Normal stripe...or???

[5 Star Serpents]

So we picked up a female stripe at a pet store about a year and a half ago as a yearling. We figured she was just a very interesting normal, the problem is she has never developed any color, she has light orange stripes that basically vanish but the rest of her body is greyish with very little of the same orange just on the edges of the scales.
I would love to hear anyone's thoughts on what to test her for because I'm stumped. The best I can come up with is something carrying caramel, amel or ultra and motley or stripe, but I have a feeling I'm way off :shrugs:
So here are a few body shots in different light, an eye shot, a belly shot and a head shot.

 

[Kate]

She's BEAUTIFUL!!
I'm sorry I'm not helpful, but I will say I haven't seen one quite like her before.

 

[5 Star Serpents]

I said we picked her up as a yearling but my brain wasn't working...we picked her up as a baby...
Thanks Kate! She is definitely unique, we normally never buy from pet stores but there was just something about her we had to have.
I have quite a few options for breeding her. She is 2 yrs old an almost 400g she's gonna be a monster. We've had a lot of offers from other people wanting to buy her but she's gonna grow old with us I think.

 

[Lycari]

Looks like a straight up Terrazzo to me.

Ian's Vivarium

And since that really wasn't very helpful...

South Mountain Reptiles <-- Lots of info there. Nice petshop find!

 

[Kate]

If that's how all Terrazzos grow up to look, I HAVE to add them to my want list!

 

[Lycari]

I know, right? I LOVE Terrazzos. It's a pity nobody's doing much with them. Maybe when I'm done with school, I'll start a project! XD

 

[5 Star Serpents]

I know, right? I LOVE Terrazzos. It's a pity nobody's doing much with them. Maybe when I'm done with school, I'll start a project! XD

If in fact she is a Terrazzo we will be starting some big stuff with her. I am going to email some pics to Jeff as we have imported some of his snakes to Canada here for our breeding program. Last time I talked to him on the phone he wanted me to email him photos of her so he could give me his input on her...little did I know his extent of work with the morph. I haven't heard of anyone up here in Canada with any although I could be wrong. Needless to say he will be getting an email from me tomorrow and hopefully he gets back to me with the answer I'm looking for!!

 

[Lycari]

Well, I think she looks just like the ones from SMR. XD Of course, the only way to know for sure is breeding trials.

 

[5 Star Serpents]

My first plan for her is a butter motley male, which should prove out all my suspicions as well as prove out if she is a stripe or something else

 

[Nanci]

It would be really cool if she was a Terrazzo. He's a gorgeous snake! She's probably a normal stripe, though. One thing that makes me feel that way is her lack of a "wash" of color on the distal half/third of her belly. All those keys/bloodreds/terrazzos types seem to have that.

Here's a link to my male, Zeke, so you can compare the general look.

And a link to my ACR page so you can look at ventral pics of Zeke and Zoey.

Anything is possible, though!

 

[diamondlil]

The eyes do look 'Keys' to me, regardless that is one totally beautiful snake!

 

[5 Star Serpents]

It would be really cool if she was a Terrazzo. He's a gorgeous snake! She's probably a normal stripe, though. One thing that makes me feel that way is her lack of a "wash" of color on the distal half/third of her belly. All those keys/bloodreds/terrazzos types seem to have that.

Here's a link to my male, Zeke, so you can compare the general look.

And a link to my ACR page so you can look at ventral pics of Zeke and Zoey.

Anything is possible, though!

Thanks Nanci the pic of the ventral is what I've been looking for, the back half of her belly has a lot more color than the photo shows but not like yours. It's the eye that really throws me off and the fact that at 2 and as big as she is she hasn't developed any color at all. I was doing more reading last night and came across the info on SMR's site about the 2 lines one being more grey than the other which makes me ponder it more...This is what I love about corns though is the huge variations, not just a bunch of varying shades of ball python brown
I am going to try to get a better ventral pic and then send (like he told me to a long time ago...) and see what he thinks too, and obviously I will breed her to test for stripe which should tell us right there but that's a wait still so I'd like to get an idea before then.

 

[Nanci]

Have you looked at the morph photos at The Source? There are a lot of terrazzo photos there, including eye pics. She sure has a lot of gray for "just" a classic stripe...

But how would she end up in Canada, in a pet store?? It's not like she'd have been whole-saled...

 

[5 Star Serpents]

But how would she end up in Canada, in a pet store?? It's not like she'd have been whole-saled...

This is my major dilemma! The ONLY way that would have happened is by mistake...mistakes DO happen BUT...the odds are so against it. There was another "stripe" in with the batch they had that looked similar but not "odd" like she looked. Honestly we were in a city about an hour and a half away and we just thought we would peek at what they had, she was so unique but they wouldn't let me sex her so we went home and she haunted us for days until I finally caved and called to see if they still had her, they held her for us until we got back up there, we looked at both of them again and yep she was so different than the other, not in a way that most people would even notice, but just enough that something was ringing not right. So we brought her home and I waited and waited and waited for her "normal" color to come in and still nothing. So after almost 2 yrs I'm still pondering what she is, so I figured I'd ask see what anyone else's thoughts are.

I will check out the site you mentioned as well, I haven't checked it out before.

Thanks

 

[drgnsteve64]

What-ever she turns out to be, she is beautiful, love the greyish coloration to her...

Steve

 

[5 Star Serpents]

What-ever she turns out to be, she is beautiful, love the greyish coloration to her...

Steve

Thanks Steve! Are you planning on attending the WCRE? If so I may take her to display, pictures really don't do her justice! (I think you may have seen her on the Edmonton forums as well, check out the ERAS calendar thread there's a SUPER good pic of her in there)

 

[drgnsteve64]

Thanks Steve! Are you planning on attending the WCRE?

I'm going to try for it, even though it will probably just be a look/see for me...

Steve

 

[MysticExotics]

I could be wrong, but something tells me that's a Normal Stripe. I've seen one very similar, that was a Normal Stripe.
She is very pretty & looks like she would be fun to work with in projects.
I'll see if Tara can chime in, she has a pair of Terrazzo's.

 

[starsevol]

I think she is a normal stripe considering where you found her. But normal stripes are amazing in their own right, and that girl is just incredible. Just a fantastic animal. Please post at least a gazillion more pics of her....pretty please?

 

[5 Star Serpents]

I think she is a normal stripe considering where you found her. But normal stripes are amazing in their own right, and that girl is just incredible. Just a fantastic animal. Please post at least a gazillion more pics of her....pretty please?

Haha, I'm sure once I get her outside I will get lots of better ones, I have an awesome one that was done by a photographer awhile back that I have rights to so I will post it later.
I agree normals can be amazing as well, we have a regular old normal, no questioning it that is absolutely stunning...unfortunately this was her last yr for breeding as this is her second yr retaining her last egg, so it will be a pet life for her
This gorgeous girl, Minerva, however is only just beginning her "career" here and regardless of what she is I am extremely happy to be working with her and hopefully we are able to produce something like her in the future:bird: