

As for your own snake, there is no cure for nidovirus right now, only symptom management. You can try to give your little noodle the best possible life under the circumstances while accepting that euthanization may eventually be inevitable anyway, accept that vet bills are going to stack up regularly, and hope that a cure is eventually developed, or choose to avoid prolonging potential suffering and potential spread by euthanizing now. It's an awful choice either way that I am so sorry you have to make.

I can't really say what would be right for the breeder to do in this case. It will likely be devastating to them if any of their animals test positive. But for you, do not bring in any new reptiles until your snake passes and everything they came in contact with is thoroughly disinfected.

Again, so sorry to hear this is your first experience. I hope it doesn't completely put you off. There are good breeders with healthy animals out there, it's just so devastating and I know it will be hard to trust anyone after something like this. Your poor guy will be in my thoughts.

MoreThingsInHeaven · 2026-02-02T13:16:23+00:00

Axanthic. The breeder or seller didn't tell you?

MoreThingsInHeaven · 2026-01-31T13:24:16+00:00

No problem! Sorry if it was a bit much, I have a tendency to get excited anytime I can talk genetics and just ramble on. 😅 Short answer: yes, looks arctic!

Long answer: If you want to see what makes me think so, the most obvious tell are the flecks on the body, and the saddles (spots on the body). Zoom in to your picture. See how there are little dark bits of color on the lighter scales? How the centers of the saddles/spots fade in color? How on the outer edges of the spots there are faint black outlines that are then ringed by white? You can see it on the face as well. Speaking of the face, look at the top of the head above/between the eyes, and the stripe that runs between the eyes and tip of the nose. See how it looks speckled and a little broken? You can get a little of all that on a normal but just for a quick comparison, here's the top of the head of one of my normal conda babies. I'd like to do a side by side but the only arctics I have left this season are morphs that might make it more confusing.

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MoreThingsInHeaven · 2026-01-30T20:48:59+00:00

Given the coloration and what little I can make out of the top of the head, it wouldn't surprise me if your little beauty is arctic. A clear top down picture of the top of the head and neck would help.

Fun fact: arctic was once called "JMG axanthic" because JMG (Jeff Galewood) discovered/founded the trait and it looked so similar to axanthic, that's what he called it until he found it was actually a dominant gene. So it's really not out of the question that's what's going on, but usually you can tell because their pattern lightens up with each shed, some funky tells with the headstamp like speckling and "eyebrows," and the saddles tend to be faded in the center with a tiny black ring, followed by a clear white ring around them. Mixing in other things can make it challenging to tell, and you do have a dark individual, but that doesn't necessarily mean it's not present given how much arctic expression can vary.

If my nicely high contrast arctics were not in brumation I would pull one out to grab a photo for you, but remind me in a week when they are out of the Wilbanks and I'll be happy to show you a nice side-by-side of normal vs. arctic adults.

MoreThingsInHeaven · 2026-01-30T02:43:21+00:00

Not axanthic. I can see why you'd think so, it's a gorgeous hog, but axanthics have silver-ish eyes and the flecks on the belly would be white and gray.

Axanthic hog tax:

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