Pastel ball python

The Black Pastel Ball Python morph is very similar to the Cinnamon morph. However, this is a separate lineage of genetics. A Black Pastel Ball Python looks similar to a normal Ball Python but they have more contrast.

This contrast is largely due to their distinctive dark background colouration. Their pattern colouration is also slightly different in colouration to a normal, and has been described as having a gold or rusty colouration.

The Super form of the Black Pastel is a stunning animal. These morphs are almost entirely jet black. Some of the morphs produced using this gene has created some stunning animals.

The Panda Pied is a combination of Super Black Pastel and Pied. These animals are completely white with Black spots. Most Panda Pieds are ‘high white’ Pieds, meaning that most of the snake is white as opposed to the background colour.

Black Pastel Ball Pythons History

Gulf Coast Reptiles are credited with making the first Black Pastel. Interestingly, the Cinnamon Ball Pythons, which is very similar to the Black Pastels was first produced around the same time.

Greg Graziani is credited with producing the first Cinnamon in 2002. What makes this more interesting is that these two very similar morphs were first produced only about an hour’s drive from each other.

This led to scepticism as to whether they were different morphs. It wasn’t until different combos were produced that you were really able to see the difference between these morphs.

Black Pastel Ball Python Genetics

The Black Pastel Ball Python is a co-dominant morph. This means that, like a dominant morph, you only need one Black Pastel to produce Black Pastel babies. However, if you breed two Black Pastel together, you will produce Super Black Pastels.

A Black Pastel will contain the genetic mutation in one of the alleles in their DNA sequence while a Super Black Pastel will contain the genetic mutation in both of the alleles. The appearance of these two snakes is visibly different, which distinguishes the co-dominant mutation from a dominant mutation.