Is this normal for a mojave?

I hatched out 4 mojaves and 4 normals in an earlier clutch (mojave male x normal het burgundy female). Three of those mojaves look just like any other mojave but one of them has developed more of a "normalish" look about him. Some of his side patterns appear to have developed more normal/brown coloration rather than the characteristic mojave tan, especially the lower 1/3 of his body. Is it normal for a mojave to look this way? Or for the color to change this way?


At 1 week old:
http://img11.imageshack.us/img11/4541/mojo114m.jpg

A mojave sibling for comparison:
http://img219.imageshack.us/img219/9628/mojo111f.jpg

At nearly 1 month old:
http://img17.imageshack.us/img17/2282/img6495uv.jpg

http://img228.imageshack.us/img228/9788/img6496s.jpg

I don't know but he sure is pretty either way :)

I know some very poor quality, dark mojaves are said to be easily mistaken for normals as adults, so I expect he is just not a very good mojave. I've never personally seen that before, though. (You never can be sure what will pop out when you pair two snakes for the first time).

I had some lessers the year before last that people swore up and down had to be mojaves--they looked almost exactly like them, they were so dark. :D (I'm going to experiment with that, so I kept a dark one in 2010, but I won't be doing that pairing again, lol).

I haven't hatched any myself but I've seen some pretty diverse siblings in Mojave clutches just from what I've observed. I think he looks good! :gj:

Regards,

B

Quote:

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Originally Posted by WingedWolfPsion

I had some lessers the year before last that people swore up and down had to be mojaves--they looked almost exactly like them, they were so dark. :D (I'm going to experiment with that, so I kept a dark one in 2010, but I won't be doing that pairing again, lol).

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I wanted to bring this up too.. I hatched a lesser last year that was Sooooo dark initially, I actually got into an argument with another breeder about it being a mojo. I don't own a mojo. Never have, and the mother of that clutch has been with me since she hatched so it was impossible lol. That lesser lightened up so much over the next year that it just blew my mind! He now belongs to Scott&becky "members here" and he glows with so much neon yellow its crazy.

Has anyone ever had any mojo's lighten up like that? I don't work with mojo's so I don't know if they have a tendency to improve over time or not.

Both of my Mojo's have brightened up. I have one normal Mojo that is crazy light now. Obviously the Fire Mojo has lightened up :)

Regards,

B

my mojo gets lighter and prettier everyday but he was not very dark to begin with

My Mojave who is two has lightened so much that she almost looks like faded black denim. I fall more and more in love with her the lighter and lighter she gets. Her yellow is pastel yellow. Her sides have loads of bleach spots. That's what mine looks like :)

Ya, he just a lower grade of a Mojave! Still pretty though! Just like any morph, they are alot of slightly different variations!

Thanks, guys. :)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Foschi Exotic Serpents

I wanted to bring this up too.. I hatched a lesser last year that was Sooooo dark initially, I actually got into an argument with another breeder about it being a mojo. I don't own a mojo. Never have, and the mother of that clutch has been with me since she hatched so it was impossible lol. That lesser lightened up so much over the next year that it just blew my mind! He now belongs to Scott&becky "members here" and he glows with so much neon yellow its crazy.

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I remember seeing that one when we first met them a while back. Stunning ball! :gj: