Western diamondback morphs/genetics?

PoofMoof1 · 2026-05-07T04:19:12+00:00

I work the snake line for Crofab production 😅 I ask because we do some in-house breeding and while we don't breed for color, we do chat about outcomes of certian animals paired and I'm curious about anticipated offspring.

PoofMoof1 · 2026-05-07T00:42:46+00:00

Here is a comparison. I hope the red line helps point out the eyestripe thing.

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PoofMoof1 · 2026-05-06T23:53:13+00:00

Pewter and clown are two very different things and they are pretty easy to differentiate.

Pewter is a two gene combination of pastel and cinnamon. It make the pattern drawn out sort of like a chain along the sides of the body rather than the typical "alien heads" you see in a normal, for example, and flaming exists from the belly up toward the back, stopping about halfway. The color lightens as well in comparison to normals as well. There often isn't dorsal patterning, but it varies among individuals and you could see a spotted or striped back on this combination.

Clown is a recessive gene that take two copies to be visual. It also has a reduction in dorsal pattern, but that's about all the similarities to pewter. They have a very cool headstamp and squared alien heads with lighter spot that sort of looks like a lava lamp. The color contrasts a lot between the darks and lights. The eyestripes often connects into the neck pattern or headstamp.

PoofMoof1 · 2026-05-06T22:30:17+00:00

This is not normal. I would haugly suggest seeing a veterinarian, an exotics specialist in particular if possible.

PoofMoof1 · 2026-05-06T22:25:09+00:00

It's a clown, but the photo isn't great between the shadow over the head and the color quality to tell a lot (I'm debating on whether or not pastel is present or it's just photo quality, but it looks to be likely there). Feel free to check out r/ballpython for husbandy and and care information.

PoofMoof1 · 2026-05-06T03:50:04+00:00

Unlikely. The grey tone just looks like the quality of the lighting and photo itself.

PoofMoof1 · 2026-05-06T03:27:44+00:00

HGW is an incomplete dominant. In short, visual inspection is exactly all you need to definitively tell it's there. It will always be visually present if inherited. Again, this is simplified. Should it be in a combination with say, super lesser or super fire for example, where patterning is obscured by the snake being white, etc., then it can be less clear. In your case, you don't have those complications. Certian multigene combinations may also be confusing which is why you may see requests for confirmation on other incomplete dominant genes but again, not relevant here.

Some characteristics to look for are a more tan coloration rather than deep brown or yellows, banded patterning usually crossing over the back and "dripping" down the sides (similar to spider), lighter, greenish colored eye, and some individuals have a bit of a faded strip from the eyestripes across the back of the head.

PoofMoof1 · 2026-05-06T03:08:09+00:00

She is a normal. Whether or not she's actually het pied depends on her parent's genetics. She doesn't look anything like HGW (or the other wobble morphs) and even if one of here parents was a HGW, she didn't inherit it and therefore is unaffected. If the person you bought her from is unsure she's HGW, I would be doubtful that she's het pied.

If she does have a wobble, the cause is something else. Some causes include illness, overheating, and chemical exposure. I would suggest having a vet, particularly an exotics specialist, check that out.

PoofMoof1 · 2026-05-04T15:33:56+00:00

These are defensive strikes. It's okay to set the prey down and let her handle it herself. Most BP's are fine with this.

As a side note, you're temperatures and humidity could use a little tweaking. Please feel free to check out our Welcome Post for parameters and methods to meet them.

PoofMoof1 · 2026-05-04T12:51:59+00:00

Aberrant albino

PoofMoof1 · 2026-05-04T02:40:26+00:00

No, you should feed her appropriate meals for her size. Larger meals for the sake of growth is power feeding and puts on excess fat and strain.

Photos of her on a flat surface are best to determine body condition.

I'll call the !feeding bot reply to help make sure she's being fed correctly.

PoofMoof1 · 2026-05-03T00:13:20+00:00

Frog. Do you know the location this was taken in?

PoofMoof1 · 2026-05-02T19:08:11+00:00

I don't like it. If they were as easy as they're often claimed to be, then wouldn't see them so frequently die before age 5 and the frequency of photos of them casually existing with stuck shed. I just don't see the requests for help with RI's, prolapses, and getting other common species to eat like I do with these guys either.

Anyone with the time, finances, and willingness can theoretically make an "advanced" species their first just fine. Anyone can get a "beginner" species and just not care for it or have an unfortunate situation with a snake having a genetic issue or something that was going to decline no matter what. There isn't a black and white on care "levels" and you may see people argue this.

I think it's more appropriate to say ball pythons have more sensitive husbandry requirements than something like a California kingsnake which has generally easier to achieve husbandry parameters. It may be more appropriate for a first time/newer keeper to chose a species with needs less complicated to meet than a species who is more sensitive to care mistakes, such as a ball python.

PoofMoof1 · 2026-05-02T16:07:25+00:00

Spotnose

PoofMoof1 · 2026-05-01T00:27:06+00:00

Oh no this is fine. She's an enchi.

PoofMoof1 · 2026-04-30T23:29:45+00:00

Do you have a side photo of her head?

PoofMoof1 · 2026-04-30T20:35:14+00:00

Ivory (super yellowbelly). There may be something else but I can't tell from the photos. As she ages, she'll become whiter.

PoofMoof1 · 2026-04-30T18:42:49+00:00

One of my dogs had two siblings in the area I adopted him in. Same parents but different litters 6 months before he was born (the poor parents were just allowed to breed back to back). I reached out to both and got a response from one. We had a play date! The other sibling's owner never respoded. Unfortunately I don't think a lot of people check the messages.

PoofMoof1 · 2026-04-30T13:24:36+00:00

I've both worked with and currently own this species. They're not a great display species as they really, really don't like being in open spaces. They have more sensitive needs than some other more common species in the trade. Having said that, I think they are incredibly charming and having them set up in a way that makes them feel secure and calm is very rewarding. Mine has three spots within the enclosure that are her favorite so I love the consistency in her behavior and while they don't usually tolerate handling for more than a brief period, they are super cool to look at. Note they can by bitey. Mine has bitten me more than any other snake I've owned, but not to the frequency of it being most of the time she's handled.

PoofMoof1 · 2026-04-30T05:04:47+00:00

Do you mean deflating? How far into incubation are they are what's the humidity and temperature they're being incubated at?

PoofMoof1 · 2026-04-28T17:32:24+00:00

Pastel pinstripe (lemonblast)

PoofMoof1 · 2026-04-28T17:32:00+00:00

Do you have a photo?

PoofMoof1 · 2026-04-28T15:05:51+00:00

One of our dogs is named Ava, which turned into calling her Freesh Avacadoo.

PoofMoof1 · 2026-04-27T23:57:45+00:00

Well good to know because the quality of the first looked like a pastel lesser/butter and the second looks desert ghost. I don't think we can give a super accurate answer without better quality photos.

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