The Genetic Stripe Ball Python is a stunner. They are, however, highly variable. The best genetic stripes are the truest representation of thier name; an unbroken stripe running the length of their back …and nothing more. The three photos above illustrate a perfect genetic stripe ball python (click on each for larger view):

The key features I look for in a Genetic Stripe Ball Python that I want to add to my collection are:

• Lack of any breaks in the dorsal stripe (e.g. the stripe is solid, uniform and unbroken from head to tail)
• Little to no pattern on the sides.
• Not that it makes a difference in their appearance but they need to be rat feeders, too.

Genetic Stripe Ball Python: Great, but not perfect

The picture below is another Genetic Stripe Ball Python that I consider to be be a very nice animal, but not quite a perfect one. Her stripe is perfect, unbroken and exactly what I shop for. Unfortunately she has a small amount of pattern on her side. This is the functional equivalent of a beautiful model only being 5′ 5″ rather than the standard 5′ 7″+. It doesn’t really matter too much, she’s still a knockout. But she probably won’t make it to the Victoria’s Secret fashion show.

And here is another nice Genetic Stripe; he has a nice solid, unbroken stripe with just a touch of pattern on the sides. This picture was taken back in 2006 at Ian Gniazdowski’s facility (Outback Reptiles). She is not one of my breeders.

I have seen a lot of Genetic Stripe Ball Pythons for sale that are simply not very nice. Sometimes people try to sell them with special names to make it seem like they are something unique and different than a perfectly striped specimen. But seriously, calling an ugly Genetic Stripe Ball Python anything other than what it is (ugly) is like calling a brown diamond a “champagne diamond”. It’s just smoke and mirrors marketing. I don’t have any ugly specimens to show you because I don’t keep them in my collection. Do some searching on Internet and you’ll likely find some real brown-baggers out there.

As is usually the case, you get what you pay for when it comes to high-quality ball pythons. If you want to produce exceptional animals, price can’t always be your deciding factor. Sometimes it will cost you a little more on the front-end but it will pay off exponentially later down the line. Keep this in mind when you’re out shopping for a Genetic Stripe: No matter what the seller tells you perfectly striped parents (or hets that come from such) are MORE likely to produce nicely striped offspring. High quality begets high quality. Ugly Genetic Stripes with irregular patterns, broken stripes and lots of side saddling are more likely to produce the same. In a time when there is an even increasing amount of competition in the industry you don’t really want to be the one peddling champagne diamonds when the guy next to you is offering flawless gems.

Colin Weaver