The fire ball python morph is a beautiful and unique snake that has been heavily in demand for years. Until 1995, this morph didn’t even exist, until it was first proven.
Since then, this morph has exploded in popularity.
We’ll get into the Fire morph’s genetics later on. The good news is that this form is readily accessible and simple to produce, which explains why it has such a low price tag. You can expect a typical Fire Ball Python to cost you anywhere from $50 to $150, depending on its size.
Let’s start getting to know the fire ball python first. Shall we?
What is the fire ball python?
The Fire form is a rather modest color change, at least to someone unfamiliar with the species. This form is lighter in hue than a Standard Ball Python. The gold-colored patterns are almost golden in tone, while the black pigment has been washed out with brown hues.
A Black-Eyed Leucistic is the Super form of the Fire. This looks similar to a Butter Ball Python (and other morphs), but it has black eyes instead of blue.
The main difference is that this snake has black eyes rather than blue. Along its body, this animal may have yellow spots.
The Genetics of the Fire Ball Python
The Fire Ball Python is a co-dominant morph. This means that, like a dominant morph, you just need one Fire to produce Fire offspring. However, if you combine two Fires together, you will get Super Fires instead of normal ones.
A Fire Ball Python has a single copy of the genetic malfunction while a Super Fire has two copies. The appearance of these snakes is distinguishable due to their distinct appearances, which distinguishes co-dominant variation from dominant mutation.
Understanding genetics in Ball Pythons
We’re not going to get into the technical details of how genetics work in snakes in this post. I’ll do so later and then link it here.
While the article focuses on recessive Ball Pythons, the notion of how parents pass on their genes applies to all co-dominant morphs, and the appearance of the youngster is simply different.
Here is a basic breakdown of a DNA strand:
Locus – On a DNA strand, this is the position of a gene/allele.
Allele – Alleles are the units of inheritance for genes. As a result, an allele is a single gene at a particular location on a chromosome.
A DNA strand of two snakes is illustrated above. Normal and Pied Ball Python, for example. The Pied Gene is the first locus on this DNA strand, as we’ve said before. The first snake has two normal genes (not Pied) while the second snake has two Pied genes (visible Pied), as you can see.
When these snakes breed, they share one of their alleles from each locus with their offspring. This implies that the youngsters will have one of their mother’s “Pied” genes and one of their father’s.
This will be used to illustrate how various pairings can create Fire Ball Pythons.
Fire Ball Python with Normal Ball Python
The easiest way to get a Fire Ball Python is to pair a Fire with a regular Ball Python. The offspring will be 50% fire and 50% normal Ball Pythons. No Super Fires are produced as a result of this mating.
There are four distinct possibilities, as can be seen in the table above. Each allele and its color were assigned names. Because each parent may only pass on one gene, the possible outcomes are 1-3, 1-4, 2-3, and 2-4. Neither 1-2 nor 3-4 is feasible because they would imply that the fire allele is not present, which we know isn’t true.
Four options were FN, FN, NN, and NN. This means one of the alleles was Fire while the other was normal (FN). Both genes were normal in this case (NN).
The Fire morph is a co-dominant mutation, so only one of the alleles needs to have the trait for the offspring to be a Fire. This implies that the kid will be half Fire and half Normal Ball Pythons, with 50% Fires and 50% Nevers.
Fire with Fire
Another method to create a Fire Ball Python is to combine a Fire with another Fire. The resulting offspring will include 50% Fire Ball Pythons, 25% Regular Ball Pythons, and 25% Super Fires.
In this example, the four potential outcomes were FF, FN, FN, and NN. When both parents possess a Fire gene mutation, it results in a Super Fire Ball Python.
The offspring will be 50% Fire, 25% Normal, and 25% Super Fire.
Super Fire with Normal Ball Python
If you breed a Super Fire to a Normal Ball Python, all of the offspring will be fire.
This is due to one parent passing down the Fire allele and the other parent passing down the Normal allele.
As a result, all of the babies will be FN, which means they’ll have two Fire alleles and one Normal allele.
Super Fire with Super Fire
All of the offspring produced by mating a Super Fire to a Super Fire Ball Python will be Super Fire. Because both parents will always pass on the Fire gene, this is the case. As a result, all of the kids will be FF, which means they’ll have two copies of the Fire allele.
The Discovery of the Fire Ball Python Morph
The discovery of the Fire Ball is a point of contention. The gene has been on the market for over 20 years, and it comes with a variety of bloodlines, as is the case with other pastel morphs. It’s been accepted that 1995 was when the first captive-bred Fire Ball was bred.
Some people believe that the Sulfur Morph is a fire line, while others think it is entirely distinctive.
The Fire Ball Python Health
The Fire Ball Morphs’ advantage is that they are free of the typical genetic issues that plague other morphs. There are no reports of ‘kinking’ or ‘wobbles,’ which is fantastic.
This is beneficial for you since your python morph will grow up to be healthy, and you will receive a high-quality snake. It’s also wonderful for breeding because it’s a healthy form that produces genetically sound snakes.
Although ball pythons have not yet been researched in depth, they appear to enjoy a long life span in captivity. They live up to an average of 30 years in captivity, just like all ball pythons. You and your Fire Ball will have a long relationship if you take good care of them and keep their living area clean.
How much is a fire ball python morph?
One of the finest aspects of this fantastic morph is its low price. Depending on where you purchase it from and the specifics of the snake, a Fire Ball might cost between $100 and $150.
A female full-grown snake will cost you more than a male hatchling, for example. It’s especially important for those who are just getting into the game to spend a little extra money and acquire a young adult.
You won’t have to worry about hatchling care this way, and you can pick the patterning and color options right away.
Remember, Fire Ball Pythons mature and get lighter with time, so keep that in mind when purchasing one.
Even the most expensive fire mutations are reasonably priced. For less than $200, you can acquire amazing designer morphs like the Fire Vanilla Yellow Belly or the Firefly.
However, if you want a Super Fire, it’ll set you back $400 or even more depending on where you get it from.
Speaking of…
Where to get Fire Ball Python Morphs?
Although Fire Ball morphs are cheap and widespread, finding a basic Fire Ball Morph for sale isn’t easy. However, if you look online, you’ll discover hundreds of designer variants created using the fire gene.
A Fire Ball can be found at a snake show or by buying from a breeder. You may have a local pet store that sells them, but you are unlikely to be able to know where the snakes originate.
Alternatively, there are numerous internet sites where you may purchase hundreds of ball python morphs.
Fire Ball Python Pictures
Check out these amazing Fire Ball photos. You may notice the vibrant yellow color and banded patterning. Take note of the various hues and pigmentations of each Fire Ball in these photographs.
Some are light-colored with limited designs, while others are bright and have distinctively brown bands. There’s no doubting it: this is one stunning morph.
Should you get a fire ball python morph?
You are certain to be enthusiastic about the fantastic prospective of the fire gene if you’re attempting your hand at ball python morph breeding and production. The wonderful enhancing and brightening quality that it adds to each mutation is a very desirable characteristic.
If you love pythons and snakes, there’s no doubt you’re looking forward to adding this lovely form to your collection. You can’t go wrong getting one if you’re looking for an inexpensive, yet beautiful, basic morph!
Helpful Resources
Secrets of Snakes: The Science Beyond the Myths by David A. Steen
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