Ball Python Morphs With Problems

Ball Python Morph Issues

Whether you are looking to breed ball pythons or looking to acquire one as a pet, it is important to take into consideration the genetic issues that certain morphs have. Some of these issues can greatly affect the snake, causing it to struggle eating, and in some cases if the problem is severe enough, the snake may have to be euthanized. Other morphs have symptoms that are much more mild and manageable. Here is a list of morphs that commonly experience issues:

• Spider - Wobble
• Desert - Female fertility issues
• Hidden Gene Woma - Wobble
• Caramel Albino - Kinks and female subfertility
• Super Cinnamon - Kinks, duckbill, and bug eyes
• Spotnose x Champagne - Mild wobble and kinks
• Champagne x Hidden Gene Woma - Severe Wobble
• Super Black Pastel - Duckbill and kinks

A “super” morph is when two snakes of the same morph have bred together to create more extreme versions of themselves. For example, two pastels breeding together will create a super pastel, which is a brighter version of the pastel.

Now that you know what issues these morphs have, let's get into what these issues really mean.

Wobble

A “wobble” is a neurological condition that can be found in quite a few morphs, however, the most common morph associated with having a wobble is the spider morph. You can read more in depth on the problems with the spider morph here. The wobble causes ball pythons to move in ways that a healthy snake would not move. For example, snakes with a severe wobble have been known to uncontrollably flip upside down and twist around. Some ball pythons (of these select morphs) have it severely, and others barely seem to be affected. Because the wobble is a neurological disease, it cannot be bred out. What I mean by this is that you can’t take two spider ball pythons with a little to no visible wobble and breed them together to produce offspring with little to no wobble. Some breeders may try to convince you that you can, but this is just not true. The offspring will still have the same chance of getting a severe wobble. Another factor to keep in mind, is that some ball pythons with a wobble have difficulty striking their food. They may miss, and even strike themselves by accident. 

Kinking

Kinking is a spinal deformity that causes the spine of the snake to bend at odd angles. In less severe cases, this could simply be a bend in the tail, which will have little to no effect on the snake's well being.  However, kinking, in some cases can be extreme enough that the snake will not be able to digest their food, or may not be able to hatch from their egg. In these cases the snake must be euthanized. These kinks are known to be linked to certain morphs, but they can also come from injuries. If the temperatures that the eggs are being kept at are too high or too low, the offspring will be more likely to develop kinks as well.

Fertility Issues and Subfertility Issues

Female desert ball pythons have the inability to lay eggs. Other female snake morphs, such as caramel albinos have subfertility issues. This means that these snakes struggle to produce eggs, and on the rare occasion that they do produce eggs, the eggs often don't thrive or hatch.

Duckbill

A duckbill is a deformed facial structure, usually where the nose flattened and angled upwards. Duckbills are not known to affect the well-being of the snake, they are simply a cosmetic thing. 

Bug Eyes

Bug Eyes are a cosmetic thing as well, which also don’t affect the snake’s life. This is when a snake’s eyes stick out more than they normally would. 

Ball Python Morph Problems: What’s Right and Wrong?

As you can see, all of the above morphs have their own issues, varying in different degrees of severeness. Some of these issues are cosmetic, but others (such as the kinking) can be very painful for the snake and extremely critical. Now that you understand which morphs have problems, it's up to you to decide if you wish to breed these ball pythons, or support breeders who breed these ball pythons.