Axanthic Pastel Question?

I was thinking about what kind of projects I would like to work on one day and came up with a question. Do Axanthic pastels get darker or change in coloring as they age like Axanthics or do they have a more consistant coloration? I know two people (Kara and Adam) that come to this site that will probably know the answer to that one :D

Here's the most recent (a couple of months ago) pic of our Axanthic Pastel - to my knowledge, he's the only one around at the moment. He's almost a year old.

http://newenglandreptile.com/newaxpastel.jpg

Glad Kara chimed in on this one .... I only saw NERD's axanthic pastel once and that was a long time ago. He is even more amazing in this most recent picture!! :D

All ball pythons undergo an ontogenic color change (it's something that can't be prevented) and since many pastels and axanthics have their most extreme coloration as babies, it's only natural to expect some type of change in appearence as they mature.

As Kev@NERD has shown, using the best breeding stock instead of just any ole pastel or any ole axanthic certainly helps! .... Kevin is masterful at putting smoking hot examples of two different morphs together and making art! The proof is in the puddin!!! :D :P

-adam

Thanks for the post, Kara. It seems like all I ever get to see is pics of baby ball pythons these days. Seeing a baby Axanthic and an adult are two different things....I was just wondering if the Axanthic pastel was any different.

Do any bp morphs get a more 'extreme coloration' as they age?

Adam, at what age does this 'ontogenic color change usually occur?

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Originally Posted by daniel1983

Do any bp morphs get a more 'extreme coloration' as they age?

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I tend to think that caramles, hypos, and lavendar albinos get better color as they mature. There might be a couple more, but that's off the top of my head.

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Originally Posted by daniel1983

Adam, at what age does this 'ontogenic color change usually occur?

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on·tog·e·ny
n., pl. -nies.
The origin and development of an individual organism from embryo to adult. Also called ontogenesis.

on'to·ge·net'ic or on'to·gen'ic adj.
on'to·ge·net'i·cal·ly or on'to·gen'i·cal·ly adv.

http://www.answers.com/ontogenic&r=67

-adam

My mind spins with breeding co-doms and recessives! Okay now you've got this Axanthic Pastel...what's the next step. You either make more like him since he's the only one and hope the heck for a female at some point or do you breed him to a "regular" Axanthic or a Pastel or a Hypo or.....*massive brain spin*...

I guess what I'm asking is what would you breed this male to if you are looking to keep the black nice and dark and the white/silvery markings as light as possible for the snake's whole life?

Good lord this stuff is confusing, fascinating but confusing! LOL


~~Jo~~

a hypo would probably keep the coloring a bit lighter for its lifetime...but that is just a guess.....there has not even been a Axanthic x hypo produced yet....so an Axanthic x hypo x pastel is probably two or three years away :)

What ever is done with a bp is usually what the breeder wants to see or do....if they want to create more Axanthic Pastels they will probably breed it to a female Axanthic or het Axanthic. Other possibilities are endless........I am sure NERD is doing something really cool with that guy :D

You breed him to the most gorgeous female Axanthic you can find, and statistically half the babies will be Axanthic Pastel and half will be Axanthic. Then, if you get a really gorgeous female Axanthic Pastel, breed the male Axanthic Pastel to her and you'll have a 1 in 4 chance of getting an Axanthic Super Pastel.

I am sure a Axanthic Super Pastel will be HOT!! :)

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Originally Posted by daniel1983

I am sure a Axanthic Super Pastel will be HOT!! :)

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It is going to be a killer morph :devilish: