Why spend a fortune if you don’t have to? Come take a look at my top 5 Cheap Ball Python Morphs to learn more about these affordable but amazing snakes…
Ball Pythons come in a fantastic array of color variations called morphs. When buying your first Ball Python, it’s only natural to want an interesting morph. There’s no point spending a lot of money unless you’re planning on breeding them, though. In this post, we’ll looking at the cheapest Ball Python morphs currently available.
When is cheap a good thing?
Ball Pythons are an incredibly popular species of snake amongst herpetoculturists. They also happen to be incredibly easy to keep, and cheap to house and feed.
You can keep a Ball Python in a plastic tub/tote and spend less than $100 on the whole setup, even if some blogs and Youtube channels try to tell you otherwise. (let’s not get into the subject of affiliate links – but if you don’t know what they are, look into it before taking any Ball Python care sheets too seriously!).
Where these chubby little snakes get expensive, though, is when you start looking at the designer morphs available. As you’re probably aware, morphs are specific dominant, incomplete dominant or recessive mutations that give a snake a unique appearance.
Not all morphs are expensive though, and it doesn’t make sense to stretch your budget on one unless you are a serious breeder.
If you’re a beginner breeder, you should stick to cheap morphs. You’ll have more fun learning the ups and downs of breeding this species if you don’t have the added financial pressure of trying to make good on a big investment. Trust me, I’ve been there: it takes half the fun out of it!
Likewise, if you never intend to breed, then you should stick to cheap morphs. Why spend a lot of money that you will never get back? Especially when, as you’re about to find out, there are some awesome cheap morphs available.
What is the cheapest Ball Python morph?
Prices vary, but the cheapest morph overall is generally Yellow Belly. Yellow Belly Ball Pythons are now one of the most widespread morphs of all. You can find them for as little as $45 in the USA and $30 in Europe. Pastel comes in at a close second, usually costing $50 – 100.
Other cheap morphs include:
- Pinstripe
- Butter
- Lesser
- Cinnamon
- Black Pastel
- Enchi
- Vanilla
- Fire
- Woma
- Hidden Gene Woma (HGW)
- Orange Dream
- Spotnose
How can I get a free Ball Python?
If you want a hardy, long-lived pet but don’t want to spend a lot of money, then you can easily get a free Ball Python. Go to go small ads sites like Craigslist. Search for free Ball Python, and more often than not you will find snakes that need a good home.
If this doesn’t work, try looking up your local humane society, and asking if they have any reptiles for adoption. Often, you will be asked to provide details of the enclosure you will use and how well you have researched the snake’s care.
There are literally thousands of reptiles that need homes, some of which have even been abandoned. These animals are no less valuable as pets than the ones for sale in pet stores – they’ve just had worse luck.

How have I chosen these morphs?
For this post, I’ve chosen the morphs that give you the most bang for your buck. They’re the most spectacular in their price range, and some can even be solid breeding investments if you’re smart about it.
The three main criteria I used to choose them are the following:
- Price. The best cheap morphs are… cheap. All of the morphs on this list are at consistently lower prices than about 90% of other morphs currently on the market. As you might expect, they are all dominant or incomplete dominant genes. These are easier to reproduce, and always end up being more common than recessive genes.
- Uniqueness. Most of us are fascinated by reptiles because of their incredible appearance. That’s why this morph list only includes morphs that “pop” or can be added to combination morphs to make them pop.
- Potential for breeding projects. Versatility is important if you think you might breed these snakes down the line. All of these morphs are cheap. But go onto Morphmarket.com, and look up the price of a Chocolate Clown Ball Python, for example – and you might be surprised at the price. That’s what I call potential.
The Top 5
Without further ado, let’s take a look at my top 5 cheap morphs. When reading, be aware that the prices I give are averages for snakes bought from reputable breeders. It may be possible to find them even cheaper if you look around for a while!
1. Yellow Belly Ball Python
This gene is simply amazing. It looks very much like a regular Ball Python, but has a little extra yellow, a little extra brightness, and a plain belly. Yes, that’s right: a plain white belly.
Despite the misplaced choice of name, the Yellow Belly is exceptionally useful. It brightens so many dark genes. Hurricane and Acid, for instance, both appear to gain an increase in yellow colouration and contrast when Yellow Belly is added to the mix.
Being an incomplete dominant gene, Yellow Belly has an incredible super form known as Ivory. Breed Yellow Belly to Yellow Belly and roughly one quarter of the babies will be the beautiful, cream-coloured Ivory morph.
These days, the Yellow Belly morph is one of the cheapest around. You can find them for a price of $45 – 100.
2. Mojave Ball Python

