Pinstripe Royal Pythons for sale in the UK

The royal python (ball python) features the Pinstripe pattern gene. This gene removes the flames and alien heads of a normal to create a clean, linear animal. Pale highlights and fine dark lines run the length of the body. Because of this look, most Pinstripes end up in a long list of designer combos.

Appearance

A thick, light dorsal stripe goes from the neck to the tail. Dark brown to black lines edge each side of this stripe and give the gene its name. Over tan to golden scales, the side markings change from the normal pattern to small droplet-shaped marks. The colour yellows as it moves down towards the belly. A dark crown, almost chocolate, sits on the head and fades into the neck. There is usually a spot of pattern at its centre and serrated stripes through the eyes. The belly often has a golden undertone and can be crisp and clean or spotted with dark markings. The dorsal stripe continues on the tail while the droplets become thinner. The most reliable cue is the unbroken dorsal stripe with thin dark borders and no alien heads anywhere on the flanks.

Genetics

Pinstripe is a dominant gene. Some sellers still list it as "co-dom" or incomplete dominant, but those terms mean a super would look different. This gene has no such thing. A two-copy form, known as Super Pinstripe, looks exactly like a single-copy Pinstripe. You identify a super only by what it produces. There is no het either because a normal-looking animal does not carry the gene. Pinstripe belongs to no allelic complex, and the hobby calls it Pin. Named combos are Lemon Blast (with Pastel), Spinner (with Spider), Spinner Blast (with Pastel and Spider), Jigsaw (with Mojave), Kingpin (with Lesser) and Queen Pin (with Lesser and Pastel). The first Pinstripes were produced in 2001 by Brian and Lori Barczyk of BHB Reptiles, and every Pinstripe in the hobby comes from the one animal found in the wild.