Advance Information for advance hobbyists and breeders :

1- Layman’s Crash Course in Ball Python Genetics

courtesy to : ball-pythons.net/forums/showthread.php?52847-A-Lesson-in-Basic-Genetics

Each pair of genes has a different “job” in determining the look of an animal. It takes many different pairs of genes, each doing a specific job, just to determine the overall pattern and colors of a snake.

When two animals mate and create young, each parent contributes one copy from their pairs of genes to create a whole new set of pairs in the offspring. For instance, the red dots…one red dot from the mom and one red dot from the dad. Always. One yellow dot from the mom, and one yellow dot from the dad.

This explanation is not meant to be taken as a scientific study or anything like that. It is written from a layman's point of view in order to offer a basic understanding of how genetics work in Ball Python breeding and the various genetic terms as they are commonly used in the BP community. Hopefully the visuals created for this lesson will provide a solid foundation for future learning.

GLOSSARY OF TERMS

Allele – One member of a pair of genes at the same locus.

Co-Dominant – A visible mutation appears when a single gene at an allele is different than normal. A matched pair of this gene brings about a “super” form that looks different than the single.

DNA - Part of the genetic code that makes up all living things.

Dominant – A visible mutation appears when a single allele at a locus is different than the normal. A matched pair of the mutated alleles will appear the same as the single.

Gene – A molecular unit of DNA responsible for the physical and inheritable characteristics of an animal.

Heterozygous (Het) – An unmatched pair of alleles at any given locus…this term is usually reserved for recessive traits that do not show up even though one gene is present.

Homozygous (Homo) – A matched pair of mutated alleles at any given locus.

Locus– The location of a gene/allele on the DNA strand.

Recessive – A matched pair of mutated alleles must be together at the same locus in order to bring about a visible change.

HOW DOES ALL THIS WORK?

Picture a pair of shoestrings. Hold them up side-by-side. Now picture them with little matched pairs of colored balls stuck to each of them:

Each strand represents one of the two DNA strands all animals have.

Each colored dot represents a single gene or allele.

Each pair of colored dots represents a pair of genes/alleles located at a specific locus.

Most of the time, enough of these genes match up in such a way as to create what we call a “normal” or “wild type” appearance. Even within this “normal” range, there are so many different genes at work, and in so many different combinations, that the appearance of the animals will always have some variance…especially in a species like the ball python. There are many different looks that are all considered “normal.” For the purposes of this study, which is meant to lead to an understanding of breeding for various ball python morphs, let’s say that animals are considered “normal” because their specific genetic makeup is not only common, but is also too complicated and unpredictable to reproduce any single trait (such as lots of spots or a lack of spots) with any degree of certainty. Any visible trait that can be consistently and predictably reproduced is called “genetic” and the animals with these specific genetic traits are referred to as “morphs”.

WHAT MAKES A MORPH?

Occasionally, a single gene (or gene pair) will mutate outside of the normal variant range. This will cause the animal to look different from its normal peers and they will be called “morphs.” Some examples of this are Albinos, Axanthics, Spiders, and Pastels.

Different types of gene mutations will behave or affect the animal differently.

Many morphs are Recessive, which means they must have a matched gene pair in order to make a visual difference in the animal. Albinos, Axanthics, and Piebalds (Pieds) are examples of Recessive morphs.

And many other morphs are Dominant or Co-dominant, which means you can see a different look with just a single gene being represented.

What’s the difference between Dominant and Co-dominant?

A Dominant gene will produce the same look in the animal whether it is a single gene or a matched pair. Spiders and Pinstripes are examples of this type of morph.

A Co-dominant gene will produce one look when a single mutated gene is present and an entirely different look if there is a matched pair of the mutation. Pastels and Mojaves are examples of this.

So what happens when I breed XXX to xxx?

Let’s start with Recessives.

