Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi guys, I really love the look of bumblebees but not the prcietag. I have a male pastel (so-so looks), and have been given an opportunity to own a female spider. Now my question would be:

1) Are bumblebees a sure bet when breeding a pastel and spider together?

2) bumblebees are distinguished by their bright yellow color, if my pastel is not as bright, and the spider is just a regular patterned girl - would my bumblebees turn out nice?

3) Are there male balls who dun breed or are infertile, same goes for females?

Not breeding for money here, just that I really like Ball pythons and my fave morphs are pastels, spiders and the Bumblebee.

Hope someone can enlighten me :O)

>1) Are bumblebees a sure bet when breeding a pastel and spider together?

Not a 100% sure bet. Each egg from a pastel x spider mating has a 25% chance of being a bumblebee. The more eggs, the more likely to get at least one bumblebee. Odds of getting at least one bumblebee from 17 eggs is 99%.

>2) bumblebees are distinguished by their bright yellow color, if my pastel is not as bright, and the spider is just a regular patterned girl - would my bumblebees turn out nice?

Can't say for sure how yours would turn out. The rule of thumb is the better looking the parent stock, the better looking the babies. Show winners are more likely to come from show winners than from run of the mill stock. There are exceptions, though.

>3) Are there male balls who dun breed or are infertile, same goes for females?

Of course. That is true for all animals and plants. For example, a male or female that dies before sexual maturity would never breed. And overheating is one of many conditions that can kill sperm in male animals.

Whether particular snakes will breed is a question that cannot be answered until someone tries. An even a "no" this year might be turned into a "yes" next year.

Paul Hollander