It's Toffino, Not Toffee: The Soft-Colored Python Morph

From out of the dazzling array of ball python morphs comes the Toffino, a beautiful genetic cross between the Albino ball python and the Toffee ball python.

- Cliff Sawit

BALLER BANDS

The ball python, as you may know, is the most commonly kept snake in the world. Native to the warm tropical climate of central and western Africa, its popularity with herpetoculturists has brought the ball python to the United States, Europe (where it is also known as the royal python), and even the Philippines.

Part of this is because of how easy to handle and docile the ball python is. Growing up to 3-5 feet long for females and 2-3 feet for males, this nonpoisonous snake is more tolerant of being handled.

“The key to handling them is to be sensitive to their response when they are being handled,” says Pitlair. “If they feel tense or rapidly flee when you try to handle them, then give the snake time to get used to being handled. If the situation does not improve, then maybe that particular snake prefers not to be handled. Handling your snake may feel like a bonding experience for the handler but it may not necessarily be the same for the snake. Being handled may even be stressful for that particular snake.”

“They are simple to care for, like all other ball pythons,” he adds. “They eat the same staple prey items, like mice and rats, although other rodents and fowls are also available options.”

They require a terrarium or a rack system with a warm and cool side to help them regulate body temperature, since they are cold blooded. Fortunately, because the Philippines is a tropical country with a climate similar to that the ball python’s native habitat, they are quite at home here and tolerant of temperature changes, with the exception of highaltitude places like Baguio, where the air is colder and drier.

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