Ball pythons and dark/light phases

[M.P.C]

so i keep hearing the terms light and dark phases when people are talking about bigger snakes like retics and boas but never with ball pythons outside of females glowing when gravid.... i just went to check on roland today and he is soooo dark now its like someone swapped him for another snake... is this normal or something to worry about, he is such a relaxed and friendly guy i just want to make sure this is nothing to worry about... i can get pics a little later if needed

[rlditmars]

A picture may help. If he is getting close to starting a shed cycle, then he will probably be at his darkest. After shed he will be his brightest. I've noticed that when I suddenly think one of my animals is looking particularly dark, a day or two later their belly turns pink and they start going into shed.

[M.P.C]

The first pic was from about a month ago, the second 2 are from today

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[M.P.C]

The pics arent really showing how dark he is, but if you look at the middle pic the dark brown near his tail on the left side by the border is close to his color rite now but he is still a little darker then that

[C2tcardin]

I thought he looked darker in the first pic but I think it may be because your pictures have such different backgrounds especially comparing the 3rd pick to the other two. One suggestion I got from a breeder was to get some color sample cards from home depot/lowe's that match your animal as closely as possible then compare him to those in the future to see if there has been a color change. I haven't gotten around to doing it yet but I thought it was a great suggestion.

[BoiseBallz]

As already mentioned, most "darkening" is a pre-shed change, but some BPs do have light and dark phases unrelated to shedding. Some Orange Bellies get really dark over time, which appears to be an ontogenetic melanism. Many other BPs appear to demonstrate a more rapidly transient color change that appears to be a photoreceptor mediated neurohormonal manipulation of chromatophores. I've noticed this most prominently in my GHI, but I've seen it in other morphs as well. If your snakes aren't on a photoperiod and in relatively clear enclosures, you are unlikely to see this change.

[M.P.C]

Lmao i feel like such a noob, i woke up this morning to some skin sticking out of his turtle shell so i checked on him and there was a complete shed and a nice stinky present for me.... its odd because i see him every day, his tanks next to the bed and everymorning when i wake up there he is with his face and a little body poking out the turtle shell and i mever noticed and dulling, blue eyes or even a slightly pink belly, either way im happy as he hasnt shed since we got him and we were told his last shed was 2 month prior to us buying him

[C2tcardin]

LOL, don't sweat it. I miss about half mine each time they are in pre shed, I'll just pull their tub out and hey look at that she shed. This is why if your husbandry is spot on you don't really have to worry about things too much with these guys.

[M.P.C]

I just found it odd because i literally see him every single night before bed cause i sleep facing his cage and wake up the same way with him staring at me from the turtle shell. regardless im very happy, bonus being his body was almost a whole piece, just his head and neck section plus the very end of the tail were the only seperate pieces.... just goes to show just when you think you have them figured out they throw you for a loop