What To Pick?

[Orlandoflor]

hi everyone im new to ball python but not to reptiles im having trouble of picking my next ball i got a female pastel already who im hoping to breed this up coming season well im having trouble picking between a pied or a clown as my next ball im looking to get more males and females later on but im looking to get one of these first can you help me out thanks

[llovelace]

neither, to breed to her, all the offspring will be poss. hets, get a spider or pinstripe

[snakesRkewl]

neither, to breed to her, all the offspring will be poss. hets, get a spider or pinstripe

Wrong, all the offspring would be 100% hets whether they were pastels or normals
Clowns are holding their value better than pieds at this point, but what matters is what you like the most.

[Nzyme]

Ill Say get a spider they are cheaper, and then breed for bumblebees

[stevepoppers]

How about this? Don't just pick one. Look for the very best example of either that you can find. Look for the perfect color and pattern and disposition and size and all the qualities of either morph that you want for your collection. You probably won't find both at once.

[J.Vandegrift]

For a pastel female I think a bumble bee male is a good way to go. A pewter would be a nice male for your female as well. That way you can make some amazing looking snakes in your first year. If you are stuck on going with one of your 2 choices (which are not bad choices at all) I would go with the Clown. Pastel clowns are really nice but it would take you quite a while to make them.

[MGOBLUE]

Clown for sure if you are limiting the decision between clown and piebald. Killer clowns, pastel clowns, hypo clowns...all amazing animals..when you get into the deeper morphs with piebalds don't they just have fully white bodies and head patterns? Correct me if I am wrong.

[muddoc]

I vote Pied. The pastel Pieds mature much nicer than the Pastel Clowns do.

To the above poster, not all of the Pied crosses stay white. Alot of the first time crosses done with Pieds came out high white, but I think it is a coincidence. The Spider Pieds will probably always be high white, but many of the others I would expect to start seeing more pattern in them in the next few years.

[MGOBLUE]

I would love to start seeing more pattern in the pieds, as oppose to pure white with head patterns, it would greatly increase my interest in them.

[BigLu]

If your really willing to spend the $$$ for a pied or clown but dont want to deal with ressesive genes then look into a double co dom like a spinner, bumblebee, king pin, pewter, pastave.