Female Desert Ball Python: Unproven Breeding

Desert Ball Pythons are beautiful visual morphs. Unfortunately as far as I've read there have been no confirmed successful clutches laid by female Desert Ball Pythons. Some breeders have speculation that if you're able to get the snakes weight over 3,000g that she will produce a successful clutch but there is no confirmed data to back this up. As far as I know, trusting the opinion of two guys I seek advice from quite frequently, Joe and Clark from Powerhouse Reptiles, the female Desert Ball Python's egg ducts are too small. This causes them to throw slugs and unfertilized eggs. I've seen beautiful 4 gene Desert's selling for under $500, once again this is just a beautiful pet and can't be put into a breeding program. I wouldn't mind having a pet like that but part of the fun is breeding them! If you do try to breed your female Desert you put her at risk of becoming egg bound which could lead to her demise. Now for the dirt and grime of the reptile industry. Several breeders have invested large amounts of money into their Desert breeding projects. How do you think they plan on making their money back? Well of course, selling their inventory. Now don't get me wrong you can make some beautiful morphs with the Desert gene but at what cost? Desert females are being sold without the disclaimer that they cannot be bred. Now who knows one day, someone might unlock the genetic secret to successfully breeding these wonderful morphs but until then we're at a stand still. Unfortunately, I've seen several Desert Ball females being sold at outlandish prices. Some breeders even describe their Desert Balls as dinkers, Ball Pythons with "unknown" genes. This will help them avoid being pinned as a con artist when they know what they're dealing with but this description is used as a disclaimer for unsuspecting customers. Then when the snake reaches breeding size, if she is bred without knowing what her genes are, she could die or be faced with a serious health risk. Ok, so what if she does lay a clutch, you've just produced 8 solid slugs. Who are you going to come looking for if you do your research after you all ready make the purchase, the breeder and guess what, "He didn't know what her gene's were." Be careful and don't make the mistake of buying into the Desert gene without knowing the consequences. Below I've listed some pictures and articles that will go in depth more than I have, probably from breeders with much more experience than I, check it out.

http://www.faunaclassifieds.com/forums/showthread.php?p=1458949

http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showthread.php?170524-Has-desert-female-breeding-got-anywhere

http://thereptilereport.com/breeding-desert-females/

http://www.ssnakess.com/forums/python-regius/89914-question-about-desert-morph.html

Desert Ball

Desert Ball

Desert Spider

Desert Mojave