Pastel questions

[I<3Dreamsicles]

alright. So im planning on getting a pastel this sunday at a local reptile show if I can find one that I like well enough. If not ill probably look around on here or kingsnake..

but I was wondering about the looks of them, ive noticed some of them look darker then others, and sort of orangish. Ive read that the orange is the part that browns out but the ones ive seen were like yellow on the top and the sides are more orange. The browner pastels ive seen all off the browning out was mainly on the top...

also is it just because theyre young or is it like a quality thing?

EX: the orangish ones,



or should they actually look more yellow if its going to be a nicer yellow snake like this




The second pic looks more yellow instead of the washed out/ fadded looking yellow. Or do all hatchlings just look like the first pic normally????

[rabernet]

The first thing I look for is the head. Go for the most extreme blushed out head that you can on a pastel, next look at the intensity of orange in the pattern. If the head is super blushed out, it's likely going to mature nicely.

[rabernet]

Check these out. Look how intense the blushing is on the heads:





Still "orangey" as a baby, but still crazy blushed head:



A little older, still super blushed head:



Older still - super blushed head:



And for how she looks today - go to my website to The Nest link and click on the pastels.

I'm working with lemon pastels, and they do go through an ugly duckling stage before they come into their lemon colors.

[adam_degel]

look for light green/yellowish eyes.. most of them brown out on top.. so yeah, strong blushing is key to nice looking offspring

[I<3Dreamsicles]

The first thing I look for is the head. Go for the most extreme blushed out head that you can on a pastel, next look at the intensity of orange in the pattern. If the head is super blushed out, it's likely going to mature nicely.

But will the yellows be nice? Thats really my main concern is how bright and clean the yellow is. I dont really even care about blushing to be honest, but if that is like a trait that = a good colored pastel then... i do.
I like lemon pastels too if that helps any.

Intensity of the orange? I thought orange was bad. Or does the orange turn to yellow??? Like i said, is that just the way hatchlings look when theyre new?

[I<3Dreamsicles]

Check these out. Look how intense the blushing is on the heads:




Still "orangey" as a baby, but still crazy blushed head:





And for how she looks today - go to my website to The Nest link and click on the pastels.

I'm working with lemon pastels, and they do go through an ugly duckling stage before they come into their lemon colors.

I actually like that "orangy" one the most I think... The others just look like faded to me. I prefer a bright yellow. idk... lol. So for the ones that I think look pale/faded, do they just get more and more yellow?

Theyre good looking snakes just my personal preference is a clean yellow, so minimal spots and stuff in there, and dark but not like brown...

[I<3Dreamsicles]

I like "libra" on your website for the lemon. is that the one you posted?
- taking that as a yes since its the only female, i like how the yellow turned out, and as a baby she was darker, so how do the lighter pastel hatchlings turn out? like the other pic from when i quoted you.

[rabernet]

I've only worked with lemons - and they do have shades of orange to them as babies. Most pastels that I've seen do have some "shade" of orange in their pattern as babies. You want the least intense orange.

Here's another example of a lemon (my founding male, Winston) as a baby, and then as an adult. Adam Wysocki hand selected him for me.





When he arrived:



About a year old:


At 2 years old:

[rabernet]

I actually like that "orangy" one the most I think... The others just look like faded to me. I prefer a bright yellow. idk... lol. So for the ones that I think look pale/faded, do they just get more and more yellow?

Theyre good looking snakes just my personal preference is a clean yellow, so minimal spots and stuff in there, and dark but not like brown...

All those pictures are of the same snake - if you look at the neck pattern - it's a progression of how she matured. That is Libra from hatching to how she looks today.

[rabernet]

I like "libra" on your website for the lemon. is that the one you posted?
- taking that as a yes since its the only female, i like how the yellow turned out, and as a baby she was darker, so how do the lighter pastel hatchlings turn out? like the other pic from when i quoted you.

Libra is on the right in the picture with 2 babies - and she's all the rest of the pictures as well (except the second set of pictures, which are of Winston, my founding male - Libra's father).