Chameleon Ball Python X 2 Strange things happening,

[Tempestas]

Any ideas on what could be going on here ? I have a 1.1 Het Clown pair same clutch seperate tubs but yet changed colour first the female changed I thought she was glowing and so did everyone else but then the male today just after he shed. Both looked completely normal well as normal as they were but then they turned into these

Before Photographs,

Male




Female


Now this is the male tonight,






Female




They both feel completely normal no funky scales or anything they aren't sticky or anything abnormal about them other than the colour changing.

Any ideas ?

[The Serpent Merchant]

The Clown genetics does some crazy things.... not sure exactly what happened but it's defiantly cool


I remember seeing a thread that described something similar to this but I can't remember what it was called and it was a while back as well.

[Tempestas]

The Clown genetics does some crazy things.... not sure exactly what happened but it's defiantly cool


I remember seeing a thread that described something similar to this but I can't remember what it was called and it was a while back as well.

The odd thing is from what I am aware none of the other clutch mates have done this its only my pair that its happened to I will be shooting the breeder an email to double check though lol.

[WingedWolfPsion]

What have you been feeding them? I have heard of this happening in conjunction with overly fatty foods being used (lab rats or mice, or jumbo mice). It's due to nutritional issues, when that is the cause.

If they were mine, I would start supplementing with powdered vitamins, and consider a different source for feeders. If you're raising the feeders, what are you feeding your rodents?


It could also be the IMG effect (increasing melanin gene)--are your two animals siblings?

[Tempestas]

What have you been feeding them? I have heard of this happening in conjunction with overly fatty foods being used (lab rats or mice, or jumbo mice). It's due to nutritional issues, when that is the cause.

If they were mine, I would start supplementing with powdered vitamins, and consider a different source for feeders. If you're raising the feeders, what are you feeding your rodents?


It could also be the IMG effect (increasing melanin gene)--are your two animals siblings?

They are both fed on normal rats ( same as all my others ) and never had this issue before have also used the same supplier for a while, They are both in perfect health bar the colour change which doesn't seem to affect their health at all

I buy my rats from a breeder who supplys a few people in the UK and no other issues have been reported.

They are both siblings ( brother and sister ) the female changed first at the start of the week ( I have a thread up about her ) we all thought she was just glowing but then the male shed this evening and looked like this. They were both normal colour when they were shedding and when they shed they changed.

I don't think they are genetic I think its just another one of those unexplained things that you get with reptiles lol

[satomi325]

I can't explain this either, but it's definitely an interesting case.
They look super neat.

Keep us posted if you find anything out

[ClarkT]

Wow! they look gorgeous! I think there's more to them--some other het gene... How old are they? How soon are you going to be able to breed them and find out? Hurry up! Patience takes too long! haha

[adamsky27]

That is crazy, keep us updated!

[TheSnakeEye]

That male looks axanthic. This happened just after one shed?

[WingedWolfPsion]

If it's just a random thing, they should slowly get their color back. If it's IMG, they should get their color back but with increasing amounts of black all throughout it.

Color in ball python scales seems to be very much a surface thing...any scrape of the scales or interference with the skin's normal growth can remove the color. It's the last thing to develop in hatchlings, too.