Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Now that I am poised to get my very first ball this coming weekend, I am reminded of an experience I had about 4 years ago...

My husband and I had just moved to Texas. We decided to explore the different museums here in the Dallas area one weekend and went to check out the Museum of Natural History. That weekend they happened to be having a herp event where you could "meet and greet" with different animals. I had the opportunity to hold what The Lady handling it described as a ball python. However, it was completely black. Now, my memory isn't perfect but I don't remember seeing any pattern on it...there might have been a few whisps of grayish white, but I don't remember clearly.

Since that experience (which was what got me hooked on the idea of getting a snake some day) I have never, in all of my research and casual reading on this forum, seen another ball that was solid black like that snake. Do these exist? Or is my memory that lousy? Or perhaps it was a python but not specifically a ball?

What the heck??
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O.1 Cat "Bella"
1.0.2 Red Earred Sliders "Yertle" and "The Twins"
1.0 Husband "John"
297.331 Elementary School Students

Sounds to me like you are talking about either a patternless ball(unproven morph) or a Super Cinnamon Pastel / Super Black Pastel.

More than likely though, I think it was probably Tracy over at VPI who you met, and she had the patternless there, maybe not though.

Below are a bunch of links to pics:

Super Cinnamon Pastel - http://images.google.com/images?q="super cinnamon"&hl=en

Another - http://www.ralphdavisreptiles.com/matrix/traits/super_cinny.asp

Patternless Ball - http://www.vpi.com/4VPIInventory/VPIPriceList/PatlessBallPics/PatlessBallThumbsGalleryJun02.htm

Hope that helps,
Dan
Another Patternless Page - http://www.ralphdavisreptiles.com/collection/pythons/ball/patternless_ball_python.asp

Here's a link to a really good pic... click on super cinnamon to get it big size...

http://www.grazianireptiles.com/gallery.php?int_cur_position=36&m=Ball Python Mutations

..
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Vince Pramuk

Both of you are fantastic!

And I am glad to know that ball python encounter that I had, which got me interested in these things in the first place, was in fact correct in my memory!

If I am guessing correctly that the patternless is very uncommon and there aren't many around, I can't even imagine what it's worth would be.

Thanks for your help!
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O.1 Cat "Bella"
1.0.2 Red Earred Sliders "Yertle" and "The Twins"
1.0 Husband "John"
297.331 Elementary School Students