Amazing color change

[Jezabel]

When I took out my blood yesterday, I notice 1/3 of his body was like a clear gray background but still has his dark color on the rest of his body. If he don't start getting darker soon, I'm not sure it's a black blood anymore! Also, as you can see a bit on the pics, half of his eyes start to get orange (but the other one is still yellow).

http://membres.lycos.fr/hissnherps/DSCF0060-1.jpg

And a close up

http://membres.lycos.fr/hissnherps/neck.jpg

The pics aren't good, I was just trying to catch the true color. I can't wait to see his adult color!

[Linds]

Nice pics! He's a very pretty lil guy :)

[sSNAKESs.com]

wow! i like the grey alot :) great pics Jez!

[Jezabel]

I've read somewhere the gtp change color when they get older and not because of their size. I wander if it's like that with all python species that change color.

Here's an example to illustrate what I mean. There is a red blood that is severly underfed at a petstore near me. He's all yellow and tan color. Since he is about 1.5yrs old, he should have start his color change. So does it mean he'll stay that color or he might become reder when fed properly and growing?

[Grant vg]

I would have posted earlier but the pics never showed up.....nice pics though...he has some really contrasting colours....very nice!
As far as i know, greyish, silver colouring is normal of many "blacks"....
Although that doesn't explain the overnight colour change...how drastic of a change was it?
He kinda looks 1/2 borneo 1/2 black!:)
This just goes to show u how crazy there colours can get sometimes....i love the orange outline!
Have u been able to differentiate between the other species by head scalation???

[Jezabel]

The grey color apear within 3 day. I've seen he's color change alot since I have him but it's usualy happen after a shed. Now the color has been there for 3 days.

I still think it's a black because of half his orange eye and his darker overall coloration. But I have no idea for the head scale. I've never seen a borneo of close headshot pics of them, I'm only basing on the drawing on the paper on blood... Maybe you could help me, does your borneo has his nose's scale curve alot by the inside (hope you understand what I mean!)Here's my best headshot so far.

http://membres.lycos.fr/hissnherps/cuteattila.jpg

If your going to have a close look at yours, watch your face :eek: So, does his temper improving?

I don't care if I have a borneo or a black but I wish I could know for sure cause I'ld like to find him a nice female!

[Grant vg]

The Blood python in ur local pet shop is probably a yellow variation of blood pythons....with little to no real red ever coming about.
There also orange and brown variations....
I was lucky enough to get my hands on a yellow female which u can see below....
http://gallery.kingsnake.com/data/1328Yellowbloodfemale-sizeshot1.jpg
http://gallery.kingsnake.com/data/1328Yellowbloodfemale-enclosure.jpg
As u can see this female is mostly yellow with little to no red in her....she is reaching the two yr mark and has incresed her yellow colouration since i've gotten her....
I plan to breed her with my red male and see what i get...hopefully i can produce some more yellow ones in the future...
I'll have to wait and see about my borneos head patterning since i fed him last night....if u have a perfect head shed of urs...mail it too me and i might be able to figure it out..since i have collected some of my snakes sheds and pressed it between glass to help me better identify these species....Ur snake might very well be a borneo however...i havn't heard of one having such grey on its body...
Let me know if u get a perfect one...

[Jezabel]

Awesome blood Grant!!! Shes so bright.

But it was only an exemple. My question was, does blood change color because of their age (while getting older) or because of their size (while getting bigger) . Does a blood that is underfed will change color at the same time then if it was propely fed? Does an overfed snake will change color sooner then what he's supose to?

I'll try to keep a shed. They're usualy aways in one pieces but, there always full moss and roll in a little ball... Pressing them between glass, never thought of that! I'll try it with my wlp.

Thanks

[Grant vg]

Unfortunately i cant tell u an exact answer...but id say the faster it grows the colour would probably change with that pace....if a snake is severely unnourished then it would have a slower growth and most likely take longer to change colour .....seeing that age isn't usually the guideline when breeding----size usually is....id say the same goes for colour changing....

[Yve]

Jez & Grant,
Judging by the head shot I think it is a borneo. I'm not 100% sure, I'm no expert but I compared it to the blood head pics on this site, page 6:


http://www.bio.usyd.edu.au/Shinelab/rickspages/reprints/295.pdf


perhaps the colour change has more to do with shedding frequency which is associated to the growth and in turn associated to the feeding regimen.

[Yve]

btw, you need to run Acrobat Reader to view that link!:)

[Grant vg]

YVE....why'd u have to bring that up....just when i wanted to go relax and sit in front of the tele i read ur message and got all into it.....k, ill break it down for ya.....
Traits of curtus:
We obviously know its not a blood python...duh!
I'm pretty sure i can see a small series of subocular scales that are seperating the lower part of orbit(eye) and the supralabials (upper lip scales) So its not a Blood python.....
Also, it is clearly visible that there is only one supraocular scale(big scale above eye) in contact with the upper part of the orbit where as my blood sheds have two.....Now as far as i can tell when i read that paper...the main difference between a borneo and sumatran is with the anterior parietals which are the scales just behind the frontal scales (frontals. which are between both supraoculars)
Now the difference between these is that in P. curtus the anterior parietal scales are in minimal contact with eachother at the midline stripe of the head....meaning that part of each is in contact or even just corners of each scale is in contact. where as in P. breitensteini the anterior parietals are in total(or close too) contact....now by looking at the head pic it looks like he has quite a large pair of parietals behind the frontals in contact (making it a borneo) and possibly a few pairs after that...only u can tell for sure.... get back to us......although if borneo ...it doesn't explain that extreme grey on him....but then again if curtus then it doesn't explain the large amount of orange outlining as well as the pale yellow colouration of the sides as well as the tail....????????
My guese would be the same as Yves....Borneo...
Did i mention...u can easily e-mail Dave barker and he'll tell u what it is just by seeing a few pics:p!

[Yve]

Aaawwee, geez, thxks Grant!:) Didn't meant to put ya through all that work, thats why I posted the link. Figured the pic. would explain it so I wouldn't have to! hee,hee! One little wittle thingy wingy ya missed though....the parietals of a blk can also be completely seperated by the frontals with no contact at all.

Jez,
The thing with young borneo's and blk's is that their colour can be similar so you can't use that to identify them.
your python is beeeautiful either way! I really like the orangey stripes around the lateral markings.

[Jezabel]

Thanks both of you!

I just email Dave to be sure.

Yve, thanks for the paper. I already have it but my problem is more to understand it since I speach french. The drawing would help alot if I had a real black (or borneo) to compare with mine.

Grant, thank for the info, I'll try to look at the scale better with what you just wrote.

I'll let you know what Dave will tell me.

Thanks
Jez

[Grant vg]

hehe.....sorry i never read the order of the head scalation pics i just assumed they were in the order of the discriptions....:rolleyes:
Gimme a break ok...it was late!:)lol
Good eye yve!
and i still think its a borneo.....

[Jezabel]

I just found this add on kingsnake. If that guy is sure of the identity of his blood, you where right, it's a borneo. My Attila looks like the #3 on the pics. It even has the 1/3 light gray background! What do you think?

http://www.kingsnake.com/market/python/messages/20005.html

[Grant vg]

Ur guy looks a wee bit prettier then those guys:rolleyes: but i wouldn't go by that as ur answer....u should ask Dave about that grey colouration ur snake has.....i'm sure he'll give u an answer...