Worth it to buy Directly from NERD?

I am really looking for the perfect pastel, to me the perfect pastel is a lemon pastel. I can't find any really good pastels that just scream yellow to me. I contacted NERD directly and i can get a female later when they hatch for a little higher than normal price, but at least it will be a legitimate lemon pastel.

My question is, will it really be worth my money to buy directly from them? I know i am pretty much guaranteed quality, but is it worth it to pay the extra cash just to get it directly from the source?

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Originally Posted by steveboos

I am really looking for the perfect pastel, to me the perfect pastel is a lemon pastel. I can't find any really good pastels that just scream yellow to me. I contacted NERD directly and i can get a female later when they hatch for a little higher than normal price, but at least it will be a legitimate lemon pastel.

My question is, will it really be worth my money to buy directly from them? I know i am pretty much guaranteed quality, but is it worth it to pay the extra cash just to get it directly from the source?

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You are the only one that can answer that.You are the one that will be looking at and caring for that snake for as long as it lives.If you do not feel positive about it you will not be pleased with the snake.So if they have what BLOWS your mind go for it :gj:

You get what you pay for. If they have what you want buy it. Don't short change yourself over a few dollars. In the long run you will be very happy with your choice. PEACE :salute:

A perfect pastel is not always a lemon pastel.

I've seen many brown lemon pastels, right out of NERD.

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Originally Posted by blackcrystal22

A perfect pastel is not always a lemon pastel.

I've seen many brown lemon pastels, right out of NERD.

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See this is what i want to know, just because its from nerd, does it really mean its going to a really nice lemon yellow pastel? When i emailed them he said a "Very nice pastel female" so i take it he means high yellow but i just want to know if i'd be better off waiting to find one else where that is just perfect!

I'd worry more about the snake you are getting than where you are getting it. You definitely want to go with a reputable breeder to be sure the snake is healthy, but beyond that.... find that perfect lemon pastel. It might be at NERD, it might be elsewhere, but if you find the one YOU think is the perfect one, it will be worth it to pay a little bit more, whether you pay it to NERD or someone else.

If you are having a hard time finding a "perfect" lemon pastel. Spend the extra cash if the one that hatches is what you want. In the mean time go to a few more shows or contact some of the other ads you see. I found my perfect pastel on Craig'slist... a perfect dark black and High yellow female that I wanted. The guy had no idea what he had, he had just bought it at a reptile show a few years earlier and got tried of it. $50 dollars and an 1 hour drive and it was mine.:O Never give up hope, it's got to be out there.

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Originally Posted by steveboos

See this is what i want to know, just because its from nerd, does it really mean its going to a really nice lemon yellow pastel? When i emailed them he said a "Very nice pastel female" so i take it he means high yellow but i just want to know if i'd be better off waiting to find one else where that is just perfect!

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Wait.... in your first post you say...

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Originally Posted by steveboos

contacted NERD directly and i can get a female later when they hatch for a little higher than normal price, but at least it will be a legitimate lemon pastel.

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but in this post you say

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Originally Posted by steveboos

he said a "Very nice pastel female" so i take it he means high yellow

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how do they know it will be "high yellow" if it hasn't even hatched yet?? Just because it's coming from a big name breeder doesn't mean it's going to be a great quality snake. Especially if it hasn't even hatched yet.

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Originally Posted by Buttons

Wait.... in your first post you say...



but in this post you say



how do they know it will be "high yellow" if it hasn't even hatched yet?? Just because it's coming from a big name breeder doesn't mean it's going to be a great quality snake. Especially if it hasn't even hatched yet.

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Yeah i just haven't been able to find anything that even looks like a lemon pastel, everything looks like blonde pastels to me and i just don't know if i will ever find a good one. My logic is that if they have adult lemon pastels that look beautiful, then the babies should to correct?

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Originally Posted by steveboos

Yeah i just haven't been able to find anything that even looks like a lemon pastel, everything looks like blonde pastels to me and i just don't know if i will ever find a good one. My logic is that if they have adult lemon pastels that look beautiful, then the babies should to correct?

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Not necessarily. A high white pied may not produce more high white pieds. Same goes for pastels. Just because the parents are high yellow doesn't mean the babies will be.

have them send you a pic of it

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Originally Posted by Buttons

Not necessarily. A high white pied may not produce more high white pieds. Same goes for pastels. Just because the parents are high yellow doesn't mean the babies will be.

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This is where selective breeding is important. My high yellow lemon pastel threw high yellow babies, but I also didn't put him with my dark females, I put him with my lightest females.

My sire:

http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e9...ston/Winny.jpg

His daughter at a year and a half:

http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e9...s/DSC_0159.jpg

http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e9...s/DSC_0160.jpg

Her parents are breeding this year (last year her mother was paired with my mojave)

Remember too, that lemon pastels go through an ugly duckling stage and don't start to really "bling" until about after their fifth shed. Look for high blushing heads on lemons if you buy them really young.