First bred by The Snake Keeper (TSK), in 2000, the Mojave is a simple but beautiful morph. It has a dark brown background that contrasts nicely with light brown or yellow saddles and blotches. It almost looks like a reversal of a normal Ball Python’s markings.
Though exceptional as a standalone gene, this morph’s true potential is in breeding projects. It is part of the Blue Eyed Leucistic (BEL) complex, meaning that its super form is a beautiful purplish-white snake. As the name implies, it often has fairly blue eyes.
In general, you can find Mojaves for sale for around $75 – 150.
If you’d like to learn about this gene, check out the Mojave Morph Guide.
3. Firefly Ball Python

This is the first combination morph on our list. Combining two cheap single genes: Fire and Pastel, the Firefly is an affordable but spectacular snake.
It retains the bright yellows of the Pastel gene, but adds in the unusual flaming, and light colouration of Fire. All in all, you just can’t go wrong with this one. As a pet, it’s beautiful, and often stays bright into adulthood.
As an investment, Firefly is a cheap way to add some pazazz into any breeding project. In general, they cost around $100 – 150.
If you’d like to learn about this gene, check out the Firefly Ball Python morph guide.
4. Chocolate Ball Python

The Chocolate morph has been around since it was discovered by BHB reptiles in 1999. From then to now, it was overlooked by a lot of breeders. It may be because it looks quite similar to Cinnamon, or because genes like Mojave have been a lot more popular.
Whatever the case, breeders have realised over the last few years that Chocolate can do incredible things when combined with other genes. Chocolate Clown combinations in particular are beautiful and highly sought after.
If that doesn’t convince you, Chocolate also has a stunning and highly unusual super form. Chocolate Ball Pythons are perhaps not as common as some of the others on this list, and do tend to cost more: their price is around $100 – 250.
5. Lemon Blast Ball Python

This combination morph is nothing new. In fact, it’s been around since 2003 when it was first produced by BHB Reptiles.
The Lemon Blast is comprised of Pastel and Pinstripe, two genes that I consider amongst the top dominant and co-dominant Ball Python morphs. They’re widespread, go great with pretty much anything, and are always cheap.
In this morph, these two genes compliment each other particularly well, though how good it looks often depends how bright the parents were. Prices vary, but you should expect to pay $100 – 150 for a hatchling.
Summary: Cheap morphs by price
Morph: | Price: |
Yellow Belly | $45 – 100 |
Mojave | $75 – 150 |
Firefly | $100 – 150 |
Chocolate | $100 – 250 |
Lemon Blast | $100 – 150 |
FAQ relating to cheap Ball Python morphs:
How much does a morph ball python cost?
In Ball Pythons, morphs can get seriously expensive. There have been many instances of serious breeders spending over $10k on a snake as an investment for a breeding project. In general, it is the rarity of the morph, or the combination of morphs, that dictates the price. New morphs are always rarer and more expensive. Good examples include Acid, Stranger and Wookie – all of which can set you back $1500 or more.
What is the coolest ball python?
The coolest Ball Python in terms of popularity is probably the Piebald morph. The white patches of pattern really stand out, and the morph is certainly more popular than all others asides from possibly Clown. This is always a subject of opinion though. You should only ever keep or breed morphs that you truly enjoy – not just because they are popular.
What is the cheapest snake to own?
The Ball Python is one of the cheapest snakes to own, especially as they often only need feeding every 10-14 days as adults. Other species such as Rosy Boas, Sand Boas and Corn Snakes are equally cheap to maintain, but also require smaller enclosures. This means those species will be cheaper to house.