Morphs that deteriorate

I'm just starting to get back into ball pythons after a "hiatus", and I was wondering if there were any morphs that look fantastic as hatchlings, but really fade as they grow. For example, a lot of axanthics look superb as hatchlings. BUT, as they get older they tend to gain a lot of brown(at least from what I've seen). I'm especially interested in black, silver, and grey snakes, like pewters.

Thanks!

I was at the Rocky Mountain Expo yesterday and TSK was there with a "True Ghost" on the table. It was exquisite in terms of silvery and black. And talking with Dan, he said that so far, they hold their color very well. I was looking at a baby, but he has a yearling at home that he says maintained its grays very well and the primary change was the hypo grew more pronounced...no browning at all.

(FYI, for those who may not be familiar with the term, "True Ghost" refers to a hypo-axanthic.)

I wish I'd remembered my camera. :(

Pastels and bumblebees tend to brown as they age... my pastel boy has browned out a bit, but he's still a handsome fella. ;)

Pastels are the most known morph to do that! Most will lose slight colouration as adults!

I was told that Silver bullets mud up with age. I trust the source I heard that from though I dunno how much they brown cause I haven't seen it myself.

What about axanthics and pewters? Those are the ones I'm really concerned about. I don't want to be shelling out more than a couple hundred bucks on somethings that's just to look like a pale normal in years to come.

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Originally Posted by Gibber19

What about axanthics and pewters? Those are the ones I'm really concerned about. I don't want to be shelling out more than a couple hundred bucks on somethings that's just to look like a pale normal in years to come.

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Of the axanthic lines, VPI holds their colors the best...but even they will brown out some over time. With axanthics, as I mentioned above, your best bet is to aim for a True Ghost (hypo axanthic).

The mature pewters I've seen turn more yellow with age. I've never seen one hold its youthful silvery hue....but of course, I've only ever seen a scant few and maybe there are some out there that hold their color.

I love the silvery/gray/black looks as well...and hope to someday work with axanthic combos to try and KEEP that look into adulthood.....but I don't believe you will find it with any simple single-gene or a two-gene co-dom combo.

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Originally Posted by JLC

Of the axanthic lines, VPI holds their colors the best...but even they will brown out some over time. With axanthics, as I mentioned above, your best bet is to aim for a True Ghost (hypo axanthic).

The mature pewters I've seen turn more yellow with age. I've never seen one hold its youthful silvery hue....but of course, I've only ever seen a scant few and maybe there are some out there that hold their color.

I love the silvery/gray/black looks as well...and hope to someday work with axanthic combos to try and KEEP that look into adulthood.....but I don't believe you will find it with any simple single-gene or a two-gene co-dom combo.

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So, in short, there aren't any known morphs that retain their black/silver/grey look into adulthood?

Black pewters retain their colorbetter and dont yellow out as much as Cinnamon pewters.

I'll let Justin Comment on this as he would know better but to my knowledge "Black Axanthic's" hold their color VERY Well in to adulthood now they aren't silver like regular Axanthic's but they are along the same idea..

For those that own or have seen them, how well do the older pastel and super pastel axanthics hold their color? Or the bumblebee axanthics?

It seems to me that the animals that are homozygous pastel tend to keep their silver coloring better and don't brown out versus those that have only one copy of the pastel gene ... The silver bullet versus super pewter, for example:

http://www.vpi.com/brag/super_pewter...compareson_pic

Almost all morphs look best as hatchlings and then get a little less impressive as they age IMO. There are a few that don't change too much like Black pastels and sables. The only exceptions that I can think that actually look better as adults are Caramels, Ghosts, lessers and of course Lavender albino's. I may be missing a few but those are what popped into my mind.

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Originally Posted by pfan151

Almost all morphs look best as hatchlings and then get a little less impressive as they age IMO. There are a few that don't change too much like Black pastels and sables. The only exceptions that I can think that actually look better as adults are Caramels, Ghosts, lessers and of course Lavender albino's. I may be missing a few but those are what popped into my mind.

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And enchis... :D