Need help Identifying a Rescue BP

[Vyper]

I adopted this girl from a reptile rescue local to me. She has had a rough life as shown by her numerous scars and being a few hundred grams under weight. However, she is very calm, curious, and active. With proper feeding and care, she will be a great addition to my breeding program. My problem is that I am not sure exactly what morph(s) she is. I am thinking Fire due to the tan coloring and blushed head. But she seems pretty "dirty" for a Fire, so I am thinking and hoping that she is possibly 2 or more different morphs. I would appreciate any input from the BP.net community.

[BCBallPythons]

She does have an interesting look. I can see why you "think" Fire...but i too dont see it 100%. I really think shes just a light Normal.

Shes also in some pretty rough shape it looks like... Are all those marks, scars on her back? Id just focus on making sure she gets back to being 100% healthy. That IS the reason you "rescued" her right?



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[JLC]

Given the condition of the animal, I think it's very likely that she's undergone a stress- or hormone-related color change. It's not all that common, but is not unheard of. Give her a few months and a few sheds with regular meals and solid husbandry, and she may revert back to her original coloration. Now, whether that original coloration is what we consider "normal" who can say?

In the end, I think she'd need to be proven out through breeding to find out if anything really genetic is going on. Regardless though, she's beautiful, and I'm thrilled that she's finally found herself in a good home!

[Pythonfriend]

doesnt look like a normal to me. the colors and the top of the head dont seem normal to me.

[BP2]

When in doubt breed it out! I agree. Feed her and see if she darkens up! if she doesn't after a year or so you know you have something that's not "normal." Good Luck!

[Shewter325]

Given the condition of the animal, I think it's very likely that she's undergone a stress- or hormone-related color change. It's not all that common, but is not unheard of. Give her a few months and a few sheds with regular meals and solid husbandry, and she may revert back to her original coloration. Now, whether that original coloration is what we consider "normal" who can say?

In the end, I think she'd need to be proven out through breeding to find out if anything really genetic is going on. Regardless though, she's beautiful, and I'm thrilled that she's finally found herself in a good home!

I totally agree with this post. She looks like she has several wounds from either rats or just bad husbandry. She is missing part of her tail and she just looks like she needs time to settle down. Take good care of her and make sure nothing is infected and wait till she sheds a couple times then repost pics. I would love to be updated on her status. It is so sad that people can treat animals like this

[xFenrir]

It's sad that some people feed live simply because they think it's "cool" to watch a snake kill a mouse/rat. I'm not against feeding live, but it definitely has to be done correctly and monitored. You'd be surprised how many people don't believe a mouse or a rat would turn on a snake.

Glad you rescued the girl! Buying the latest and greatest morphs is always fun but there's just something special about rescuing an animal in need.

[tikigator]

If you check my previous threads you will see a before and after photo of a wc girl that myself and everyone else would have put money on was a fire. But due to stress and poor nutrition (as stated) it was a color shift....and after a few months of food and a quiet consistent environment she changed right back to a dark normal. The change was remarkable I almost didn't believe it. So nutrition (or lack thereof) can certainly play a role in their appearance. Yours does have that hypermelanistic (dirty, sooty) look which may or may not be genetic. Only breeding will tell for sure. Post update photos in a couple months...good luck with her!!

[tikigator]

Here's the link just for funzies

http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...65#post1896365

[Vyper]

She does have an interesting look. I can see why you "think" Fire...but i too dont see it 100%. I really think shes just a light Normal.

Shes also in some pretty rough shape it looks like... Are all those marks, scars on her back? Id just focus on making sure she gets back to being 100% healthy. That IS the reason you "rescued" her right?



Http://www.BCBallPythons.com
Http://www.facebook.com/bcballpythons

Sadly all of those marks are scars. Almost all of them are centered on her dorsal so I dont know if it was from rats attacking her or possibly burns from an improper heating setup. Either way her health is absolutely my number one concern. IF she becomes healthy enough to breed, then it will be fun to try and determine what if anything she is made up of.