Is she a Pastel?

Here is a girl I got. I was told she is a pastel. When I got her she was in shed so I couldn't tell her eye color and she looked like she had a lot more yellow on her sides. So tell me what you think..

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v3...s/P1050423.jpg


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v3...s/P1050410.jpg

She doesn't look like a pastel in those pics. Sorry :(

She looks like a beautiful normal though!!!! :banana:

A very nice reduced normal.

If you paid for a pastel, I would consider going back and asking for your money back.

Agreed. 100% normal. Hope you didn't pay for her as a pastel.

That is a normal...

Not a pastel

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Originally Posted by blackcrystal22

A very nice reduced normal.

If you paid for a pastel, I would consider going back and asking for your money back.

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I agree. This animal looks normal (albeit slightly reduced patterned) the person who sold this to you either did not know or just pulled a fast one. Sorry to say

I was afraid of that. I couldn't see her eyes clearly but they insisted she was a pastel (I have a hard time seeing colors so it was double hard for me to tell). I paid pastel price. Think she might make a nice cross with a pastel or a spider?

If they ripped you off on her being a pastel, are you certain that she's a female? Have you contacted the seller?

Hi,

While she's a beautiful normal (mind sharing how much you did pay?) she's clearly not pastel, and I'm pretty sure that if someone's taking new owners for a ride, the community would like to know about it.

Does the person you purchased from sell snakes a lot, or was it a one-time thing? I hope you can get at least some money back (although a large, attractive female normal's not worthless either).

She's really nice - she'd do well paired with just about anything, i suspect, but i don't think you should just let this go.

I did probe her, so I know she is a female. I bought her from a private party and they have stopped answering my calls :( I am really bummbed about this. I do have to say she has the calmest temperment of any ball python I have so that is an upside. I paid 350 for her and she is about 250g. It was at the local pet store where I ran into them. I was buying feeders we started talking balls and they said they had a beautiful pastel. Well I was tempted because they said she was about 500g and pounding rats and would most likely be ready for this season. I thought IF I could get my little pastel boy up to speed I could produce MAYBE a super pastel next year. I got ripped all the way around, as she won't eat anything but PINKY rats :( The sellers name is Don Gunther.

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Originally Posted by akaangela

I did probe her, so I know she is a female. I bought her from a private party and they have stopped answering my calls :( I am really bummbed about this. I do have to say she has the calmest temperment of any ball python I have so that is an upside

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Do you know their names or any useful information about them?

Yea, def not a pastel, and looks a little thin to me.

Angela... I'm really sorry to hear this. :(

That stinks, I bought some used Vision cages from some sketchy looking guy once and he tried to sell me some het pastels. I told him I'll just take the cages. Sorry about your deal. She is pretty by the way.

sorry to hear that bud. Where about do you live so others can avoid this JERK.

He lives in Eugene, Oregon. This hit me hard because she used up my last "snake" money. I even dug into my food money to get her. What is even worse is she won't eat anything but rat pinkys and will eat only ONE. So I have been feeding her every 3rd day. No wonders she is still so small. I hope to get her up to at least fuzzys soon. I don't know what is up with people wanting their snakes to eat such small meals.

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Originally Posted by akaangela

I was afraid of that. I couldn't see her eyes clearly but they insisted she was a pastel (I have a hard time seeing colors so it was double hard for me to tell). I paid pastel price. Think she might make a nice cross with a pastel or a spider?

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I would march over to that store with photographic and picture evidence that it is definitely not a pastel.

For example, I bet it doesn't have a clear belly. ALL pastels have a perfectly clear belly. You could use that as your base.

Refuse to take no for an answer and state that you'll put their name down the drain through the reptile community for scamming you.

Theres no such thing as a pastel x normal cross or a spider x normal cross. Sorry. :[ That would be a plain spider or a plain pastel, because both are heterozygous and have both the spider or pastel gene as well as the normal gene.

Take a scale with you if you have to and show that she is under the weight of which was claimed.

The store didn't scam him, someone he met at the store did.

If you have this guy's name and where he lives you should probably pay him a visit. I really hope you did get some sort of bill of sale from the guy. It sucks that there are people out there like this but you also have to make sure you actually KNOW what you are buying before you plunk down money like that. IMO $350 is way too much for even a female pastel at that weight.

This really pisses me off.:mad:

there seems to be alot of jerks and dishonest people in this hobby.

I would find him and get your money back.

I'm sorry that happened to you--it is a normal. I hope you manage to track that person down and get back most of your money. I wouldn't give up trying.

