Overall, your ball python will appear dull. When your pet prepares to shed its skin, it will typically darken, or its brighter colors may fade or look more muted. Color Changes as a Result of SheddingĪnother situation in which your ball python is going to look darker is right before it sheds. As a result, most older ball pythons in the wild have quite a collection of scars and scratches. Snakes that don’t live in captivity are exposed to the elements and may have encounters with predators and other dangerous situations. In the wild, there’s another way that you can usually tell how old a ball python is. Oftentimes this is difficult to pick up on unless you’ve bred ball pythons and can easily compare younger and older snakes to see the difference in head size. You may be surprised to learn that ball pythons’ heads never stop growing! This means that older ball pythons have larger heads relative to the size of their body. The growing process is usually complete by the time a ball python is four years old. Of course, ball pythons become longer and heavier as they grow and develop from a hatchling to an adult. There are a few other ways that ball pythons change as they get older. What Other Changes Do Ball Pythons Experience as They Age? After reaching 20 years of age, the colors and patterns will become quite faded and symmetry will lose alignment. Young adult ball pythons from ages three to 10 usually have bright colors and great symmetry.įrom the ages of 11 to 20, you’ll see colors become duller and patterns start to line up with less precision. The older a ball python is, the less aligned its symmetry tends to be. In addition to your snake’s colors fading, its patterns will also become less symmetrical with age. Ball pythons display their brightest colors as hatchlings and generally darken or fade as they grow into adulthood. Color Changes Related to AgingĪlthough you definitely won’t catch your ball python changing color the way a chameleon does, its overall colors will most likely become more muted or dull with age. There are four main reasons why your ball python’s colors may shift throughout its lifespan: aging, shedding, burns, and scale rot. The simple answer to this question is yes. You’ll also find out about other reasons your ball python may change color, including the shedding process, burns, and scale rot. Read on to find out more about whether ball pythons get darker with age. So do ball pythons get darker with age? Ball pythons do tend to get darker in color as they age they’re at their brightest when they are hatchlings, and their colors usually become more muted throughout the lifespan.

Has your ball python been looking a little different lately? Maybe its colors seem a little duller or darker than they used to be.

Fire ball python vs normal