There are over 600 Carotenoids found in nature and about seven to ten that involve transferable color. Of those there are four that are stable in the host. There is one pink-red, one orange red, and two yellow. The natural source for the two red colorants in nature are xxxxxxxxx and xxxxxxxx. The direct source in nature is insects , crustaceans, birds bird chicks and wild bird eggs. These Carotenoids are found in the exoskeleton of these invertebrates hence their red color when boiled, and birds. These pigments are stored in the flesh and Carotin (not to be confused with Carotene) of host animals such as lizards, bats, fish and birds feeding on them. These pigments are responsible for the bright colors in bird feathers, fishes scales and yes reptile scales (Scales are made of Carotin). A diet of domestic mice are void of these essential carotenoids unless supplemented. The poultry and fish industry has to supplement certain Carotenoids to make your egg yokes yellow-orange, chicken flesh yellow and salmon pink. A pink flamingo is white without xxxxxxxx and Salmon flesh is white like trout without xxxxxxxxx. The natural diets that is lacking is the crustations and insects that a captive diet are lacking. In humans xxxxxxxxxx was sold as a no sun tanning oral supplement. Imported and wild caught reptiles often come in with vivid coloration and fade with time. I have seen Yellow-tailed Cribos come in orange yellow and turn almost white as time goes by. I have seen captive hatched yellow-tail Cribos that were almost white turn vivid orange-yellow a mirror image of the nicest import when supplemented. Why? My hunch was the imports were raiding bird nests, hatchlings gut loaded with insects. I have accounts from Barry Kuen who has now caught four screaming orange Trans Pecos Rat-snakes in his 40 or so years of collecting and when asked why he released them his reply was they only fed on lizards. Go figure. Since these Carotenoids are stable once in the host they will be there for years but birds will shed feathers and snakes will shed skin thus diluting effects over time. A captive specimen under stress will convert the Carotenoids in its flesh into vitamins. I wish I could share more information but I am working on this in cooperation with another party and the individual does not want to go public with the specifics hence xxxxxxxx. Not all animals use these for color as not all birds are falmingos. The lower life forms manufacture these pigment-supliments and higher life forms glean them from diet. Red factor canaries do need however a supliment to turn red even with the gene present. I will be able to share more later………….Bill


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"Life without risk is to merely exist."

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