I talked to the owner of the pet store and the owner said he didn't know the man well. I was stupid and didn't get a reciept. I went over to the jerk who sold her to me with my male friend (he is a BIG guy) and demanded he make good. He started yelling at me claiming that it was not the same snake he sold me and I was trying to scam him. I don't know what to do now. The guy started to get violent and threw a punch at Conrad (my friend). Conrad was all ready to return the favor but since he didnt even come close to hitting him I decided to leave. I have no real proof it is his word against mine :( Any suggestions? I think I am SOL

yet go back and let conrad give the guy a 350.00 whooping.

Unfortunatly, I think you've done all you can do. This guy isn't someone you want repeat meetings with. I would say chalk it up to experience, and love your new snake anyways. ;)

Wow! That really sucks. It also is terrible that you have no reciept or proof to use against him. I would say to post a BOI about him but without any proof to post and validate your experience you will probably get just as much critism as he would. That really sucks I am sorry that happened to you.

Thanks all. I guess I am just going to keep her and see what she produces with my spider :) I had to talk fast because Conrad really wanted to go back and teach him a lesson, but I really dont want him getting thrown in jail for loosing his temper and beating the guy (even though he deserves it). I am going to get her fattened up and make sure she is happy. In a few years she will give me some nice spiders or maybe some nice pastels. So what should I name her? I was going to name her Pazz but now I want a different name for her.

Sorry you got taken like that. That's why research is so important in this hobby.

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Originally Posted by akaangela

I was afraid of that. I couldn't see her eyes clearly but they insisted she was a pastel (I have a hard time seeing colors so it was double hard for me to tell). I paid pastel price. Think she might make a nice cross with a pastel or a spider?

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She might make some nice pastel or spider babies, but not as nice as the super pastels or bumble bees you would get if she really was a pastel.

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Originally Posted by akaangela

I did probe her, so I know she is a female. I bought her from a private party and they have stopped answering my calls :( I am really bummbed about this. I do have to say she has the calmest temperment of any ball python I have so that is an upside. I paid 350 for her and she is about 250g. It was at the local pet store where I ran into them. I was buying feeders we started talking balls and they said they had a beautiful pastel. Well I was tempted because they said she was about 500g and pounding rats and would most likely be ready for this season. I thought IF I could get my little pastel boy up to speed I could produce MAYBE a super pastel next year. I got ripped all the way around, as she won't eat anything but PINKY rats :( The sellers name is Don Gunther.

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That's high, even is she was a pastel female. And there is no way a 500g female would be ready to breed this season.

I'd make a boi post about the guy with all the information you have about the guy for sure. Maybe some pictures of his house too, just to piss him off. Just take them from public property like Google does.

Wow, I'm really sorry to hear about this happening to you. Now can I ask, in one of your posts you said that you have a hard time making out colors? Are you technically color blind? Because if you are there may be some legal recourse for him taking advantage of your disability since you could not really tell the difference. Just an idea and sorry if I'm off track. It really sucks that there are so many people like that floating around. But like was said I would post on the BOI at least his name and the pictures of the snake that you got which was presented as a pastel. Certain people may try to attack you for it but it's better to try and save someone else from having to go through that if they run into this guy. Good luck! :gj:

that is a $50 normal at BEST. Do not just accept this! I would call the police, and ask for help. Explain to them that you tried to return it and the guy tried to physicly assault you and your friend. You have a witness to that.

Do not be mistaken. Those black eyes mean that it is in NO WAY
SHAPE OR FORM a pastel. Do not let him get away with this.

Mike

Legal recourse? The police? Come on guys....it's three hundred dollars. This is a buyer beware situation. Anyone willing to plunk down three hundred dollars should be knowledgable enough to know the difference between a normal and a pastel. Like I said before, learn from this experience. It's a moderately expensive lesson, but things like this are character defining moments. Learn from it, remember it, and move on.

With that being said...it's a very pretty normal. Enjoy her. :)

I agree it's not enough money to really bother with the police or courts. It is enough that I would make sure he doesn't get to spend it on himself. I'd make sure it goes to something I choose like say new tires, a new windshield, or something along those lines. :D

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Originally Posted by MiniJ83

Legal recourse? The police? Come on guys....it's three hundred dollars. This is a buyer beware situation. Anyone willing to plunk down three hundred dollars should be knowledgable enough to know the difference between a normal and a pastel. Like I said before, learn from this experience. It's a moderately expensive lesson, but things like this are character defining moments. Learn from it, remember it, and move on.

With that being said...it's a very pretty normal. Enjoy her. :)

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I don't think it was completely her fault.
She said earlier in her posts, that she has trouble telling colors apart, which means she could be partially colorblind. Thus, it was almost like giving a blind person a gold necklace that was made of copper.

