Qualities of a good killerbee ball python

Hiya all, I've been searching for info on selecting a good quality killerbee ball, but have been unable to find any.

Couple of friends have told me that the lighter and paler it is, the better. But I've been comparing several pictures and it gets confusing... the lighter bee doesn't look as good as the the one with more yellow =S

eg: http://www.dreptiles.com/pages/avail...hons20112.html

Verdict: What do i look for in choosing a quality killerbee?

Buy what you think looks best. You're going to be the one who has to look at it in your racks.

Agreed with above. Its about what one you like the most.

I think it's just like any other morph variation. Personal choice.

All morphs vary to some degree. Some prefer the "in your face" obvious traits (such as super yellow bright pastels) and some prefer the more less obvious (normal looking pastels) traits. It's all about what you prefer, none is technically better than the other.

to me, a good way to tell if you have a high quality BP morph is to match it up against the morph's description, and see if it meets those traits. then you decide how well it matches up.

a killerbee is faded yellow, high blushing in the black spider pattern, and a faded head. look for the highest amount of blushing, the lightest head, and the most faded yellow coloration. or go for what you like =p. there is definitely "high quality" and "low quality" versions of a morph. one sells quickly because it's the best example of the morph, the other could obviously be the morph, but doesn't SCREAM "i'm a ___!" lol.

but as others said, in the end, if you think it's an awesome example of what YOU like in the morph, then work on bringing that out in breeding

If I was buying a killer bee I would try to find one with the least amount of spots or no spots at all. The advice above is great about color so I won't repeat that.

Regards,

B

Quote:

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Originally Posted by h00blah

to me, a good way to tell if you have a high quality BP morph is to match it up against the morph's description, and see if it meets those traits. then you decide how well it matches up.

a killerbee is faded yellow, high blushing in the black spider pattern, and a faded head. look for the highest amount of blushing, the lightest head, and the most faded yellow coloration. or go for what you like =p. there is definitely "high quality" and "low quality" versions of a morph. one sells quickly because it's the best example of the morph, the other could obviously be the morph, but doesn't SCREAM "i'm a ___!" lol.

but as others said, in the end, if you think it's an awesome example of what YOU like in the morph, then work on bringing that out in breeding

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awesome reply, thanks! now i know what the typical trait of a killer bee is.

and thanks to the others too, I do look for what I like. figure I'm still too new on the traits of morphs to know if its a good specimen or a poor one.

I am extremly picky when it comes to the bp's I buy for myself. My wife on the other hand isnt.

For me I would go for light yellow with 0 spots. The problem with bee's is also the problem with wobbles/spins. So I wouldnt buy a bee/spider online.

My wife on the other hand doesnt care about the spots but wants very bright colors!

This is my ideal killerbee aka my personal preference. I look for something that catches my eye and I wish I could get her true colors to show in the pictures.
http://a7.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphot..._8308945_n.jpg

When I bought mine I was looking for the lightest head that I could find and a lot of blushing in the spider pattern. I saw a lot of killers but to me a lot of them looked like a good quality bumblebee and very cheap, but I wanted one that really said Im a Killer bee!!!, I paid more than the ones that I saw but Im happy about it. Here a couple of pics.


When he arrived, his a male Killer (Orion)
http://i371.photobucket.com/albums/o...s/SANY0468.jpg

His head
http://i371.photobucket.com/albums/o...s/SANY0495.jpg

At 380g
http://i371.photobucket.com/albums/o...225_165754.jpg

This is a cell pic, hes about 600g in this pic
http://i371.photobucket.com/albums/o...405_185052.jpg

As people have said you want to look for a Killer Bee that you feel represents the morph well.

This is my Killer Bee:
http://ball-pythons.net/gallery/file...3/dsc_0169.jpg
I picked him because of his slightly reduced patter, nice yellow tone and light head.

This is My Boy: In a few days, hes going to be 1st time dad
11 good eggs at incubation day 51 X my big 3,800 gms. Normal, im waiting a lot of bees ;)

http://i286.photobucket.com/albums/l...bee-1_3777.jpg

http://i286.photobucket.com/albums/l...erbee_3781.jpg

http://i286.photobucket.com/albums/l...erbee_3795.jpg

Quote:

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Originally Posted by gcanibe

http://i286.photobucket.com/albums/l...bee-1_3777.jpg

http://i286.photobucket.com/albums/l...erbee_3781.jpg

http://i286.photobucket.com/albums/l...erbee_3795.jpg

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I think I'm in love. :wuv:

The middle picture of him is one of the most amazing pictures of a snake I've ever seen. Would you get offended if I wanted to use that as my computer wallpaper?

I can certainly see why you chose him. I just might have to whisper in your ear if any of his babies look like him. :D

Gale

Quote:

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Originally Posted by angllady2

I think I'm in love. :wuv:

The middle picture of him is one of the most amazing pictures of a snake I've ever seen. Would you get offended if I wanted to use that as my computer wallpaper?

I can certainly see why you chose him. I just might have to whisper in your ear if any of his babies look like him. :D

Gale

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+1

off-topic:would love the middle pic as a wallpaper too. do we have your permission? =D


back on topic: would the same apply to choosing hatchlings? its not easy for me to find juvie/sub/adult killerbees where I'm from (South East Asia), can only rely on pictures from various breeders/websites.

Thanks for the nice coments about the pic, use it i dont care :gj:
Hes the son of my pastel female with a bumble bee male 100% Het Albino, he born last year in July/2010 his Mom died this year April/2011, when she was laying the eggs her oviduct broke