Notice the genetic chain for our Albino Mom. At one specific locus, instead of the yellow dots that a normal might have, she has a pair of A’s. The Dad is normal, so he just has yellow dots. Each parent contributes one gene from that locus to their offspring, and as you can see, the offspring has one A and one yellow dot. Because the Albino trait is recessive, it won’t show through the yellow dot on the other side and the baby looks normal. But she IS carrying an albino gene. (She is Het Albino.) And she has a 50/50 chance of passing that gene on to her own offspring as well. (Each baby she produces will either get the A or the yellow dot from that locus.) If she is mated to another snake that also carries at least one albino gene, then there is a chance one of their babies will inherit an A on both sides of the “shoe string” and display the bright yellow and white traits of an albino ball python.

The following graphics show the potential offspring of a Het Albino with another Het Albino, and a Het Albino with an Albino mate.

If you mate a Yellow Belly to an Ivory, all the babies will be either YB or Ivory. And two Ivories will give you all Ivories.

So how do you know if a morph is Recessive or Dominant or what?

It’s basically just a learning curve you have to get yourself over. Here are some lists of basic morphs and which category they fall into. It is far from exhaustive.

What about all those %’s people talk about?

When dealing with Het x Normal and Het x Het breeding pairs, all the Normal-looking offspring have a chance of being Het, but you can’t tell by looking whether or not it has the mutated gene. In a Het x Normal pairing…each offspring has a 50% chance of carrying the gene, so it is called “50% Het”. In a Het x Het pairing, all normal babies have a 66% chance of carrying the recessive gene and that’s where the “66% Het” term comes from.

Once one of these Possible Het animals mates with another carrying the same gene and produces visible morph offspring, they are considered “Proven” and are no longer referred to as “possible” or by any percentages. (Except maybe 100%. ;-) )

People sometimes use the term “100% Het” to refer to an animal that is an offspring of a visible morph because it is 100% certain that one copy of the recessive gene was passed on.

A Look at Dominant and Co-Dominant

With the Dominant morphs, it only takes one copy of the mutated gene to create a visual affect. With no known difference for having two copies. (Except that with a true homozygous form of a dominant morph, all the offspring would be guaranteed to carry the trait.)

And here, we have the potential offspring of a Spider x Spider pairing. I have used “???” in place of an image for the “Homozygous Spider” because, as of my understanding at this time, no one has offered proof of their existence. Speculation is that a homozygous form would look no different than a spider with a single mutated gene. Therefore, it would be impossible to determine if a spider were “super” until it had produced several clutches of entirely spider offspring. But there is also speculation that when that mutated gene is paired with a matching one, the results are fatal, and therefore, no “super spiders” have survived incubation.

Five Quick Tips :

1- Any time you set up a reptile enclosure, make sure to provide an appropriate heat gradient. This means that the tub has a hot end, a warmish middle, and a cool end (where the water bowl will be).

2- Digital temperature guns provide accurate, easy-to-read, instantaneous temperature temperature readings for a specific spot in your enclosure. This helps monitor your temperatures more directly and check to make sure your digital thermometers, placed on the hottest spot and one on the coolest spot, are working properly.

3-A thermostat, or at least a rheostat (essentially, a heat dimmer) is absolutely vital for any reptile setup to prevent heating malfunctions and burns, and to establish an overall stable temperature gradient.

4-I personally recommend non-loose substrates, such as newspaper or paper towels, since they are:

easy to clean
not at all dangerous (no danger of ingestion)
safe
cheap
and easy to obtain.

And now we’ll take a look at Co-Dominant morphs.

There are many co-dominant morphs, but our example here will be using the “Yellow Belly” and “Ivory” morphs. While the differences from a Normal can be subtle, the Yellow Belly (YB) has distinct characteristics that can be consistently recognized and passed on to offspring. When the snake is carrying a single mutated gene on this particular locus, it is called Yellow Belly or Het Ivory. When both copies of the mutated gene are present, the animal is called an Ivory and has a completely different look from its Het form.

