Yellow Base

Yellow base is dominant which means you need a yellow to make a yellow. This base color is naturally bright, has little dark pigment, and has clear indications that it may be a naturally occurring hypo gene distinct from the hypo triat. It is not unlike the first pastel Ball pythons found in Africa. However, in old age, many yellows can fade to an almost lavender or rust-colored tone. Much confusion has been caused by this trait due to how they fade in old age. This misleads some breeders into believing that lavender or reds can produce yellows, when in fact the animal is an old yellow that has faded. Since yellow animals naturally have reduced dark pigment we will occasionally refer to them as “naturally hypo”. Hypo however can still be added to these animals to create even lighter and more complex yellow phenotypes. Yellow based animals display white/cream patterns or WP (White Patterning). On a rare occasion, OP (Orange Patterning) may appear, but it fades to a white/cream in time. This OP is sometimes attributed to the animal having a red base, blended in, as these animals appear to display an orange color.^[1]

At the onset of our hobby, some wild-type animals were described as buckskin, but there was a range of interpretations. Some were very dark, like what we call black and brown base, and some were a light tan or dirty yellow. These geckos, after reviewing some historical photos, appear to be displaying combinations of traits. The effects of them being naturally combined are beneficial, and/or not harmful for survival in the wild. From these variations, it is fairly easy to see how black base, yellow base, phantom, and hypo forms began to emerge more with selective breeding causing them to separate into distinct phenotypes. ^[2]