NewB needs help with picking a complimentary Morph

Hi,

I have kept snakes for a number of years but have never bred them, my question is more morph based though than breeding, well kind of.

I have a male ODYB Lesser Pastel Enchi Hypo and I would really welcome any ideas on what would be a good female to pair him to. I know very little indeed about genetics and supers etc. and as it will be the first time breeding as well, I didn't want to mess it up or break any cardinal rules regards morphs.

Thanks in advance!

https://photos.google.com/share/AF1Q...hkYWh6Sy0wb0pB

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Chriscwmartin

https://photos.google.com/share/AF1Q...hkYWh6Sy0wb0pB

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https://ball-pythons.net/gallery/fil.../odyb_ball.png
I don't know about morphs, but I do know about pretty and that's one pretty snake.

That is W-I-L-D-! :cool: (And I leave morphs to others as well...)

Thanks guys.

That's the problem really, I want to do him justice by potentially breeding him with a female will compliment him, I just have no idea where to start with morph compatibility lol.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Chriscwmartin

I know very little indeed about genetics and supers etc.

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While you're waiting for our morph experts to chime in, here's a little reading material to help you pass the time:
A Lesson in Basic Genetics
BP Morph FAQs
BP.net's Guide to Ball Python Morphs

That's great, thank you!

You got a little powerhouse there that can make all sorts of cool things. My best advise is to browse pictures of combos and either make a pintrest or download pictures to a folder of ones you especially love. Try to nail down what types of projects you are really interested in the most. Your passion about your project is more important than any other factor.

That being said, a couple of morphs I would suggest at looking at to possibly include are GHI, Red Stripe, and Mahogany. If you can find a female that is at least het Hypo if you are trying to keep that going, you will have a much quicker progress than trying to breed hets and then next generation breed back to dad or sibling to sibling. Sometimes you just can't find "the right" female that has the ingredients you need, and you have to go that additional step, and that's okay.

The reason for those particular suggestions is you have a lot of different brightening morphs in there and no darkening. Sometimes to bring out the most gorgeous combos, you have to come at it from both angles, add as you subtract. So GHI or Mahogany can really help bring back some of the deeper hues. Red Stripe brings out some amazing reds in combo with what yours has.

This is fantastic! Thank you for taking the time to reply.

Nikkubus has some great combos listed up there. I second those and especially trying to get het or visual hypo in your female.

If you did want to look towards supers and allelic combos I would also suggest morphs like the following
Mojave or Special for the BEL complex not lesser or butter because of the bug eye issue

Gravel or Asphalt for the SuperStripe complex. The downside is that they aren't easy to distinguish from yellowbelly, but can produce highways or freeways with your boy. I would avoid yellowbelly with a second BEL complex as you'll end up with Ivorys which can look similar to BEL

Cinnamon or black pastel for the enchi. They can make the yellows pop a bit more. They work really nice with Lesser imo as well


That is a beautiful male though, so regardless he should have some nice offspring with most almost anything.

Thank you! Some awesome suggestions there. If I wanted to go down the route of adding more contrast, what would you recommend, more enchi? Or add a completely different morph into the mix like a GHI?

What about something like her? Good idea?

https://www.dropbox.com/s/1pd836eq9u...62823.png?dl=0

https://photos.google.com/share/AF1Q...RyNl9MMll3LUp3

Blackhead Mojave Cinnamon Pastel Red Gene Het Hypo Ball

This feels like it could be a good match?

Super Orange Glow Super Enchi hypo is a very nice looking snake. If you see an OG Enchi het hypo or hypo girl that would be a good consideration as well.
I would just try to avoid the yellowbelly or BEL complex in that case because you'll get a few mostly white snakes. Sure they can get a bit more yellow but they would be difficult to ID.

Sold a while back but here's something that it might look like: Super Enchi Orange Dream Pastel Hypo

Opps! Looked like you were posting more while I was typing. For some reason I took that as being your original snake. lol
Photos can be a bit tricky here at times.

That female can be a good one to work with as well. Just remember that mojave lesser will be a VERY hard snake to see the other morphs in. She would add a couple new morphs to that mix. One good trick to remember is using a blacklight on them to see the pattern we may not be able to see by eye.
Obviously, the most important thing though is that you like how she looks and you would like what they may be able to produce. =)

Thank you! Really appreciate all your advice, I think I have a much clearer direction now. The biggest takeaway I think is avoid YB! I already have one ivory. I do not need anymore lol

The more I look, the more I find myself being drawn to a super gravel, I love the way they look and think the offspring could be quite cool?

For whatever reason any pics on this 2nd page aren't coming through for me. I wouldn't say Enchi really adds much contrast. The darkening genes like GHI, Blackhead, Cinnamon, Black Pastel, Mahogany are what puts that back in to an otherwise much lighter snake because of all those brighteners stacking up.

"Blackhead Mojave Cinnamon Pastel Red Gene Het Hypo Ball"
That would make an excellent mate, though some OS may be tricky or impossible to fully to ID. You have us to help you out, just know the ones that pick up Lesser and Mojave together, you will have no way to tell if they just have those or a bunch of other stuff. Blacklight pics can sometimes give hints, but it's really iffy.

I would agree that avoiding YB with him is probably a good idea. Super Gravel and Highways are amazing looking, especially with a lot of the morphs your boy has.

Brilliant! Thank you!

I am definitely leaning towards the super gravel, I love the way they look and I think that pairing could produce some really unusual offspring.

Yes, the photo insertion seems to be a bit hit and miss for some reason.

Thank you again for all your advice, I really appreciate it.

Chris