pastel vs super pastel

[Mike Cavanaugh]

Please help me out here. At daytona today, I saw lots of pastels. crappy pastels, nice pastels, super pastels... Plenty of all these.

Question is, I saw a few hatchling pastels that appeared to be in between a nice pastel and a super pastel... You know very light head, super fading... ect but not so much as a labled super.

So, when you have pastel hatchlings, what is the defining factor that makes you call a questionable snake a pastel or a super pastel?

[Bruce Whitehead]

It is the genetics...

A pastel is heterozygous for pastel.

A Super Pastel is homozygous.

It is a co-dominant trait. Super is not a qualifier based on grading, it is what the snake is. It is either super, or a pastel.

Some pastels look better than some supers. Just depends on the grade and the selective breeding.

Bruce

[Jerhart]

Pastel X Pastel= clutch odds: 25% normal, 50% pastel, 25% super

[Mike Cavanaugh]

It is the genetics...

A pastel is heterozygous for pastel.

A Super Pastel is homozygous.

It is a co-dominant trait. Super is not a qualifier based on grading, it is what the snake is. It is either super, or a pastel.

Some pastels look better than some supers. Just depends on the grade and the selective breeding.

Bruce

Thanks Bruce. Please bare with me and answer again.

I know this. BUT... when you mate a pastel x pastel unless I am wrong..

50% will be pastel
25% will be normal
25% will be super pastel

My question is... with the clutch from this pairing, what exactly defines if that 25 % super realy is super. At hatchling age, how do you know for sure what is a super, and what is a "nice" pastel...

Am I maknig sense here?

[BrucenBruce]

I think what Mcavana's asking is when you have that Pastel x Pastel clutch hatch out, if there are two very nice snakes in it, what would make you put a label on one that said "Pastel - $300.00" and on the next one "Super Pastel - $900.00".

My guess is that if the breeder had a clutch parented by a Pastel x Normal, no matter what or how pretty / faded / blushed / bright it was, the hottest snake in the clutch could not possibly be more than a Pastel. A very, very nice Pastel, and would command a proportionally higher price, but a Pastel nonetheless. My suggestion to you is that, if you are interested in breeding some fine Pastels of your own, you should look up the breeders of these fine animals and procure them as founder stock!

~Bruce

[Bruce Whitehead]

Ah, I see what you're saying.

And yes, you were right on the odds.

I have seen examples of pastel x pastel clutches hatch out, and it is pretty obvious (USUALLY) which are the supers. Keep in mind, these were the clutches of others. So ultimately you are taking their word.... but I don't have reason to doubt that.

It is like when someone isn't sure about a cinny pic (random example)... but when you place it next to its clucthmates there is no doubt.

From what I have seen, that is the same with pastels. You may have variance between clutches, but the variance within a clutch (although there) is not as extreme.

Bruce

[Bruce Whitehead]

I also get the confusion.

I went to a show not so long ago and am always amazed at the variance of pastels. I see some that I would not immediately think they even were.

But upon closer inspection, it is a pastel, just a really muddy one.

Same with seeing some that look better than a few supers that are kicking around.

Early on I picked the best pastel I could find and paid the extra $$ for a male. Haven't regretted it for a minute.

Bruce