Morphs, Health & Temperment

[hilabeans]

Hi y'all,

As I mentioned in another thread, I am in the early research phase of adding a sweet little BP to the fam. We are totally new to snakes, but own a bearded dragon and a tarantula. So not totally new to vivarium-dwellers of the world.

One of the awesome features of ball pythons is the absolute rainbow of morphs they come in. What I've had a little trouble discerning is if these genetically modified animals suffer for it.

• Does the breeding of certain morphs and colors create a less hearty BP? (I know about the Spider wobble)

• Are certain morphs more amiable? Calmer? More curious? Excitable? Shy? In other words, are there personality traits certain morphs are more inclined to? (a pet store employee told me pieds just sit there and do nothing more than the others, less personality, but pet store employees are usually imbeciles, so...)

• Is the closer a BP is to normal healthier than a fancy designer snake, or does it make no difference at all - just as brunettes are no more or less healthier than blondes?

• Are there breeders out there who breed for friendlier dispositions, rather than just fancier patterns?

We would love a flashy piece of eye candy, but our priority is on the health and disposition of our BP. This is for a 13 year old girl, so she'll want something handle-able, and show-off-able. If there are certain morphs more prone to shyness or irritation, we would want to avoid.

Curious...

All that said, I have a feeling this probably all boils down to the individual snake, proper husbandry, health and regular handling.

[Joci]

I'm pretty sure that most bp morphs are no different from normal bps. Also, bps aren't artificially genetically modified to produce morphs. These aren't like other animals, such as dogs, the different morphs aren't different "breeds" that have different temperaments, health issues, etc.

[zina10]

Temperament wise, morphs are no different then normals.

I think there is a myth going around, how morphs can be more "aggressive". I think that back when we mostly had "normals" a lot of them were imports or captive hatched. They were usually immensely stressed and very shy. They were often kept in less then ideal setups.

What was really and truly "shy and timid" was looked at as "sweet and calm". Over time, with GOOD husbandry and the correct care, some of those animals over came the stress and fear and with regular handling were still sweet, and not just timid.

Nowadays you have many more "captive bred and born" animals. They have not been put through the ringer like those other ones were. They are healthy and act more like a normal hatchling snake should. Somewhat defensive/curious. While BPs are actually a very shy/timid species altogether, the healthy babies do have a bit more "spice" at times. Which is actually a good thing. They will more readily eat and are overall healthier animals that will get used to a new home far quicker.

They, too, will calm down and turn "sweet" (trusting) over time. But it is important NOT to over handle in the beginning, because you want to turn it sweet and used to humans. They really need time to acclimate and feel safe. They need to eat a few times in their new home before handled at all (aside from any needed maintenance). Also, handling should be short and sweet in the beginning. There is no rush.

Of course there are still some differences from one snake to another. Some are "more" curious, some less. Some are feistier then others. The very rare one stays somewhat aggressive. I have yet to come across one that stayed nasty, though...

Long story short, if you want a young one, there is no short cut. Buy from a good breeder, that is the most important part. Get a healthy one. If you want one that has calmed down a bit already, buy one with a bit of age and weight on it, a juvenile. One that has been handled for regular maintenance and isn't deathly afraid of that anymore. One that isn't prone to strike and bite each time you reach for it

[Coluber42]

It's possible that some genes affect temperament because with the exception of spider and maybe a small handful of others, nobody has really studied how they all work and what they do beyond what they do to the pattern. And breeders target individual genes that affect coloration, they don't generally breed for behavioral characteristics.

If you're more concerned about temperament than appearance, you might see if there's someplace you can go visit in person and handle several individuals before choosing. Individuals definitely vary in how outgoing, curious, scared, etc, they are. In general though, a baby will be more scared and skittish and think that everything is trying to eat it, where an individual a year or two old will have settled down some.

If you browse through the pictures threads, you might notice that in photos of hatchlings, the snake is very often balled up or hiding its head, or has its head pulled back against its body as if it might ball up and hide any second. In photos of adults, the snake more often has its neck stretched out, looks like it's actively exploring its environment, or at least trying to get out of the light box. So keep in mind that if you do get a baby, for the first year or so it'll likely be a lot more of a fraidy cat than it eventually will grow up to be.

You could also consider a re-homed or rescued animal. A good reptile rescue organization will only make an animal available for adoption once they're satisfied that it's rehabilitated, and by then they'll know something about its personality. And the huge number of inexpensive ball pythons on the market means a lot of them get bought on a whim by people who don't know what they're doing and then end up at shelters or rescues if they're lucky, at pretty young ages.

[artgecko]

There are several morphs that have issues tied to the genetic trait... the "wobble" you mentioned also effects womas and champagnes. Some morphs have reproductive issues tied to them. Some super forms (i.e. super cinnamon, etc.) can have a higher incidence of deformity (kinks, duck billing).

I don't think any moprh has a tendency to be more "sickly". That said, how much breeders outcross and inbreed can play a role. Most good breeders will outcross to other lines to keep good genetic diversity in their collection.

Most BP morphs are not true recessive genes, so you can outcross more easily and still produce them (i.e. if you breed a spider to a normal that is unrelated, some will come out as spiders as only one copy of the gene is necessary to show the trait). Pied, hypo (ghost), axanthic, clown, and desert ghost are examples of recessive genes where both parents need to carry the gene to produce visual offspring. These were more inbred in the beginning, but have now bee npretty well outcrossed to include other genes.

All that said, the health of any one snake is more dependent on that animal and its' care than the morph it carries.

I would purchase a well-started snake from a good breeder. Look for a healthy animal that is feeding well on what you want to feed. I would also get one several months to a year or two old, this iwill increase your odds of getting a solid feeder and a healthy animal, but will also probably give you a less shy animal as it has been handled for maintenance more.

A rescue might be a good option IF you have a reputable local reptile rescue group that treats animals for disease, etc. before releasing them to the public. If you don't care as much about looks and find temperament more important, this could be a good route to go for you.