My Ball is Changing Color

I have a question and I hope somebody can help me. One of my male Ball Pythons is changing color. He is about 3 years old and I have had him for about 1 year. When I got him he was real dark like a caramel and even his lighter colors were like a dark yellow. I know a Ball doesnt need UV light to survive were it is a nocturnal snake but I like to give them one for production of vitamins and such. The last couple times he has shed the darker colors have stayed the same but his lighter patterns have gotten really light. They have gone from a dark yellow to almost a light cream color, so light that its almost white. This change in color is about a third of the way up his tail and a third of the way down his back from his head, the top of his head having the most color change. Could this change be due from the UV lighting or something else? And, if from the lighting will this hurt him?
Thanks for all replies,
Jay & PJ Coombs
~*PJCReptiles*~

No. It happens that ball pythons lose pigmentation in a shed. Sometimes they get it back later in life and sometimes they do not. It just happens. It has nothing to do with lighting.

Thanks for the info Even

almost reminds me of the IMG ball.. hehe i got excited when i read the thread title!

It is like the "img" which is really kind of a nonsense name as the typically lose pigment more often than gain and none of them are yet genetic just something odd that happens. Very often when balls get sick with a form of respiratory infection, as they recover and shed they get lighter as well.