Female BP, need help identifying the morph(s)?

[newbpowner4]

Hi everyone,

I'm interested in taking in this BP from someone who no longer wants her, but he has no idea what morph(s) she is. I'd really appreciate any help in identifying her genetics. I'm thinking maybe mojave and pinstripe or possibly highway but I'm not confident in my ability to identify morphs yet so please share what you think.

Here are the two images the current owner sent me of her:

https://ball-pythons.net/gallery//sh...mageuser=84451

https://ball-pythons.net/gallery//sh...mageuser=84451

*Also, regarding this same snake, she currently eats live mice. She has eaten live rats in the past before (with no problems, as in she hasn't cared whether it was a live mouse or rat, she still ate them just the same). I currently feed all of my snakes frozen/thawed rats. She is three years old and according to the owner, she is a very good eater. Do you think I should be okay trying to transition her to f/t rats? I know this forum is for genetics, but I thought I'd try to just hit both points I'm concerned about in the same post but if I need to, I'll make a separate post in husbandry if that's what you guys think would be best.

Thanks in advance!

[Bogertophis]

I can't help you with the genetics, but some snakes can be challenging to transition to pre-killed prey (either fresh-killed "f/k" or frozen-thawed "f/t") while others don't seem to matter, or even appreciate that they can just gulp them down. Ball pythons, as you know, tend to rely on their heat-sensing pits, so many find that p/k prey needs to have some lifelike warmth. Rarely, some snakes will never change though, especially when they're adults & have been eating only live prey for years, so if you're concerned about that, it might be wise to test this snake before you agree to take it on.

[Snagrio]

Definitely pinstripe. There might be other genes involved due to the bright dorsal, but I've seen some almost neon bright single gene pins before so it's hard to tell. Hopefully someone with more experience will chime in.

[nikkubus]

Agree she looks Pin, and her coloration does look very Mojave to me as well, though the pattern doesn't look like a typical Jigsaw (Mojave Pinstripe) so I question if maybe she is just Pin and some combination of lighting or shed cycle is messing with colors. There is a lot of variation in pattern in them, so she very well could still be Jigsaw, even without the typical markings.

As far as f/t vs live, I have full confidence I can eventually get them to switch, but not everyone has the patience I do. For the best odds, I'd get her settled in eating what she is used to, and after about a month work on switching her to f/t as long as she is a healthy weight, which she appears to be. If she refuses, wait 2 weeks before offering again so she doesn't get the idea food will be available at all times. Definitely try the hair-dryer method to get the temp of the head a bit hotter than the rest of the body like it is in live - after thawing slowly, zap with a hairdryer for a few to warm it up, focusing on the head.

[newbpowner4]

Thank you guys for your replies!

Glad to know at least one of her morphs - Pinstripe. Maybe in the future I'll see if anyone nearby has a normal male I can breed with her just to see how the babies come out and learn what she is once and for all (minus any possible hets she might have though).

I think since she seems to already not be a picky eater, like nikkubus said, as long as I am patient I think I will be able to eventually get her onto frozen/thawed. I was able to switch most of my current BPs from live mice when they were young (a few months old) so I do have experience with it. I was just a bit concerned with what Bogertophis described - the rare possibility she will not want to accept f/t over live since she is older and only known live her entire life.

But I'm more confident after nikkubus stating that given enough time/patience, it should be doable. I always make the head warmer than the body of the f/t rats when I feed them to my current snakes, although I do it with hot water (and a ziploc bag) instead of a hairdryer.

I'm really surprised that it's possible for her to be just pinstripe, like snagrio said regarding the bright dorsal (and the solid line right down her spine), I thought that meant she had to have something else in there! Some of these morphs vary quite a bit, it's so interesting.

Thanks again!

[Bogertophis]

...I think since she seems to already not be a picky eater, like nikkubus said, as long as I am patient I think I will be able to eventually get her onto frozen/thawed. I was able to switch most of my current BPs from live mice when they were young (a few months old) so I do have experience with it. I was just a bit concerned with what Bogertophis described - the rare possibility she will not want to accept f/t over live since she is older and only known live her entire life.

But I'm more confident after nikkubus stating that given enough time/patience, it should be doable. I always make the head warmer than the body of the f/t rats when I feed them to my current snakes, although I do it with hot water (and a ziploc bag) instead of a hairdryer....

It's hard to know exactly who to blame when some ppl say their snake refused to ever switch to f/t rodents. Not everyone has the same amount of patience, & I'm glad you've had some practice & seem to know what you're getting into- I'm personally betting on you for the "win".

As far as warming rodents- heat transfers BEST thru water, so the "very warm" water soak will get deeper, but the outside can cool off rapidly- that's where the brief blast from a blow-dryer seems to put the finishing touch on the prey so it's accepted. You might do best combining both tactics, if the warm water alone doesn't quite work.

Snakes also have their own personalities, as I'm sure you know- some will grab warmed prey, but when it doesn't "struggle" they drop it & seemingly lose interest, even if it's warm. So keep in mind there's other things you can try, like using long feeding tongs to unobtrusively tug on the rodent's tail just a bit to simulate the struggle of live prey. Other snakes read a different manual though, & prefer 'drop-feeding'- (leave it & go away). Think positive- you'll get there.