Need help with pastel purchase!

I have been looking to purchase a pastel or two. I recently found 2 that I really like at my local reptile store. The male is $250 but by far the best pastel I have seen in person and possibly in any picture. The female is $375 and also very very nice looking. The owner said the male is a citrus pastel, is there such thing? I asked her where she gets them from thinking maybe they are lemon pastels. She said a local breeder who she always buys from. Is there still a chance this could be a lemon pastel? I figured if it was she would be advertising it as a lemon pastel. I think the price tag is alittle expensive for these. She said she would sell them together as a pair for $500. Well my question is....Is it worth paying $250 for a single male that isn't advertised as a lemon pastel. And is it worth paying $500 to have them both? I would buy these to just from appearance alone but was wondering if it would be better to get to lemon pastel from NERD instead since its about the same price range.

Just to add the reptile store and owner are great. GREAT animals, clean and very trustworthy. These 2 pastels are around the 150 gram range.

I searched citrus pastel on the web and stuff did come up. They kinda look like the lemons without as bright of a yellow to them. I am not sure if they are actually different or not. It could just be people using lemon or citrus as the same wood. But every picture I did see they were similar but still a little different.

A Pastel is a Pastel is a Pastel. Some of the lines do have variations in color, but you can find great examples of Pastels in every line...poor ones too. It really depends on the indivdual snake.

You'll hear Pastels refered to as: Lemons, NERDs, Graziani, Jungle, Citrus, and Partridge in a Pear Tree. Basicaly they are all Pastels.

$250 for a male is pretty high, even if he is a smoker. I think you can do better than $500 for the pair if money is your primary concern. If, however, you like the animals you've found and feel ok about the price, I say go for it. I've paid more than market value for some of my BPs, and less than market for others. I'm happy with all of them.

Thanx for the reply.
I also searched and found the same but did not find anything saying if the citrus was proven or what line it is. Is there any diffinitive way to tell if a pastel is a lemon or not? Or is the brighter yellow the only difference. If I am going to spend this much on pastels I want to know they're not going to fade out and hopefully make some nice babies one day. thanx again!

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Originally Posted by Slim

A Pastel is a Pastel is a Pastel. Some of the lines do have variations in color, but you can find great examples of Pastels in every line...poor ones too. It really depends on the indivdual snake.

You'll hear Pastels refered to as: Lemons, NERDs, Graziani, Jungle, Citrus, and Partridge in a Pear Tree. Basicaly they are all Pastels.

$250 for a male is pretty high, even if he is a smoker. I think you can do better than $500 for the pair if money is your primary concern. If, however, you like the animals you've found and feel ok about the price, I say go for it. I've paid more than market value for some of my BPs, and less than market for others. I'm happy with all of them.

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Slim thanx for the reply, So if the pastel I am looking at is a very bright yellow, is their a better chance that it won't fade out. (Sorry if this is a stupid questions, I just hear alot of people saying the advantage of buying an actuall lemon pastel is they don't fade out like others). Again thank you!

Lemon is a marketing name. A Pastel is a Pastel is a Pastel. They all make the same Super form, they are all the same Co-Dom form. Find one you like, and forget what the snake was marketed as.

Once you buy it you can call it the Dizzlen Pastel, and you'll be no more right or wrong than anyone else out there...it'll still be a Pastel.

BTW, Welcome to BPnet!!!

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Originally Posted by Dizzlen07

Slim thanx for the reply, So if the pastel I am looking at is a very bright yellow, is their a better chance that it won't fade out. (Sorry if this is a stupid questions, I just hear alot of people saying the advantage of buying an actuall lemon pastel is they don't fade out like others). Again thank you!

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Brown out in Pastels is little different story. Some brown out a lot, and some less. Personally, I'm not educated enough to know if there is a way to tell how much a Pastel will brown out. When we got ours, we trusted the breeder (8 Ball Pythons), and haven't been disapointed. Seems the more yellow they are as juvies, the better they hold it, but again, I have nothing concrete to back that up.

Ok, Good info. Dizzlen Pastel, it kinda has a ring to it. lol
Thanx for the welcome!

i just recently purchased a female pastel for 260 and he was willing to sale me a male also but he said since i did business with him he would give me the male for half off. for 85. i'm not sure if he does that for everyone. so give him a call. here is his web site. www.royalconstrictordesigns.com

Slim, I hope you're correct about the more yellow they have the better they hold out 'cus my little male pastel is YELLOW!!! but I'm scared he'll brown out. Oh well, he'll still be my favorite.


So all the pastels are compatible then? 'Cus I was thinking of getting a fem pastel to add to his future harem and was wondering about that.

thanks!

