could this be a pastel ?

[LOSTCOAST_BALLZ]

LOL.very pretty normal. i agree with JLC.

[jben]

I also agree with Judy, a very nice normal.

[jben]

I would say it's possible that it is a pastel but more likely it is a light normal. I purchased a normal about that color at a show and she eventually darkened up within a few months. My opinion would depend on the weight of the snake...and right now it looks pretty young to me.

So I was thinking some comparison photos might help...

My normal when I purchased her: http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-..._5207478_n.jpg

My normal next to my pastel: http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-..._4693855_n.jpg

My normal now: http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-..._1830177_n.jpg

She's not that much larger yet but as you can see a lot of the orange faded.

My pastel now: http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-..._1599858_n.jpg

Dagan - This should help you out.
http://www.ball-pythons.net/forums/s...ot-...-Pastels

[Lolo76]

Dagan - This should help you out.
http://www.ball-pythons.net/forums/s...ot-...-Pastels

Yup! While they (both the OP's snake and Dagan's) are both great looking normals, I don't see ANY pastel characteristics in either. My pastel is two years old and somewhat browned-out now, but even with the browning I can see a clear difference - as he has green eyes, yellow-toned markings, and very obvious back blushing. Those are the signs of a pastel, not the lightness of their solid markings. Heck, I even have a definite normal who's lighter than most pastels, but I've never doubted her normal-ness.

[Pinoy Pythons]

Just a normal. Pastels, no matter how light or dark, still have the light coloration on their heads. And the one on the pic doesnt show the said characteristic.

[rabernet]

Aren't you glad it's not a pastel? A pastel that looks like a normal isn't a pastel worth having, IMHO.

[rabernet]

I have seen very dark pastels before.

I agree with Judy - a pastel is a pastel at any weight, and to the trained eye is not hard to discern.

By no stretch of the imagination is the animal in the first post a pastel. No question, regardless of weight.

Same with the normal you posted. Even in the earliest pictures, it's clearly a normal and not a pastel.

[wax32]

Aren't you glad it's not a pastel? A pastel that looks like a normal isn't a pastel worth having, IMHO.

That's exactly what I was thinking. Even if the snake WAS a pastel, it would be a seriously crappy one. Why would you want to keep that in the gene pool? As a general pet, sure, but to breed for more ugly pastels? NOPE.

[SlitherinSisters]

A nice normal.

There's no way it's a pastel. There are dark pastels yes, but they dull/darken with age. Young pastels should be bold and have a definite yellow color, not brown.