Is this an Axanthic?

[9Catsz]

I bought this snake for $34 at an auction in September of 2005. I made the mistake of not looking the animal over before I bid on it. She was very skinny with her backbone protruding and obviously hadn't eaten in a long time. Probably WC.

She refused food so I assist fed her a few times and then she only ate a rat every 5 or 6 months and I didn't expect her to make it..... then in 2008 I bought some soft furred rats.....and she's been wolfing them down and packing on the weight and now looks fabulous, 1650 grams. Ironically, after I gave her SFRs for about a year, she now eats regular rats like a champ.

I have been leaving her alone and really hadn't looked at her much but yesterday I was cleaning cages when I noticed that she looked different than my other balls. So I placed a normal colored ball in w/her for comparison.

I thought she looked axanthic but I'm far, far, far from being any kind of an expert on ball python colors. So I thought I'd ask everyone else's opinion on the matter.

[Dave763]

I don't really know so maybe someone with a bit more knowledge will chime in.
To me ...maybe, but I don't even have one in my collection.
Its probably a normal ...there is a lot of variation in normals.

[sho220]

Not sure about the Axanthic(?) but that's a sweet looking normal.

[Kryptonian]

I think there is a good possibility she is. Only way to guarantee she is, is to breed her. I would breed some kind of co dom to her like a pastel then keep any male that is that morph back providing you get one. Then breed that back to her. If she is axanthic you may end up with some axanthic combo babies within a couple of years.

[OzzyBoids]

she looks like an Axanthic to me....

of course you will have to prove her out as being genetic....

good luck, Oz

[Vibrant Balls]

Thats an Axanthic. No doubt in my mind about it. Good job getting her back to health also!

[DrLew]

Looks can be deceiving! She looks like a light normal to me....

[Sarin]

I am no expert by any means but my eyes tell me thats an Axanthic.

[BPelizabeth]

looks like an Axanthic to me....but either way she will make vey pretty babies!

[9Catsz]

Thanks for everyone's replies.

I don't have any morphs, just one het. albino male and one het. pied male and that normal male I put in the picture with her.

Thanks to your advise, if I do hatch any eggs of hers, I'll hold them all back to see if I can prove this out. If it really is axanthic, I won't have to play the guessing game as to which normal-looking babies have the gene. YAY. I've already done that with the het. pied male (kept 12 pos. het. females) and het. albino male (kept 5 pos. het. females). So what's a few more ball pythons held back to grow up?