Can you breed a Ball with a Carpet Python?

[Bitten_Once]

Hello all. This is my first post to any such forum, and I'm sure my question will seem extremely novice (which I am). Can you breed a Ball with a Carpet Python?
My brief python history: I acquired a juvenile ball python (my first snake) in July 2004 as a favor to a friend's sister. At the time I had absolutely no interest in owning any more pets, but I knew the snake needed a good home.
My friend mentioned he was going to try to breed his Carpet. I really had no interest in it at all.
That all changed this past weekend with a trip to the pet store for mice. A well informed employee who has started to breed morphs put ideas in my head. That's what led me to this forum.
During the past year I've come to enjoy caring for the snake, and am considering getting more.
I'd appreciate any comments or suggestions. Also, what books on python breeding would you suggest?
Thanks for the help.

[batty]

absolutely not. balls are short tailed pythons. i think theyre too genetically different

[jay mc]

Theres been a few python crosses but i cant see this one working and to be honest wouldent want to see it tryed. The two speices are way to different.

[Bitten_Once]

Thanks for the info. No I certainly wouldn't try the cross-breed myself without it being known to be successful. That's why I'm asking. Thanks again.

[Apython]

balls are short tailed pythons.

Huh?

I doubt they could be crossed, but you never know.

[gbo]

a short fat carpet python ........that might beinteresting

[jimcal]

Carpet Balls :eh:

[JERICO]

Theres been a few python crosses but i cant see this one working and to be honest wouldent want to see it tryed. The two speices are way to different.

Have to agree with Jay, and tbh you say you have just started keeping snakes, you cant be bored with the normal morphs already.
Get some experiance first.

[KLG]

Have to agree with Jay, and tbh you say you have just started keeping snakes, you cant be bored with the normal morphs already.
Get some experiance first.

So?? What does that have to do with the price of beans?

What on earth is wrong with someone wondering what a certain cross would look like?

Out of curiosity, why is it up to any one person to tell someone else what he can or can't be "bored" with? Wondering about something doesn't mean someone is bored.

Let's take it down a notch...no need to be so snarky or judgemental.

Just MY $.02

K~

PS - This just struck a nerve with me. I don't understand the need for people to be sooo condescending when discussing hybrids. Whatever happened to good ol' friendly debate?

[David Bellis]

Whatever happened to good ol' friendly debate?

It went right out the window when I decided I know *WAY* more than you do. :biggrin2:

[Reptile.man]

I know were your coming from Bitten once can it be done? About 8 month ago I meet a breeder with 350 ball python's in the uk. I wasnt a ball python person until I saw their's it blow me away. Im not an expert but iv work with some of the best morph out there. Every time I cleaned out the snake's I would look at them closely so that I could tell the different morph for myself. I always think to myself what if you crossed that morph to different morph time will tell. Can you cross a ball with a carpet? Who know's maybe in the future it might be possible.

[Bitten_Once]

To all -

The main reason for my original question is that I have a Ball python, my friend has a Carpet. We both would like to breed them, and wondered if we could with each other's (you've got to start somewhere).

The more I investigate breeding morphs, the more I want to do it (I've been "Bitten" and I'm hooked)!

All the pictures on this post are truly beautiful snakes.

Best wishes for continued success in your efforts.

[Kitt]

Bitten-Once, I'm also a pretty much novice with a penchant for hybrids, so I know where you're coming from. My only advise would be that I think it takes a lot of experience with breeding snakes within species first before you can really be successful with interspecies breeding. A ball python isn't going to naturally see the carpet as something to mate with, so tricks are going to have to be used -- and it helps to know what you're doing when it comes to snake breeding so that you know those tricks!

So basically, I don't know that hybridizing would neccessarily be the best place to start breeding snakes (though I know where you're coming from -- it's the old, "hey, if I breed this normal ball to this normal carpet I can get something cool" sorta thing). However, if that's what you're into it could certainly be where you end up.