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Please check this link and help me out here if you can.

Link

This was my next question to better help me understand morphs.

Bryan,

Thanks so much for the pic. Other than the pattern I noticed the dark areas on the pastel are lighter than on the normal. Is that what makes it a pastel? If the pattern were the same as the normal but the colors were still as shown would it still be a pastel?

Also, If Christy were to breed another normal with the same colors as the one she has posted would a percentage of the offspring have the same light colors or would it be completely random? If random, is that why it is considered a normal and not a "morph" because it cannot be proven? I haven't done much research on morphs but am I on the right track?

Thanks again for your help, I'm really becoming fascinated with this stuff!
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Rob
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Rob

When I look at the pictures, here is what stands out as far as it not being a Pastel. First off, there is not enough of the "blushing" in the black pattern. There is also not enough of the high yellow associated with the Pastel. Also if you were to turn this animal over, it probably does not exhibit the white belly, and it probably does not have "light" eyes. Also this animal does not have the white labial pits that pastel jungles have, and most pastels at that age have an extremely light head. These are some of the characteristics of a true Pastel Jungle. Now on to the second part of the question. This animal is no doubt an awesome normal. If you were to breed it to another normal, you may end up with better babies, however an even smarter move would be to breed it with a Pastel Jungle. Becuase of the nice colors, and nice clean pattern, the Pastels should come out with even more color, and be above average pastels. Again there is no gaurentee, but pretty normals generally produce better pastels. Hope this helps you out.
Jason

Circle City Serpents

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>>When I look at the pictures, here is what stands out as far as it not being a Pastel. First off, there is not enough of the "blushing" in the black pattern. There is also not enough of the high yellow associated with the Pastel. Also if you were to turn this animal over, it probably does not exhibit the white belly, and it probably does not have "light" eyes. Also this animal does not have the white labial pits that pastel jungles have, and most pastels at that age have an extremely light head. These are some of the characteristics of a true Pastel Jungle. Now on to the second part of the question. This animal is no doubt an awesome normal. If you were to breed it to another normal, you may end up with better babies, however an even smarter move would be to breed it with a Pastel Jungle. Becuase of the nice colors, and nice clean pattern, the Pastels should come out with even more color, and be above average pastels. Again there is no gaurentee, but pretty normals generally produce better pastels. Hope this helps you out.
>>Jason
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>>Circle City Serpents
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the difference between a normal and a morph is determined by how drastic the change in appearance is wether or not that appearance can be consistently passed on to offspring. Is that more accurate?

Is there such a thing as a pastel morph without the "jungle" pattern involved but with a normal pattern instead?

Thanks for your patience here!
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Rob

Rob,

Check out the link below for the complete story on how the Pastel Jungle came to be.

In response to your other question regarding Christy's beautiful snake. There is no guarantee that she will ever be able to reproduce that particular look by breeding that particular snake to that look or any other ball python. At this point she is just a normal until proven otherwise. If she did breed it to another ball python and some of the hatchlings did come out looking somewhat identical to her, then I would have to say that there are some genetics in play here.

I have many females that you would consider different from your typical normal, but they have never reproduced themselves to date.

Hope this helps,

MJ

The Pastel Jungle Story

>>Rob,
>>
>>Check out the link below for the complete story on how the Pastel Jungle came to be.
>>
>>In response to your other question regarding Christy's beautiful snake. There is no guarantee that she will ever be able to reproduce that particular look by breeding that particular snake to that look or any other ball python. At this point she is just a normal until proven otherwise. If she did breed it to another ball python and some of the hatchlings did come out looking somewhat identical to her, then I would have to say that there are some genetics in play here.
>>
>>I have many females that you would consider different from your typical normal, but they have never reproduced themselves to date.
>>
>>Hope this helps,
>>
>>MJ
>>
>>The Pastel Jungle Story

Now I completely understand! Thanks again for helping clear that up for me!!
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Rob

Read Marks Link about the Pastel Jungle story its very informative.

Bryan