To help those trying to picture the color and change in color here is my lemon pastel when he was a baby and then now as an adult.

http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f1...o/000_0053.jpg

http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f1...o/100_2317.jpg

500 for a pair is quite expensive. I got my pair for 300 and they are smoking pastels, thats my own line I just made up. But if you like the animal it is worth what ever you are willing to pay for it.

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Originally Posted by dizzy

Slim, I hope you're correct about the more yellow they have the better they hold out 'cus my little male pastel is YELLOW!!! but I'm scared he'll brown out. Oh well, he'll still be my favorite.

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Well, like I said, I'm not very educated on the brown out rate of Pastels, but the ones I've seen as high yellow babies, tend to look pretty good as adults. Our Pastel is one of our favorites as well. He actually seems to have a personality. He could brown out till the cows come home, and he'd still be the BP we pull out when one of our friends gets curious about our snakes.

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Originally Posted by dizzy

Slim, I hope you're correct about the more yellow they have the better they hold out 'cus my little male pastel is YELLOW!!! but I'm scared he'll brown out. Oh well, he'll still be my favorite.


So all the pastels are compatible then? 'Cus I was thinking of getting a fem pastel to add to his future harem and was wondering about that.

thanks!

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Dizzy, that's correct. They are all compatible. Pick a nice female pastel and shoot for supers...bet yet, pick a nice female bee! :)

JonV

In my opinion, the important things to look for in juvies are the yellow intensity and the amount of orange. The more yellow, the better. Orange, even though it looks amazing on the babies, turns to brown. A light yellow baby with no hints of orange should stay fairly nice.

I usually prefer to buy my snakes as hatchlings and raise them myself, but there's something to be said for waiting on pastels. Their color change can be hard to predict, and could make it worth while to wait until they are a bit older to purchase one.

This is just my $.02

JonV

Support your local business. Ask if they can do any better on the price.

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Originally Posted by nevohraalnavnoj

In my opinion, the important things to look for in juvies are the yellow intensity and the amount of orange. The more yellow, the better. Orange, even though it looks amazing on the babies, turns to brown. A light yellow baby with no hints of orange should stay fairly nice.

I usually prefer to buy my snakes as hatchlings and raise them myself, but there's something to be said for waiting on pastels. Their color change can be hard to predict, and could make it worth while to wait until they are a bit older to purchase one.

This is just my $.02

JonV

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This is exactly what I was going to say. The "orange" or "tan-ish" color will be the part that browns out. All of it will brown out some but the darker color will turn brown. Pastels even browned out ones will look good as adults if you like pastels.

Mike

This thread is very helpful.

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Support your local business. Ask if they can do any better on the price.

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Well the $500 for the pair is already taking $125 off total. She was asking $250 male and $375 Female. I then offered her $200 for just the male and she said no way. I think I may support her bussiness and buy it anyway. (Just the male). He is stunning. Plus I don't have to worry about shipping and I know exactly what I'm getting. So maybe I'll have a picture for you guys on Wendsday.
Thanks for the help.

I'm not saying you shouldn't support your local business. I certainly understand the appeal of buying a snake that you have seen and held rather than relying on pics. But I just thought you should be aware (if you aren't already) that you could get a stunning male pastel for a lot less than $250, even including the costs of shipping. If you wait a few months, there will be tons of '09s available.

Just wanted to add that the "citrus" line of pastel comes from Amir. I know Brock Wagner is working with some. As many people have mentioned already though, the line is only as good as the breeder you get it from. If it's the best looking pastel you've seen, then I say go for it. Personally, I'm willing to pay a little extra for an outstanding animal, but that's just me.

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Originally Posted by m00kfu

If it's the best looking pastel you've seen, then I say go for it. Personally, I'm willing to pay a little extra for an outstanding animal, but that's just me.

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I hope my post didn't sound like I was saying otherwise. I agree that an outstanding animal is worth some extra $$. I just wanted to be sure the OP was making an educated decision so he wouldn't later find out that he could have gotten a different outstanding pastel male for less, and be disappointed or even upset.

But if he likes this snake, by all means go for it. This sounds like a much better situation than buying an unhealthy mite infested CH normal for more than you could get a healthier normal from a breeder, which is what so many pet store purchases turn out to be. But even then, if a person has fallen in love with a particular animal, there is no way to put a price on that.

If this store owner says she buys from a specific breeder then the snakes should come with some sort of breeder backed paperwork. If not, I think since you are spending $500.00 you should ask for some. Once you know who the breeder is, simply contact them and ask to see pictures of the parents of these snakes (are they sibs?). That should give you some indication of what they might look like at maturity (not a guarantee but it helps somewhat).

I agree about the orange. Orange browns out and doesn't always produce the nicest adults.

that is a lot even if its a nice one. 2 years ago I paid $500 shipped for 2 pastel girls and almost a 3 years ago i bought a pastel male for $150. now pastel males are going for $75-125 and females are around $250-300