Champagne Royal Pythons for sale in the UK
The Champagne gene tends to dominate any combination it joins by fading a royal python's pattern into a broken spine stripe over golds and browns. You should check the pairing before breeding one because it goes wrong if you put it with a Spider, a Hidden Gene Woma or another Champagne.
- Visuals
- £120
- 2 for sale
- Champagne (aka Champ) — linked to a neurological condition known as 'wobble' that can affect balance and coordination
- Super Champagne — lethal in this form - the animal dies in the egg or within hours of hatching
- Champagne (aka Champ) — do not pair with another Champagne, a Hidden Gene Woma or a Spider. Offspring of that pairing carry a hereditary defect.
About the Champagne gene
A royal python (ball python) with the Champagne morph becomes a washed-out animal in browns and golds. Its normal pattern fades into a spine stripe and a scatter of ghosted markings. This is a strong gene in combinations that tends to overpower whatever it is paired with. Because it carries a welfare note, you should read Known issues below before you plan a pairing if you are buying breeding stock.
Appearance
You can spot the pattern to tell them apart. A Champagne has a misshapen, broken dorsal stripe with faint ring-shaped markings between segments where a normal would have dark sides and alien heads. The stripe is brighter than the markings around it and becomes bright and unbroken as it reaches the tail. Because body colour ranges from light syrup golds to dark browns, two Champagnes can look quite different. The white, unmarked belly stands out strongly against the body, while the head has a dark crown that often has blushing around the back of the head and the nostrils. More often than most morphs, Champagnes throw ringers, which are rings or patches of scales out of step with the rest of the pattern. A Champagne first is how a multi-gene Champagne often reads.
Genetics
The Champagne gene is incomplete dominant, which the hobby still calls "co-dom", but the super form does not survive. Because the double-copy form, Super Champagne, is lethal, no live super exists to describe. Champagne is part of the Spider complex, which includes Wookie, Cypress, Chocolate, Black Head, Spotnose, Sable, Hidden Gene Woma, Woma, and Spider. You can get a genetic test for the gene. Named combinations are Mimosa (Champagne Ghost), Pewterpagne (Champagne Cinnamon Pastel), and Nuclear Champagne (Butter Champagne Fire). The first one was produced by EB Noah in 2005.
Known issues
The two forms carry different welfare notes. The single-copy Champagne can be listed, but it is linked to a neurological condition known as 'wobble' that can affect balance and coordination. Most Champagnes wobble to some degree, from barely noticeable to serious; extreme cases are rare, and it usually shows most when the snake is stressed or feeding. The two-copy Super Champagne is lethal in this form - the animal dies in the egg or within hours of hatching, and it cannot be listed here.
Pairings matter more than the single animal. Champagne with Hidden Gene Woma often gives offspring with severe neurological problems, so a listing carrying both genes is refused. Champagne with Spider is lethal, and Champagne with Sable or Spotnose often produces a severe wobble. Every Champagne listing carries breeding guidance against putting it to another Champagne, a Hidden Gene Woma or a Spider, and you confirm you have read it before you message the seller. Severity varies between individuals - please research the morph and ask the seller about this specific animal before buying.