Is this pastel worth breeding in the future?

I know she's not the best looking pastel, but is she worth breeding in the future? I know I'm not going to get great quality pastels from her, but could I ethically sell them as nice normals? I know people sometimes sell hets as normals, so would this be viewed as doing something similar? I'd like to pair her with my male spotnose in the future and hope I can get a decent looking pastel spotnose from her, do you think that is possible? I want honest opinions please.

She's about 130g.
http://i1139.photobucket.com/albums/...1/IMG_2115.jpg

http://i1139.photobucket.com/albums/...1/IMG_1815.jpg

http://i1139.photobucket.com/albums/...1/IMG_1828.jpg

http://i1139.photobucket.com/albums/...1/IMG_1823.jpg

http://i1139.photobucket.com/albums/...1/IMG_1829.jpg

Use the traits she has an improve on them. Put her to another pastel or pastel combo. I have seen some ugly pastels produce some nice animals. Just like low white pieds can produce high whites and high whites can produce low whites. Shes got good blushing and she doesnt look that bad. In my oppinion any female is worth breeding

i think shes pretty nice looking, i would breed her to another pastel

With pastels I think only time will tell how she will look. I've seen pictures of ugly pastels at 200 grams or less and they get better with age, as adult they are stunning. I've also seen pictures of seemingly perfect pastels look almost normal as adults.

I think she has an amazing banded pattern. I agree with snake lab, use her traits you like and pair accordingly. This is how all pairings should be planned, it's called selective breeding for a reason.

Definitely!

Thanks everyone! :)

I really want to make sure I'm breeding quality animals and compared to some of the other pastels in my collection she seems really low quality. I didn't realize pastels were like pieds, I assumed it was a quality thing. I have a nice little male pastel ph ghost that is bright yellow with a very pale head I could pair her with or the pastel yellow belly I will be picking up next month. The pastel yellow held his color amazingly and I know I'm going to get some nice babies from him. :)

I do love her pattern, it's one of the reason why I picked her. I guess I will just hope she gets better with age. She seems really brown right now which is why I was concerned she might not be worth breeding as a pastel.

Unless she seriously, severely browned out in the future, I would definitely use that female in my program. I am breeding for reduced or banded patterns in nearly all of my morphs, and she looks like she has some nice banding and blushing. I also don't think her color is half-bad -- I've seen much browner pastels at that age.

I don't know that I'd go quite so far as to say that the quality of a pastel is as random as the degree of white in pieds (though I'm also one of those weird ones that believes that you can, to some small degree, select for amount of white in pieds through multiple generations). I think that (that quality of pastels is random) was what was originally stated by breeders in order to sell ugly pastels years and years ago, but I think now it's much more widely accepted that, as you have already guessed, breeding quality generally begets quality and vice-versa. That having been said, I wouldn't think it out of the question that an "uglier" pastel out of good bloodlines could produce some better offspring than the odd nice-looking pastel out of overall poorer bloodlines.

In short, I like that female and I would breed her (assuming she doesn't take a turn for the way worse), and I think you're on the right track by paying a lot of mind to the quality of your stock.

I don't think that is a bad pastel at all.

She is banded, her pattern is not broken up by dozens of little dots. She is not a super light girl, but I think that the banding makes up for it.

If I had a female like that I would love to toss her in with a fire or a lesser/butter--she could potentially lighten them up without throwing a lot of clutter into the pattern. And I think that she would combine better with an enchi than a lighter but busier patterned pastel would.

i've seen pastels much worse than her. She is defiantly worth breeding IMO

I had a high quality pastel throw high quality yellow pastels and the occasional low quality orange pastel.

It may work the other way around depending on what you put it to. Just be sure you only put it another snake that is light with lots of flames, blushing, etc..

I'd go with a nice combo. Maybe something with the lesser gene or a high quality black pewter.

Pastels don't show their full colors until after about 5 sheds so she still has some shedding to do. I would breed her to the Pastel Yellow Belly, the Yellow Belly gene really cleans up a Pastel!

Are you kidding me? lol she is pretty she looks like mine alot too but seriously i think she is worth breeding my girl is not as big and has only had one shed she might still be bred though

I think she is a fine looking pastel, plus she is young. Pastels tend to change a bit with age, I would give her a few months to grow and shed before I decided whether or not she was a good looking pastel.

I got a pastel at the Tinley show last year for a great price because she wasn't the best looking pastel
http://i157.photobucket.com/albums/t...ed/025-4-1.jpg

And now look at her, I absolutely love her!
http://i157.photobucket.com/albums/t...d/003-11-1.jpg

Yes, she is darker than some higher quality pastels, but her extensive blushing makes up for it.

Bred to the right males, especially morphs known for blushing, reduced patterns and/or light colors she has a lot to offer to her offspring.

If she were mine, I would look at lesser/butter for the blushing, spider or enchi for reduced patterns, and fire/vanilla for lightening up.

Personally, I think she has a lot of potential. I don't think I'd use her to make more pastels unless I had a knockout male, simply because she is a little darker. Of course, something I've discovered with ball babies is this: color fast doesn't last. More or less that means a lot of snakes change dramatically from babyhood to adult, so you never know. Is she worthless ? Not by a long shot.

Gale

Thanks everyone.

I haven't had her long so it will be interesting to see how her colors change. She's a great little girl who loves to eat, so no complants there. :)

Her colors just don't really wow me, but I could certainly pair her with my enchi. I don't currently have a lesser/butter or fire male, but I do have a butter and fire female so if luck is on my side I should be able to produce a male in the next year or two. :D

I hadn't considered pairing her with my enchi because I have trouble thinking of pairing him with any thing outside of my bees. :P

if u dont want her id take her lol, but i think shes a great looking reduced pastel, not super yellow but w.e stil a great animal either way.

I personally go for busy pastels, but she is a great example of a reduced pattern... I second the opinion that she would be a great mom for some pastel x enchi babies. :D