How to find the right pastel?

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!

most pastels will brown to a degree. some worst than others. what to look for in a pastel as a hatchling is, bright yellow and as less of orange as possible. good luck don

+1, the brighter the yellow, the less they will brown, the more orange, the more they will brown. I also like a lot of blushing, but that's just a personal preference ;)

Ah, ok. So the orange will just get darker. Will most pastels without orange keep that yellow color (not just pale, but YELLOW yellow), or is it kind of a blind guess still?

They all pretty much dull, though some definitely keep yellows better. Best bet is to look at parents, and as others have said, look for bright yellows, not oranges. You don't necessarily have to spend a ton of money to find a decent pastel, but know that they are not all created equal.

Cheap ≠ quality, and quality isn't cheap.

The brighter pastels do keep their yellows, just not as intense. They do get darker with age. Here is my 2010 male pastel when I first got him, maybe 300-400 grams in this picture. Sorry for the horrible lighting, it was dark, and my flash sucks but you get the idea, he had little to no orange.
http://i54.tinypic.com/2eb8s1z.jpg

Here he is now, well over 900 grams.
http://i51.tinypic.com/20k23ig.jpg

Here's to hoping mine stays as yellow as possible.

Also, notice the lack of faded colors in the dark regions. Very binary yellow/black

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y62...t/DSC00807.jpg

While they do brown out as adults some will more than others.

What you want is an hatchling with as little orange as possible

Orange = Brown as adult so stay away from that.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by LGray23

Here he is now, well over 900 grams.
http://i51.tinypic.com/20k23ig.jpg

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Wow, he still looks GREAT!

Shockbunny, you can't really be a bargain hunter if you want top quality. You get what you pay for. But sometimes you can catch a break.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by MidSouthMorphs

Wow, he still looks GREAT!

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Thank you, I am quite happy with how he's turning out. Picked him up from my friend Action Reptiles :D