Not that bad, but that's what really bugs me about this situation.

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Originally Posted by sdbabybird

I agree it's not enough money to really bother with the police or courts. It is enough that I would make sure he doesn't get to spend it on himself. I'd make sure it goes to something I choose like say new tires, a new windshield, or something along those lines. :D

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LMAO, but I digress. The police have nothing better to do. You are likely busier than they are, so if you have time to go to the station and talk to someone or file a report, they have the time to deal with it. It likely won't do much, but maybe he'll be pulling bongos when they show up or something. If you are planning to have him spend his money on a new windshield, then by all means feel free to leave the po out of it.

If you had the receipt it would of made things a whole lot easier. You could of demanded a full refund as the snake was mis-sold to you (ie-he lied)

You could may be try putting a bit of pressure in him, may be bill him for the difference in price you paid (from the pastel price to what the normal you have is worth), as it sounds like you are keeping the normal. In the bill say he has 7 days to respond or you will be taking legal action through a lawyer. Worth a try??

or...You could "fight fire with fire" by scamming him back. May be some one here can think of a way of doing that !!(to get your money back, or a morpth to the value of)

or (i obviously can't condone this) but get a couple of even bigger male friends and do a repo job, and recover "a pastel to the value of the dept he owes you":O lol

We all get ripped off and scammed, anyway least this snake has a good home with you, and away from this jerk of a guy!!

hope you get a good result!!

Scott

Just a warning for everyone in general. We will not tolerate suggestions of illegal activities. It clearly states in our Rules and TOS that discussions of illegal actions will not be allowed. Besides, sinking to the level of the bad guy makes you no better than they are.

My opinion on the topic of the thread.....I think it's a damned shame that anyone would blatantly scam someone else out of their hard-earned money that way. It's no different than if he just slid his hand into her purse and swiped the money.....except....that in this case, she at least left her purse out where he could easily reach it, so to speak. Impulse buying something like this is risky all by itself. Doing so without being fully educated about what you're getting is just begging to be ripped off.

To those suggesting that he took advantage of a handicap....that could only happen if he was aware of the handicap. I doubt she goes around informing everyone she meets that she can't distinguish colors very well. :P

Anyhow....to sum up....if the guy weren't a complete asshat scammer, then this wouldn't have happened, and I lay the majority of the blame squarely on his jerky shoulders. However, I do feel the person who got scammed also has some responsibility and I hope they learned a valuable lesson. If it's worth it to you....then it might be good to pursue the matter in small-claims court. Otherwise, I agree with those that suggest you just move on and count this as a $300 tuition fee in Life's Hard Knocks 101.

Basically there is nothing you can do at this point. You have no receipt and even if you DID have a receipt you wouldn't be able to do a thing with it unless there was a COLOR picture of the snake on it.

When buying an animal like this from someone you ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS get a bill of sale, a receipt and make sure that there is a color picture on the receipt that is signed IN BLUE OR BLACK INK by both you and the buyer.

Also is the responsibility of the buyer to know what they're getting. You should be able to tell a pastel from a normal if you're going to pay cash for one from some random dude you met at a pet store. All kinds of red flags go up in my mind just thinking about that scenario.

I went back to the pet shop where I met the guy. The owner was great. He said he would talk to the guy when he came back in for more feeders. I went back yesterday and he had great news. He had gotten $270 back for me. I don't know how he did it but I am very greatful for it. Now that means I paid $80 for her but I won't complain about that. It sure beats 350. He said that is what a normal would cost from his store and he couldn't get the the seller to go any lower. Since it was just a I said you said case, I am willing to be happy with it. It is a lesson I won't soon forget. Thank you all for your support and encouragement to keep trying to get my money back. It has ment a lot to me.

VERY glad to hear that! :gj: It's very nice to hear about a rip-off getting set to rights. It doesn't happen nearly enough!

wow thats really messed up im glad you got your money back. and a beautiful girl

This baffles me for some reason.. I mean the guy is a scumbag, but c'mon the buyer can't tell a normal from a pastel??? I'm glad you got most of your money back.. Just stick to the eye catching morphs.. Ones that are easy to distinguish, unless of course you deal with a reputable breeder...

Alan

When I went to look at her she was in shed. She has a clear belly, blushing on the head, and yellow on her sides. I couldn't tell her eye color for 2 reasons. First I am not that good at telling the colors apart especially on something small and second she was starting to go blue. Her sides looked a lot more yellow when I got her (I am assuming that was due to her starting to go blue). I didn't notice any blushing but I have seen pastels that had very little blushing. I have also seen pastels with very little yellow on the sides when they start to mature. Maybe I was seeing what I was hoping to see. I was obviously a fool. From now on I will buy from only reputable breeders.