These next two graphics show what you can get when you mate a YB to a Normal and a YB to another YB. Here, the mutated gene is represented by a Y and the normal gene by a blue dot.

RECESSIVE:
Albino
Axanthic
Caramel Albino
Clown
Genetic Stripe
Ghost (Hypo)
Lavender Albino
Piebald (Pied)

DOMINANT:
Pinstripe
Spider

CO-DOMINANT:
Butter – Blue Eyed Leucistic
Cinny – Super Cinny
Enchi – Super Enchi
Fire Ball – Black Eyed Leucistic
Lesser – Blue Eyed Leucistic
Mojave – Blue Eyed Leucistic
Pastel – Super Pastel
Yellow Belly – Ivory

This has been a very basic and simple overview of Ball Python genetics. If one wants to dig deeper, one can begin to look into combo-morphs, where multiple gene pairings are being manipulated. There are also morphs out there being worked with whose genetics are not yet fully understood with “hidden genes” and other mysteries. There are sometimes combinations of morphs that seem to go against these basic rules, such as a Het Axanthic causing a visual difference when combined with a Pastel. There are issues of “compatibility” to be aware of, and different “lines” of morphs. Sometimes the same morph will have different names. There is much to learn and absorb and it should be seen as an exciting challenge to work on for the rest of your life!

LEARN MORE: :

Markus Jayne's Genetics-
Ralph Davis' Morph Matrix
NERD's Ball Python Morph Gallery
BP.net's Morph FAQs
NextWorldExotic's Hunter's Guide to Morphs
Punnett Square Calculator

2- Recommended websites and Webs for Advanced Hobbyists and Breeders :

- www.neherpetoculture.com/books

- www.worldofballpythons.com/

- beanfarm.com/index.php?osCsid=64a1ad5c83a79e7c313c1117cd142fc9

- www.instructables.com/id/How-to-build-a-Ball-Python-Egg-Incubator/

- www.jurassicparties.com/pages/53/2/education

- www.reptilesmagazine.com/Reptile-Blog/Russ-Case/Reptile-Morphs-Mutations/

- www.royalconstrictordesigns.com/ball-python-care-sheet

- thereptilereport.com/diy-wooden-rack/

- ballpython.ca/breeding/

- www.vmsherp.com/LCBreedingBalls

- Genetics :

- www.reptilesmagazine.com/A-Crash-Course-in-Ball-Python-Reptile-Genetics/

- www.morphmarket.com/c/reptiles/pythons/ball-pythons/genetic-calculator

- ballpython.ca/genetics-101/

3- RACK SYSTEMS :Breeders guide

- How To: Plastic Tub Setup for Ball Pythons

courtesy to : pethelpful.com/reptiles-amphibians/How-To-Plastic-Tub-Setup-for-Ball-Pythons

The Basics

Introduction

Tub setups are all the rage with ball python breeders, collectors, and serious enthusiasts! Even I use a plastic tub setup for my ball python, and always have. They have so many advantages over glass -- but that's for another article. Here, I will tell you how to set up a plastic tub enclosure for a ball python and what you'll need to get started.

Supplies :

-digital temp gun

-digital thermometer(s) with probe

-hygrometer (digital works best)

-thermostat or rheostat to control heat

-THG or Flexwatt heat tape (or appropriate UTH)

-newspaper, aspen, carefresh, or paper towels

-plastic tub, such as an underbed Sterilite

-soldering gun

-water bowl

-hides (such as: overturned bowls, shoe boxes, or professional reptile hides)

-duct tape or foil tape

-strong, large binder clips

Steps :

1- Obtain a tub of appropriate size, depending on your snake. Always go for flatter and longer rather than wider or taller, although a tub should not be so short that you cannot fit a water bowl inside. A good tub for a subadult to adult male would be a 41 quart tub. Basic rule of thumb: make sure that the tubside length is at least equal to the snake's length. For a hatchling to juvenile, something the equivalent of a ten gallon tank will do. You can get these tubs for around $10 online or in stores like Big Lots or Walmart easily.

