Albino Royal Pythons for sale in the UK
The royal python Albino morph removes all traces of dark pigment, which leaves the normal pattern in place with red eyes and yellow on white. Because a carrier looks exactly like a normal, you should check a het claim against a genetic test before you pay for one.
- Hets
- £140
- 1 for sale
About the Albino gene
A royal python (ball python) with the Albino gene loses every black and brown element of a normal, leaving only red eyes and yellow on white. This was the first recessive gene proven in the species and it still sits under a long list of designer combinations.
Appearance
The pattern is like a normal royal python but the dark pigment is removed. White replaces the black parts and yellow replaces the alien heads. Because there is nothing to pigment them, the eyes are pink to red. A yellow crown sits on the head above stripes that go through and below the eye. The belly is usually a glossy white and clean. The side pattern fades where it meets the belly scales. Like a normal, the tail ends in a thin stripe or a line of beads. The yellow varies a lot between animals from deep to soft. Selective breeding has produced lines known for high contrast, a yellow head or a faded look.
Genetics
Because Albino is recessive, a Het Albino looks like a normal royal python. Animals sold as 50% Het Albino, 66% Het Albino or Pos Het Albino look the same. There is no super form. You cannot pick out a het by eye, but a genetic test exists for the gene. This means a het claim can be checked rather than taken on trust.
The gene is tyrosinase (TYR). This is why the hobby also calls this T- Albino, tyrosinase-negative albino or Amelanistic. It anchors the Albino complex. Candy and Toffee are other TYR mutations, and the Candino is the result of pairing Candy with Albino. More than one TYR variant sits behind the animals sold as plain Albino. These variants pair with each other to make a visual. Lavender Albino is a different gene altogether, OCA2 rather than TYR.
The Snow (Albino with Axanthic), the Candino and the Albino Spider are named combinations. Bob Clark hatched the first visual Albinos in 1992 from a wild-caught male imported from Ghana in 1989.
Known issues
Because an albino lacks pigment in its eyes, they cannot block out light like a normal. These animals are sensitive to bright light, which is a condition known as photophobia.