How do I understand morphs and genetics with breeding?
Take the subject and break it down into areas that you feel you need more information. “Morphs, genetics, and breeding” could be the title of a 600+ page book if you wanted to cover everything.
Morphs are just different genetic mutations that change the pattern and/or color of the animal. Some combinations have been given special names because that was the cool thing to do for a while and those are just something that you have to learn as you go.
Genetics is pretty easy once you master the Punnett square. There are TONS of websites and videos on YouTube that explain how it works way better than I can. But it is the basic tool used for calculating the odds of offspring getting specific traits or combinations of traits. Eventually you don’t need it, it becomes a way of thinking.
Breeding is something you should only do once you feel like you have a grip on the ball python community and market. A lot of people who try breeding give it up within a year or two because it takes a LOT of patience and a good bit of money. Breeding by itself has been the subject of lots of writing so the place I would start is with a book on it. From a book, get to know the basic process and then ask specific questions to clarify parts that you don’t understand or think you need more information about.
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There are probably quite a few good articles out there. Here’s a decent intro:
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/showthread.php?52847-A-Lesson-in-Basic-Genetics
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There’s a fun book called “the cartoon guide to genetics” that is well written and researched, but not too boring to read https://www.amazon.com/Cartoon-Guide-Genetics-Updated/dp/0062730991
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