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Blonde vs. Lemon.....

oc-balls Sep 04, 2007 01:45 PM

I'm sure this has been asked a million times, but I have a heck of a time searching this forum.

So what are the differences between the Blonde and the Lemon Pastel?
I'm interested in starting a Bumble Bee project, would one be better then the other? Or would just a "Standard" Pastel do just as well?

Thanks for your time!
Ken
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0.1 100% Het Albino Ball Python (Hazina Adamma)
1.0 Albino Ball Python (Apu)
0.5 Normal Ball Pythons (Norma, Nova, Nala, Nimeesha, Nyoka)


1.0 Desert Tortoise (Tubbs) from Tortoise Rescue
1.0 Boxer (Shadow)


www.ocballs.net
kvandoren@ocballs.net

Replies (13)

DavidKendrick Sep 04, 2007 01:58 PM

Thats like asking which tastes better Pepsi or Coke...

I have never worked with Lemon Pastels, I do have a couple Blonde Pastels, and have heard from several people that the Blondes tend to stay "Cleaner" as adults, I really think its individual...I have seen some awsome Blondes and Awsome Lemons, but I have also seen ugly version of both too..I try and find ones that look clean, and bright. Some people breed pastels to whatever they have, which most of the time throws duller, uglier babies...but you can tell those ones that have been paired to maximize potential...

Here are a couple of our Blonde Pastels, Produced by Inland Reptiles.

Blonde with Cinnimon


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Executive Reptiles
Amanda Kingsbury & David Kendrick
www.executivereptiles.com

fgs Sep 04, 2007 03:14 PM

I agree totally. It's all about selective breeding. If you are interested in producing quality morphs then it needs to begin with the quality of snakes you breed from.

My phylisophy has always been breed the best to the best and get rid of all the rest. If you plan on building a reputaion as a breeder of quality snakes then you must always breed your best female to your best male. The goal is to continuesly improve the lines you are working with. You and your potential customers derserve nothing less.

If I had to make a choice of which pastels look the best I would have to say Mark Bell's line. They seem to hold their color way into adult hood.

Brian

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Brian Gundy

www.for-goodness-snakes.com

melindaste Sep 04, 2007 03:39 PM

I agree that it is a personal choice also. I prefer the blonds. This is my blond.

havic Sep 04, 2007 04:50 PM

I do like the blonds as well. And I also purchased a blond from Nick at Inland. Here he is.


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Brian n Chrissy

www.cb-reptiles.com/
"snakes are kind of like potato chips, you cant have just one"

sjtownsend Sep 04, 2007 05:43 PM

That blonde is top notch. Awesome color!

sjtownsend Sep 04, 2007 05:45 PM

.

JSpythons Sep 04, 2007 07:09 PM

I have both blondes and lemons and I have to say that my lemons are way brighter and cleaner. I like the lemons better but that's just my opinion.

illbeyoursoldier Sep 04, 2007 09:48 PM

I completely agree with JSPythons above. Lemon Pastels are my favorite pastels Theres been few Lemon Pastels that I haven't found to be beautiful.
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Cheers!
• Chelsea Lynn Gardiner
(and Frank M. Wood)

PiedPeddler Sep 04, 2007 07:19 PM

People used to claim the blondes held their color as adults. Have you seen pics of some of the adult blonde breeders that have been offered for sale this year??? I think that claim has been effectively disproven now. If you want a high quality pastel, whatever the line, have the breeder send you pictures of both adult parents. If both parents have good clean patterns as adults and the offspring looks good too, then that's the one you want. Good luck!
Paul

DavidKendrick Sep 04, 2007 07:59 PM

Is there a way to tell if what people are putting up for sale are really Blondes? Or are they throwing the name "Blonde" on it so that it makes it more sellable? Are there certain traits that each line has that distiguishes each line?
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Executive Reptiles
Amanda Kingsbury & David Kendrick
www.executivereptiles.com

RBurns Sep 04, 2007 10:37 PM

I just purchased a blonde pastel from Brian Sharp two weeks ago. I am really happy with my decision to spend more on one. Im hoping it keeps color into adult hood to make me some sweet bumble bees and pewters. Now i just have to wait the 3 years...

Ryan

BrandonSander Sep 05, 2007 05:17 AM

Personally, I say forget the "lines" and various names attached to all of the pastels you see. Very few lines are actually different and some people will market a bright yellow baby "regular" pastel as a "Lemon" or "Blonde".

Don't get me wrong... some of the lines out there actually do vary from the "traditional" pastel, but you have to know what to look for.

Having said all of that, you still have to remember that no matter which line of pastels you end up purchasing they ALL can produce a wide range of offspring. All lines are capable of producing both ugly and jaw dropping gorgeous pastels.

You will have to look at the individual pastel you are thinking of purchasing to be able to determine what it will look like as an adult. It's parents may look one way, but the actual snake you are thinking of buying will give you many more clues to it's future coloration.

Look for clean, bright yellow babies. Most pastels will fade with age (all balls do...very few morphs will brighten with age). Anywhere on a baby pastel that is orange will one day become light brown. Yellow will fade, but it won't brown out. By "clean" looking I mean an animal with little to no orange speckling and a bold distinct pattern. The black can be faded or blushed out (the blushing will increase in the black areas with age) but the edge of the black parts of the pattern should be distinct from the yellow portions.

If you look for these traits in a baby pastel you will be happy with the way it looks as an adult. Just remember: no matter what the seller tries to tell you - orange babies DO NOT "get better with age".

As far as which line makes a better Super Pastel or Bumblebee... it really depends on what traits you prefer in a Super Pastel or a Bumblebee. Some people like really faded, blushed-out looking Super Pastels, other people want Supers that are almost highlighter yellow. Ask people to post comparison pics of their Supers (along with the animals that produced them) and Bumblebees and you will get an idea as to their variability. NERD would be good to ask about this since they work with several lines of pastel and could walk you through some the ins and outs of each.

melindaste Sep 05, 2007 08:00 AM

I believe there is a whole brake down of the different lines.

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