So some of the talk on here about paying more for good quality has really got me thinking. I want to start adding females as soon as I get a rack set up (looking to breed in about 2-3 years, so I want them to have time to get up to size). I'm a bargain hunter by nature, so it's hard for me to think this way, but I also don't want to be halfway into a breeding program with a bunch of snakes that look like crap. XD

I've been doing a lot of planning as far as what I want to breed for initially, and I know that I want to get 2 female pastels. One to make killer bees with my bee, and one to breed pewters. For the bee especially, I want to make sure I get something that keeps its yellow. Aside from buying something labeled "lemon pastel" and taking the breeder's word on it, what should I be looking for in the picture of the actual hatchling as far as an indication of what it will look like in a few years? How much can I expect to spend for a good female pastel that will keep it's yellow? Blushing doesn't mean much to me on pastels, I actually prefer a pastel without it. Yellow is my absolute favorite color, so I want to have a firm foundation for future yellow projects!