I am in the process of getting a hypo dream pastel - and have been doing alot of research on the pastel trait. In certain cases I would have to disagree with Ronne's statement "...the increase in color is a by-product and not part of the pastel trait."



Perhaps in his bloodline this is true. However since pastel, by definition, is most likely a polygenic trait, it has many variations some of which I believe may truly be an INCREASE in color.



What makes color more vivid? The type and quantity of melanin (red or yellow or black) that is present. But that is not the only variation that can occur. Pastelism is more complex than just removing the black. It seems to me that the reds and yellows are also "creme-ified" or "orange-ified" in certain pastel lines. I believe that modifications of red and yellow can also occur and are not necessarily linked to the reduction in black LAYERS of color. (hence this explains Normals with pastelish coloration).



I speculate that the two traits (reduced black, enhanced color) sometimes occur together and are linked in some cases - resulting in your "true" pastels.



Take the red horse with a creme gene added...is the horse more GOLDEN because the black is no longer there in the red? No, the red itself is cremified at the same time that black is reduced...just like adding yellow to red paint - the result is orange or gold. There is also a reduction in black...



I believe there is a creme gene working on some of these pastels and also in normals - it produces the pretty pastelish sides and rainbow colors. It may work in tandem with a black-reducing gene (ie hypo) to also reduce the amount and pattern of black - so that the gold/orange/whatever colors show through.



The orange on this snake below exists only because he does not have alot of black melanin???

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