Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi all,

I've been looking at pictures of yellow bellies recently trying to find the distinguishing characteristics that makes this ivory marker accurately identifiable. The main characteristic that I see most frequently repeated is the clear belly and the black striping that seems to ride the perimeter of the belly. ?Frankly, few, if any of the yellow belly pictures that I have seen show a distinctly yellow belly. Most seem to be patternless, without the typical ball python dark smudging.

The snake below was cherry picked from a Strictly Reptile shipment back in '97. She was initially chosen for her unusually satiny sheen and softer, but distinct colors. Her clear belly was nice, but just a bonus. She has bred twice and produced small healthy clutches of very pretty babies. The babies were sold as just extra nice. I honestly don't recall if they had clear bellies or not. The female has not bred since the yellow belly trait was identified a few years ago, but she should go this winter.

What do you folks think? Thanks for your input.

Will

Here is a dorsal shot taken as she was having an ovulation swelling a few years ago. Thanks for looking.

Will

Thanks for looking.

Will

.

The yellow belly pics I've seen show the edge made up of small broken up pieces of the normal black checkers. Yours is more like the het pied marker with solid lines but it probably isn't consistently out wide enough for that as the het pied marker is outside all three belly scales and yours dips into the outside belly scales regularly.

Keep an eye on what she produces this time and if you get a male like her breed it back just in case it's something new.

Its much harder to identify them as adults unless they are extreme ... they very like Pastels and lose a lot of their yellow as adults. Very little of no yellow on dorsil as adult. You would have to show us her offspring to be sure. But she does have 1 more characteristic that leads one to believe she could be a YB. Best of luck with her.

GOD Bless
Andre
ASFReptiles

Your could be one also, However Your snake is way different then MY yellow belly(unproven at this time). Andre what is the ONE charactoristic? That would make oone believe it to be a yellow belly.

My belly photo of my yellow belly(not proven yet)

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1.0 Pied(04)(RDR)
1.0 Albino(04)(RDR)
0.1 Spider(04)(RDR)
3.2 Pastels(03's)(04's)(ASF,Graziani,Bell lines)
0.1 Yellow belly(unproven)(04)
1.3 Yellow belly(unproven)(02,03,04's)
2.0 100% HET CLOWN(04's)(MHMR)
3.3 100% het albinos(03's)(high contrast bell line)
0.1 poss Het Albino(03's)
2.0 100% het pieds(03's)(Vin Russo,CRE)
0.2 100% het pieds(03's)(04's)(RDR,TWL)
1.2 Poss het pieds(03's)(PETE KAHL)
2.1 Poss het pieds(00's)(01's) hoping to get PIEDS this year(Vin Russo, Pete Kahl)
25 Normal adult females
60 04 females
15 normal mixed 03's
20 Assorted weird ball pythons 04's

Top shot with a pied

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1.0 Pied(04)(RDR)
1.0 Albino(04)(RDR)
0.1 Spider(04)(RDR)
3.2 Pastels(03's)(04's)(ASF,Graziani,Bell lines)
0.1 Yellow belly(unproven)(04)
1.3 Yellow belly(unproven)(02,03,04's)
2.0 100% HET CLOWN(04's)(MHMR)
3.3 100% het albinos(03's)(high contrast bell line)
0.1 poss Het Albino(03's)
2.0 100% het pieds(03's)(Vin Russo,CRE)
0.2 100% het pieds(03's)(04's)(RDR,TWL)
1.2 Poss het pieds(03's)(PETE KAHL)
2.1 Poss het pieds(00's)(01's) hoping to get PIEDS this year(Vin Russo, Pete Kahl)
25 Normal adult females
60 04 females
15 normal mixed 03's
20 Assorted weird ball pythons 04's

I don't see any YB's in those pics........
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www.NEWReptiles.com

They are the right pictures. Well Al, what do you think the one next to the pied is?

Here is another belly shot.

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1.0 Pied(04)(RDR)
1.0 Albino(04)(RDR)
0.1 Spider(04)(RDR)
3.2 Pastels(03's)(04's)(ASF,Graziani,Bell lines)
0.1 Yellow belly(unproven)(04)
1.3 Yellow belly(unproven)(02,03,04's)
2.0 100% HET CLOWN(04's)(MHMR)
3.3 100% het albinos(03's)(high contrast bell line)
0.1 poss Het Albino(03's)
2.0 100% het pieds(03's)(Vin Russo,CRE)
0.2 100% het pieds(03's)(04's)(RDR,TWL)
1.2 Poss het pieds(03's)(PETE KAHL)
2.1 Poss het pieds(00's)(01's) hoping to get PIEDS this year(Vin Russo, Pete Kahl)
25 Normal adult females
60 04 females
15 normal mixed 03's
20 Assorted weird ball pythons 04's

I would (as I have before) say yes, it is a YB. Good luck proving it out! The other pic is of a typical Ball belly.
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Chad Bachman

Hello,

Thank you for your comment. I live in Buffalo, NY, but for many years I drove down to Hollywood and picked through Stictly's ball pythons. Got a really nice adult yellow ghost there once for $35.00 too!

I'm breeding that female to my bell pastel male this year. It should be interesting. I'll keep you guys posted. Thanks again for your comments, much appreciated.

Will

Nice snake though...

Jared

Hi,

Thanks for the comment. I was just wondering, what is the criteria that you used to determine what is a YB, and what is not? I'm just unsure as to what the telltale markers for this trait are. Thanks again.

Will

Not even close, thats a normal bellied Ball.

No offence, but it is very normal.
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Chad Bachman

Those lines are to well defined for a YB,but,if she were mine i would have to put a het pied male with her.At least one season anyway.
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Charles Glaspie

Very cool snake but not a YB. Nice to have good looking females though!

I appreciate your opinion but i have had several, Well known breeders look at this snake in person at the DAYTONA Show and they said without a doubt that it was a yellow belly. I guess you cannot get the true look of the snake in photos. But in person it has been labled a true visual Yellow belly, Now all I have to do is prove it to produce more yellow bellie or Ivorys. Whenit is of age and breeds I will post the results. thanks for the comments though. Thanks DAVID
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1.0 Pied(04)(RDR)
1.0 Albino(04)(RDR)
0.1 Spider(04)(RDR)
3.2 Pastels(03's)(04's)(ASF,Graziani,Bell lines)
0.1 Yellow belly(unproven)(04)
1.3 Yellow belly(unproven)(02,03,04's)
2.0 100% HET CLOWN(04's)(MHMR)
3.3 100% het albinos(03's)(high contrast bell line)
0.1 poss Het Albino(03's)
2.0 100% het pieds(03's)(Vin Russo,CRE)
0.2 100% het pieds(03's)(04's)(RDR,TWL)
1.2 Poss het pieds(03's)(PETE KAHL)
2.1 Poss het pieds(00's)(01's) hoping to get PIEDS this year(Vin Russo, Pete Kahl)
25 Normal adult females
60 04 females
15 normal mixed 03's
20 Assorted weird ball pythons 04's

I'm with cold thumb. Even though it's belly edges aren't perfectly straight and wide enough apart I'd breed it to a het pied male as it's a lot closer to that than the broken up edges that the proven yellow belly pics I've seen show. Assuming you don't have another yellow belly to breed it to rather than a normal try a het pied just in case. If it’s really a yellow belly after all then you might be able to pick out the double het babies (het Ivory and het pied) by looking at their bellies.