Fireball question

I've been going looking for a fire for a long time but I get discouraged sometimes because they look like normals to me a lot of the time. Some will be bright, and then some look like a normal. Anyone know what to look for when picking one of these out, becuase I feel like people are posting pictures of normals and say there fires.

1) You could ask them to put a fire and normal next to each on a photo.

2) You could go NERD's webs-site and have a look at their fires - then you have something that you can compare to.

3) Or you could post a photo of the animal in question on this web-site and ask people about their thoughts.

:-)

fire male breeding normal female
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/n...L/nov24009.jpg
my fire pair female is lite
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/n...ember09020.jpg

as hatchlings they look similar to normals but as they grow they get lite!

I got to pick mine out thats the way I would do it pictures donot show the snake like in person.

The best thing to do is buy off of someone with a reputation. I have fires and some do look better than others. buy one thats Woes you. one that glows, not one thats a little brighter than a normal, you will be glad that you did!

Yeah, this is one of those snakes you buy in person, or from like NERD or wilbanks, or just anyone with a great reputation for that matter. Just wanted to make sure they do resemble normals a lot and I wasn;t losing my mind, because I've seen some really light fires in pictures, thanks for clearing that up!

Here is a post by me. The last 2 pictures are of a yearling male fire. http://www.ball-pythons.net/forums/s...d.php?t=108776

IMO the best examples of fires will be lighter than a normal, Have more flames than a normal, Have a very clean and clear belly with pied-like markings along the sides, have faded head markings and lip spots. Many are also ringers.

My female for example is a ringer with orange flames near her tail.

Some pics of my fires.
Fire female
https://ball-pythons.net/gallery/fil...0/img_1274.jpg
Fire Male
https://ball-pythons.net/gallery/fil...0/img_1168.jpg

the main thing is to look for blushing in the black.

There really just fancy normals lol

For some reason I remember them being a lot more bright, but still cool I guess.

Thanks everyone for your pics!!

Yes they do look like normals in pics. Just buy from a trusted source like you said, and you won't have a problem. They are like Pastels in some respects. Some can be real "smokers".

They are not just fancy normals if you breed them. Its all in the genetics. Fires are a "lightening" gene. There is a reduced amount of melanin in the pigment so the snake is lighter. But they do have many other differences that normals do not have. Like the railroad tracks on the belly (like a het pied). The gene does some crazy things when combined with other things and its full potential is not yet known.

It lightens many other morphs as well as creates some crazy new morphs when combined with certain things.

When buying a fire be sure you get it from a reputable breeder who knows their stuff. Get plenty of pictures and if possible, go look at the snake in person.

A fire that looks like a light normal is a lower quality fire and it will not give you the results that make you go WOW when breeding to other morphs.

My female just shed so I will be posting some more pics of the 2 of them today and I will throw in a pic of one with a normal for comparison.