Pastel or Normal?

hi everyone! i just drove 70 miles to pick up a gorgeous female ball python. got her home..set everything up. she hasnt been held much, you can tell. anyway, i am wondering how you can tell the difference between a normal ball and a pastel. this one looks different than any other one i have had. her color is lighter..but at the same time, more vibrant. also...aren't females bigger than males? i have no idea how old this snake is.....she appears to be approx 4 ft long, but is very thin. my male is exactly 48 inches but has more body mass. his head is also WAY bigger than hers. whats up with that? do they grow long and then get bigger around? if you have a female ball python who circumference is maybe....4 in and a little less than 4 ft in length...how old would you guess she is?
i found her on craigslist for 50 dollars with her cage, stand, and supplies. she was listed as a female boa...so the people that had her didnt know what she was. this leads me to believe that if she is a pastel, they wouldnt have known either way. it was pretty much a steal...so i went to petsmart and bought her $150 worth of stuff to beautify her habitat. so i will post some pictures tomorrow. if anyone knows what distinguishes a normal from a pastel..it would be very helpful. thanks. :)

Pastels are Yellow

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b2...s/P1090024.jpg

Normals are Brown

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b2...s/P1080804.jpg

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b2...s/P1080677.jpg

Quote:

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Originally Posted by tarakatrine

hi everyone! i just drove 70 miles to pick up a gorgeous female ball python. got her home..set everything up. she hasnt been held much, you can tell. anyway, i am wondering how you can tell the difference between a normal ball and a pastel. this one looks different than any other one i have had. her color is lighter..but at the same time, more vibrant. also...aren't females bigger than males? i have no idea how old this snake is.....she appears to be approx 4 ft long, but is very thin. my male is exactly 48 inches but has more body mass. his head is also WAY bigger than hers. whats up with that? do they grow long and then get bigger around? if you have a female ball python who circumference is maybe....4 in and a little less than 4 ft in length...how old would you guess she is?
i found her on craigslist for 50 dollars with her cage, stand, and supplies. she was listed as a female boa...so the people that had her didnt know what she was. this leads me to believe that if she is a pastel, they wouldnt have known either way. it was pretty much a steal...so i went to petsmart and bought her $150 worth of stuff to beautify her habitat. so i will post some pictures tomorrow. if anyone knows what distinguishes a normal from a pastel..it would be very helpful. thanks. :)

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Pastels are yellow, normals are brown, turn that frown upside down.

Not necessarily ;)

Adult Pastel:

http://market.kingsnake.com/image/1009524.jpg

Quote:

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Originally Posted by tarakatrine

hi everyone! i just drove 70 miles to pick up a gorgeous female ball python. got her home..set everything up. she hasnt been held much, you can tell. anyway, i am wondering how you can tell the difference between a normal ball and a pastel. this one looks different than any other one i have had. her color is lighter..but at the same time, more vibrant. also...aren't females bigger than males? i have no idea how old this snake is.....she appears to be approx 4 ft long, but is very thin. my male is exactly 48 inches but has more body mass. his head is also WAY bigger than hers. whats up with that? do they grow long and then get bigger around? if you have a female ball python who circumference is maybe....4 in and a little less than 4 ft in length...how old would you guess she is?
i found her on craigslist for 50 dollars with her cage, stand, and supplies. she was listed as a female boa...so the people that had her didnt know what she was. this leads me to believe that if she is a pastel, they wouldnt have known either way. it was pretty much a steal...so i went to petsmart and bought her $150 worth of stuff to beautify her habitat. so i will post some pictures tomorrow. if anyone knows what distinguishes a normal from a pastel..it would be very helpful. thanks. :)

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My Pastel has started to brown a bit, but still shows a ton of lighter coloration than any other mormal ever would.
another thing i notice that i look for first, is the eyes.
i find the eyes will carry over the pattern or stripe that goes across thier face.
if i could post a pic i would, but my Pastels eye are of both yellow on the top as the stripe carries across his eyes, ive never seen a normal with this trait before, but i could be wrong.
hope this helps any, sounds like you saved that snake, best of luck and hope it turns out well!:gj:

Check out the eyes.

NextWorldExotics "Hunters Guide to the Morphs" is an excellent read if you're unsure of what you've got. Here's a link to the Pastels Guide: http://www.ball-pythons.net/forums/s...ad.php?t=62699

Here's an idea.... Post a pic.:D


BG has seen some monster males, but usually males are smaller. BG will refrain from commenting on the "head size". He just can't bring himself to give a straight(non funny) answer.:D

I guess if it is a browned-out Pastel, look for more blushing than you would see in a normal, more yellow, or even the eyes, like several people have suggested.

If the female's head is smaller than your male's, and she appears skinny like you said, than she is probably underweight. Give your male's head a little squeeze for those fatty deposits on the sides. If she doesn't have those, fatten her up.

What's with the eyes for pastels? Please explain...