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HGW By Shaun Hacke of Dark Blizzard Exotics

Hidden Gene Woma

Type: Incomplete Dominant

First Produced By: NERD

Complex: Complex: Spider

Aliases: HGW

Issues: Light to Severe Wobble, Lethal Super

First Produced In: 1999

Availability: Common

Last Updated: 2025-02-05

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About

The Hidden Gene Woma Ball Python is a colour and pattern altering mutation that is suspected, yet unproven, to be part of the Spider Complex. Despite its name, the Hidden Gene Woma doesn’t actually contain any “hidden genes” and is a completely separate mutation to the Woma Ball Python. The fact that they are visually extremely similar has led to more confusion around the genes.

Issues

Super: Pearl

Lethal

Wobble

The Hidden Gene Woma Ball Python (and other morphs) has a genetic disorder referred to in the hobby as a “wobble”. “Wobbles” can range from almost unnoticeable to worryingly severe on an individual basis. It is one of the most highly debated and controversial topics in the reptile world, with many experienced breeders and keepers on both sides of the debate. While all Hidden Gene Woma Ball Pythons “wobble” to a degree, extreme cases are rare and most will live a normal life. “Wobbles” are often more noticeable during feeding and agitation and can be affected by stress and husbandry.

Hidden Gene Woma Champagne display a severe wobble.
Hidden Gene Woma Sable are difficult to hatch and display a severe wobble.

History

Around 1999 Kevin McCurley of New England Reptile Distributors imported two animals that looked extremly similar and initially called both of them “Woma Tiger”.

As Kevin started breeding these two different animals, he noticed that they behaved a little bit differently from one another. He then bred both of them to a Lesser and got the SoulSucker from one and the much less interesting LesserWoma from the other.

At that point NERD decided that they were different morphs and that the one that produced the SoulSucker had some other gene “hidden” inside of it. To differentiate between them he started calling one line “Hidden Gene Woma” and the other line he just kept as “Woma Tiger”. Eventually, the “Tiger” was dropped from the name.

Appearance

Head

The head of a Hidden Gene Woma Ball Python is usually almost completely covered in chocolate-brown scales, with very little blushing on the crown.

Body

The body of the Hidden Gene Woma Ball Python is covered in faded “alien heads” that often resemble keyholes, in that the “eyes” within the “alien heads” tend to be singular. Body colouration can range from soft golden-brown to sharp black.