Editing Ball python (section)

==In captivity==
[[File:Albino ball python.png|thumb|An [[albinism|albino]] ball python]]
[[File:Ball python (Python regius), Bronx Zoo.jpg|thumb|A ball python in the [[Bronx Zoo]]]]
Ball pythons are the most popular pet snake and the second most popular pet reptile after the [[bearded dragon]].<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Valdez |first1=Jose W. |title=Using Google Trends to Determine Current, Past, and Future Trends in the Reptile Pet Trade |journal=Animals |date=3 March 2021 |volume=11 |issue=3 |pages=676 |doi=10.3390/ani11030676 |pmc=8001315 |pmid=33802560 |doi-access=free }}</ref> According to the IUCN Red List, while captive bred animals are widely available in the pet trade, capture of wild specimens for sale continues to cause significant damage to wild populations.<ref name="iucn" /> Wild-caught specimens have greater difficulty adapting to a captive environment, which can result in refusal to feed, and they generally carry internal or external [[Parasitism|parasites]].{{Citation needed|date=April 2022}} This species can do quite well in captivity, regularly living for 15–30 years with good care. The oldest recorded ball python in captivity is 62 years, 59 of those at the [[Saint Louis Zoo]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/sep/11/a-new-squeeze-snake-mystery-after-lone-elderly-python-lays-clutch-of-eggs |title=A new squeeze? Snake mystery after lone, elderly python lays a clutch of eggs |website=[[TheGuardian.com]] |year=2020 |access-date=2020-09-11}}</ref>

===Breeding===
[[File:Killer bee ball python snake.png|thumb|A killer bee morph on display]]
Captive ball pythons are often bred for specific patterns that do not occur in the wild, called "morphs."<ref>{{cite web |website=Reptiles magazine |url=http://www.reptilesmagazine.com/A-Crash-Course-in-Ball-Python-Reptile-Genetics/ |title=A Crash Course in Ball Python/Reptile Genetics |date=2016 |author=Bulinski, S. C.}}</ref><ref name= "Giggs 2023">{{cite magazine|first=Rebecca|last=Giggs|url= https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2024/02/26/inside-the-world-of-designer-ball-pythons|title=Skin in the Game|magazine=[[The New Yorker]]|date=February 21, 2024| access-date=February 19, 2024}}</ref> Breeders are continuously creating new designer morphs, and over 7,500 different morphs currently exist.<ref name= "Giggs 2023"/><ref>{{Cite web |title=Morph List – World of Ball Pythons |url=http://www.worldofballpythons.com/morphs/ |access-date=2021-08-31 |website=World of Ball Pythons}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |author=Yurdakul E. |date=2020 |title=Ball Python Morphs |url=https://reptilianworld.com/reptile/snake-reptile/ball-python-morphs/ |website=Reptilian world |access-date=2 March 2020 |archive-date=2 March 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200302012845/https://reptilianworld.com/reptile/snake-reptile/ball-python-morphs/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> Most morphs are considered solely cosmetic with no harm or benefit to the individual animal. However, the "spider" morph gene has been linked to neurological disease, typically involving symptoms such as head tremors and lack of coordination that are collectively referred to as "wobble syndrome."<ref>{{Cite journal |author=Rose, M. P. & Williams, D. L. |year=2014 |title=Neurologic dysfunction in a ball python (''Python regius'') color morph, and implications for welfare |journal=Journal of Exotic Pet Medicine |volume=23 |issue=3 |pages=234–239 |doi=10.1053/j.jepm.2014.06.002 }}</ref> Due to the ethical concerns associated with intentionally breeding a color pattern linked to genetic disease, the International Herpetological Society banned the sale of spider morphs at their events beginning in 2018.<ref>{{cite web |publisher=International Herpetological Society |url=http://www.ihs-web.org.uk/ihs-news.php?hash=d6ff9182701ee47dd9ebc5a38e05ba1f&mnid=24&page=3 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200508051212/http://www.ihs-web.org.uk/ihs-news.php?hash=d6ff9182701ee47dd9ebc5a38e05ba1f&mnid=24&page=3 |archive-date=2020-05-08  |title=Breeders Meetings – New Policy – June 2017 |date=2017}}</ref>