This is the same girl as a baby - the thing that remains consistent is that super blushed head:

http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e9...telFemale3.jpg

http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e9...telFemale4.jpg

http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e9...a/IMG_4531.jpg

Kevin doesn't like to post pictures of them until after the fifth shed.

I would recommend against buying a hatchling. Spend the bit extra and buy one that already has some size. That will give you a better idea how they will turn out as a full adult.

Here is another of the offspring from that male Robin posted he's 1.5 years old as well. I'd buy from NERD in a heartbeat, but you don't "have to" in order to get good quality NERD line Lemon Pastels. There are breeder's like Robin that are maintaining the line integrity and can trace their founding male back to NERD directly.
http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/h...g/DSC_0024.jpg

I'd pay the extra money for a Sub-Adult or Adult that hasn't browned out too much. Just keep your eyes open for them. That way, you know exactly what you're paying for.

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Originally Posted by Freakie_frog

Here is another of the offspring from that male Robin posted he's 1.5 years old as well. I'd buy from NERD in a heartbeat, but you don't "have to" in order to get good quality NERD line Lemon Pastels. There are breeder's like Robin that are maintaining the line integrity and can trace their founding male back to NERD directly.
http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/h...g/DSC_0024.jpg

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Here's Envy's "ugly duckling" phase:

http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e9...a/IMG_4509.jpg

http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e9...a/IMG_4504.jpg

http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e9...a/IMG_4496.jpg

Again - what is consistent is the super blushed head.

Here's a picture Matt took of him at about 4 months old as he's starting to show off his yellows:

http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e9...a/DSC01622.jpg

Can't really add to what already has been said. Just because you buy from NERD doesn't mean you'll get the best pastel. Plenty of other guys, but and small, producing equally high quality pastels.

I'd worry more about finding the right snake, then once you do, make sure the breeder is legit.

I think if oyu have to second guess yourself and ask if you should buy from nerd then i dont think you should. Like some of the other people said on the board there are many other people out there producing nice high yellow perfect looking pastels. Personally id go with a smaller breeder since they take much better care of thier animals then nerd does.

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Originally Posted by kyleh

I think if oyu have to second guess yourself and ask if you should buy from nerd then i dont think you should. Like some of the other people said on the board there are many other people out there producing nice high yellow perfect looking pastels. Personally id go with a smaller breeder since they take much better care of thier animals then nerd does.

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Do you have any evidence that NERD does not take good care of their animals? That was not my personal experience the two separate occassions that I spent a week at their facility being mentored by them.

If you want a nice Pastel you can do a few different things.

1) Go to a show and buy a nice baby, knowing that there is a 99% chance it will look nowhere near as nice as an adult. At a show, you can at least pick out one you like, and get to window shop. Even better, pick up a sub adult at the show that looks like it is retaining its color.

2) Get a Pastel cross. Yup, I said it, get a Pastel Vanilla, Pastel Sulfur, Pastel Fire, Pastel Ghost...The price of the crosses has come down, especially for males. You can always buy a nice cross male and breed it and produce your own females.

3) What I advise against, is buying a Pastel based solely on the line it comes from. Personally, the only line I would pay a premium for is a nice Ruppel line. The Lemon line is only a name, and good marketing. The ugliest Pastel I have ever owned was a Blonde, supposed to be a great line...ended up being one ugly Pastel. Now, if you have your heart set on a Lemon, buying it from NERD directly is probably not a bad call, at least you know you will get what you pay for. However, if you are paying a high premium for this snake, know upfront that you will probably not be able to charge your customers that same premium. They are NERD, you are not.

Dave

My gut reaction is YES! But then when I do business with Kevin I go and look at lots and lots of snakes before I purchase one.

I notice you have a Bumblebee. You do realize what you'll get if you toss it in with a normal don't you?

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Originally Posted by Jenn

My gut reaction is YES! But then when I do business with Kevin I go and look at lots and lots of snakes before I purchase one.

I notice you have a Bumblebee. You do realize what you'll get if you toss it in with a normal don't you?

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Yeah i have already been looking for around 3 months, but now i'll just wait for a really good one from Robin later on in the year.

I do realize i have bumblebee male, hence why i want a pastel female, Killer bee's!

lol....I was just going to say...by the look of Robin's ....I would totally wait for her's. That was an amazing pastel!!!!!!!!

Going with a reputable breeder will usually be ur best bet although you can find some really nice pastis from hobby breeders aswell. As for the perfect pastel, well perfect is an essence that only you'll be able to perceive. Beauty lies within the eye of its beholder. Just keep lookin around ull find something