2-Fire up that soldering gun! You can use a drill, but these tend to crack and make irregular holes. Simple use the gun to sort of melt holes in the sides (and lid, possibly), one every three inches or so. If the humidity is too high, add more holes. You can also use this to melt the plastic around any wheels, jamming them shut so they can't move.

3- Install the thermostat/rheostat. This consists of plugging it into the wall and attaching the probe either on the physical heating element on the outside of the tub, or at the bottom of the tub underneath the substrate, touching the hottest spot.

4-Install the undertank heater. For heat tape, you can tape the heating element directly on to the tub (provided that there is at least 1/4" inch separating the tub from the carpet/floor), but most breeders simply attach the heat tape to their shelving unit, with the tub sitting atop it. For heat pads, simply adhere the pad directly to the bottom of the tub, on the warm side. The UTH should cover about 1/3rd of the total tub, or an area about the width x length of the snake curled up.

5-Immediately connect to your thermostat/rheostat! Do not allow heat tape to be in contact with the tub for any amount of time without regulation from a stat.This can easily burn the tub and the snake. Although heat pads may be lower power, they are just as or even more unrealiable, so always connect these to a stat as well.

6- Install thermometers/hygrometers. A good idea is to feed the digital temperature probe fed underneath the newspaper/other substrate, over the hottest spot, and to install another thermometer on the "cold" spot. Hygrometers should not be placed directly near the water bowl and shouldn't be put on the hottest spot, either.

7- Add a water bowl to the cool side. It should ideally be big enough for the snake to soak in, but if that takes up too much space, use something smaller. Short, heavy-ish bowls are best, since snakes love tipping their bowls over and spilling them!

8-Add appropriately-sized hides (just large enough for the snake to fit in comfortably). These can be practically anything safe for snakes, although something that can be cleaned (or discarded) immediately after a poop is best. Put one hide on the warm side, and one on the cool side.

9- Optional: add decorations like fake plants, fake rock formations, etc to enhance the cage's overall look. You might want to do this if the enclosure is incredibly large, to get rid of excess space and make your ball python more comfortable.

The beautiful normal ball python.

Videos on Rack systems set up :

Proper Ball Python Temperatures:

Note that these are only some of the most popular pet snakes out there. If your favorite snake is omitted, please share it below!

*F *C

hot side: 82-85 27-30

cold side: 75-81 24-27

Video : Baby Ball Python Set-Up Step-By-Step

Three Important Warnings!

- Never use a heat rock. :

They cannot be regulated via stat and can and probably will cause serious burns; no, snakes do not instinctively avoid something if it feels too hot, especially since they are not always capable of doing so in restricted spaces.

- Always use a thermostat. :

I know I've already said this. I can't say it enough! If all you can afford is a crummy rheostat that will not keep the temperatures accurate, get that. It'll get the job done until you can save up enough money for a better thermostat.

-Never never never ever use sand! :

This includes "safe" calcium sand. Do not even use sand for "sand" boas or reptiles that are from deserts! Just because a reptile is from an arid climate, such as a desert, does not mean that they spend most of their time in loose sand. Even so, in captivity, sand is much too dry, and very commonly causes impaction; no matter how careful you are, an animal on sand will be ingesting it or at the very least be in physical contact with it. Impaction can be deadly! Other substrates not to use include: pine and cedar which, despite their labels, are proven toxic to most small animals; crushed walnut shells, as they are incredibly dry and don't retain humidity; and etc.

Rack System :

Another great housing option: racks! Tubs fixed in a shelving unit with proper heating and heat regulation attached. Most ball python breeders use these.

- THG Heat tape : ( thgheat.com/)

Snake rack setup and heating heat tape

Easy homemade snake rack