Does this look like a pastel to you?

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Originally Posted by wax32

How can you tell?

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My avatar is what my pastel used to look like when I first got him + camera flash and good lighting.

He just shed for me again, and with every shed, more and more brown is showing, but the areas that you see the light brown on top usually will turn darker and the bright pure yellows will stay that color.

That baby in my opinion, doesn't have a whole lot of pure yellow to it at all, so I don't think it would retain the yellow 'desired' color that most people want. :]

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Originally Posted by wax32

How can you tell?

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Low yellow and high orange... orange turns brown mostly, and it has a low yellow.

If you look at enough pastels you will start seeing the grades, and learning how they age is a good thing.

I just really doubt that hatchling will mature into a great pastel example.

I love pastels, but depending on your intentions, then it is good to wait till you find one that has the traits you like, even if it is above market price.

Bruce

I would ask the seller, some detailed questions. What line of Pastel is it? Where were the parents from? What breeder is it from? I cannot honestly form an opinion on whether the larger one is Pastel based on the pics.

I wouldn't consider either to buy. Yes, they are both pastels but not good ones at all, and if you even consider breeding pastels you will want it to be high yellow, because lets face it, pastel males are almost as hard to sell as normals, and when you get some, do you really want to be stuck with them? Not only that but most people buy their pastels to breed and you do not want to keep passing down the brown to be bred still for other people.
My best advice to give you is go look online and pay a little extra for one that will make everyone go WOW! What I personally do is look at the snake first, and then the price, and so far that has worked out in my favor!
- Matt

well I actually met the owner and saw both snakes yesterday. The older male is in shed and I told him I would contact him after the shed to see his coloring and make a decision then. The little guy is was not sired by the adult and I believe he will darken considerably as he gets older.

When I first got in to ball pythons, my male pastel was one of the first snakes I got. Knowing that I didn't know how to properly spot a 'great' baby pastel that would hold its color, I got my pastel from a reputable online breeder. Said breeder grades his pastels, and I trusted him to pick a nice one for me. Here are some pics:

First, PB (Male Pastel) as a baby. Note the lack of much orange and the intense yellow, especially on his sides. Looking back, you can already see him darkening up a bit along his spine:
http://i244.photobucket.com/albums/g...astelHeart.jpg

Here he is now, at around 900 grams and having just locked with his new girlfriend. Both pictures are with flash, and you can see he held his color on the sides but browned out a little on the top:
http://i244.photobucket.com/albums/g...um/CinnyPB.jpg

From the pictures you provided, I would hold out for a nicer looking pastel. For me, I either want intense yellow or lots of dorsal blushing and I can tell you that even in shed, PB doesn't look that dark. I would pass, and try to find a pastel from a reputable breeder that grades them. How big is your pin? If she is not big enough or old enough to breed this year, I say go with a baby. PB was a baby last year at this time, and as you can see, he is locking up fine.

Yes, that is a Pastel. :gj:

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Originally Posted by adamsmasher

well I actually met the owner and saw both snakes yesterday. The older male is in shed and I told him I would contact him after the shed to see his coloring and make a decision then. The little guy is was not sired by the adult and I believe he will darken considerably as he gets older.

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I can tell even while he is in shed that he will not be a nice looking pastel. Im not trying to be mean or anything I just believe in selective breeding and this would not be a good one for breeding. Ive seens hundreds if not thousands of pastels trust me when I say you will regret getting him when you see the brown babys.

yeah it looks like a browned out pastel to me. I think the eyes are green but cant tell for sure. I would pass on him. You have to keep in mind that a dark pastel will probably make dark babies. Not too many ppl like a dark pastel making the babies harder to sell. Just my 2 cents. Thats probably why he is selling him soo cheap.

yes thats a pastel