Sunset Royal Pythons for sale in the UK
A royal python with the Sunset morph has a brown back and bright orange on the flanks, where stretched flame-shaped banding replaces the usual pattern. Because a het looks like a normal and some early carriers were sold unlabelled, you should ask the seller for a genetic test result before buying a het.
- Visuals
- £15,000
- 1 for sale
- Hets
- £150
- 3 for sale
All Sunset royal pythons
Ultramel sunset
About the Sunset gene
The royal python (ball python) has a burnt-orange, rusty body and a pattern that looks very little like a normal's because of the Sunset colour and pattern gene. This gene traces back to one wild-caught animal from Africa. The reason keepers buy it is for the colour.
Appearance
A burnt-orange gradient covers the body, becoming dark brown on the back and bright orange on the low flanks. The head colour varies from deep tan to almost chocolate brown. Most animals display stretched banding shaped like candle flames, as the alien-head blotches of a normal are mostly gone. The dorsal stripe is usually bubbly, and the rust colour continues down the tail where the dorsal stripe tends to turn serrated.
Genetics
Because Sunset is recessive, any animal that does not show the visual looks like a normal royal python. The family includes Sunset, Het Sunset, 50% Het Sunset, 66% Het Sunset and Pos Het Sunset. It is in no allelic complex. To confirm a het, a genetic test for Sunset is the way. This matters because the first generation of hets from the original animal were sold as normals, so unlabelled carriers from that group can still turn up in collections. Separate tags are used here for Sunset (TCR), Het Sunset (TCR), 50% Het Sunset (TCR), 66% Het Sunset (TCR) and Pos Het Sunset (TCR). Brian Barczyk of BHB Reptiles proved the gene out in 2012. Sunset Clown is among the combinations already produced.