Wow, very glad to hear that you were able to get some of your money back! It's good to hear a happy ending to something like this finally. So many scammers out there are willing to just take peoples money (or animals) and run and never try to make good. At least you learned something from it and you still have a very nice looking animal to boot. Sorry that all this had to happen to you but at least you've learned what not to do when dealing with someone you don't know!

I'm very glad to hear you got the money back. Sometimes it pays to be persistent. The pet store owner did the right thing by blackballing him. He was probably told to give the money back or he won't do business with him again. Kudos to the store owner. :D

Let it be a lesson learned and only buy from reputable breeders. You get what you pay for ;)

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Originally Posted by Vibrant Balls

I'm very glad to hear you got the money back. Sometimes it pays to be persistent. The pet store owner did the right thing by blackballing him. He was probably told to give the money back or he won't do business with him again. Kudos to the store owner. :D

Let it be a lesson learned and only buy from reputable breeders. You get what you pay for ;)

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I'm sure this is exactly what happened. Must have been a nice shock for him when he went in there and the owner wouldn't sell him any feeders or anything until he made right. Unfortunately this is what you have to do with some people. I'm still amazed that this guy scammed someone in his own town that knew where he lived though. He got LUCKY your friend didn't go back over there and put a brick through his car window or something... Most scammers would never dream of scamming anyone who could physically get at them easily.

i dont know if this means anything, but her eyes look like pastel eyes, or at least like my pastels eyes, and my normal jus has pure black eyes. is that a variable from snake to snake or morph to morph??
maybe a normal whos mom or dad was a pastel?

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Originally Posted by ERP

i dont know if this means anything, but her eyes look like pastel eyes, or at least like my pastels eyes, and my normal jus has pure black eyes. is that a variable from snake to snake or morph to morph??
maybe a normal whos mom or dad was a pastel?

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Sometimes a normal will have lighter eyes....the gold stripe on the face will cross the eye, as it does in this one. It doesn't really matter if that one had a pastel parent....it's still a normal. It IS possible that the guy selling it was just as uneducated as the person buying and assumed the lighter eye meant it was a pastel and he didn't mean to rip anyone off..... :confuzd: But that's all water under the bridge and really has no relevance to the lessons learned here. Good lessons.

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Originally Posted by akaangela

I did probe her, so I know she is a female. I bought her from a private party and they have stopped answering my calls :( I am really bummbed about this. I do have to say she has the calmest temperment of any ball python I have so that is an upside. I paid 350 for her and she is about 250g. It was at the local pet store where I ran into them. I was buying feeders we started talking balls and they said they had a beautiful pastel. Well I was tempted because they said she was about 500g and pounding rats and would most likely be ready for this season. I thought IF I could get my little pastel boy up to speed I could produce MAYBE a super pastel next year. I got ripped all the way around, as she won't eat anything but PINKY rats :( The sellers name is Don Gunther.

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Well screw him and other people like this!!!! This is extremely upsetting that people are like this out in the world. As said in alot of post before "WE" are a rather small comunity and we hope that one day "THE MAN" won't ban our snakes completely but yet there are people out there that claim they have and do things that oviiously the don't or can't. I am truly sorry for you getting shafted on this deal....However it is a beautifull snake and I asume that it is in good health? Than u should be somewhat ok. I would maybe try to go to the petstore and ask them to maybe set up a "TRAP" for him. Maybe something like if he comes in asking him for a number that they can get ahold of him about purchesing snakes from him in the future. You might also beable to get the police involved for selling something under false pretences!!! Hope some of this helps.-Ray Good luck.

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Originally Posted by scales owner

Well screw him and other people like this!!!! This is extremely upsetting that people are like this out in the world. As said in alot of post before "WE" are a rather small comunity and we hope that one day "THE MAN" won't ban our snakes completely but yet there are people out there that claim they have and do things that oviiously the don't or can't. I am truly sorry for you getting shafted on this deal....However it is a beautifull snake and I asume that it is in good health? Than u should be somewhat ok. I would maybe try to go to the petstore and ask them to maybe set up a "TRAP" for him. Maybe something like if he comes in asking him for a number that they can get ahold of him about purchesing snakes from him in the future. You might also beable to get the police involved for selling something under false pretences!!! Hope some of this helps.-Ray Good luck.

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pssssst....read the whole thread. ;) The situation was resolved in an acceptable manner.

YEAH ANGELA!!!

I'm so happy to hear that things worked out better than before..

:hug: