Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I have a great 03 female from Will Leary. She's a Naiomi baby. She's my first carpet python. Her yellow was getting brighter and brighter with every shed. She shed again yesterday and her yellow all but left! The "yellow" areas are very nice and clean looking, with no darkening, just not bright yellow. It's more of a cream or off-white color. She looks spectacular, as she always does after a shed, but I was shocked to see the brightness in the yellow leave. Does this change with time in carpets? Can they go from bright to dull and back to bright? Or should I expect an adult female who looks more "ivory"? As I said, this is my first carpet, so I have no clue about their color changes. I wish I could get a pic, but my camera is out of comission. Here's a bad pic of her a couple weeks ago before the color change. She's eating her first rat in the pic! Great eater. Her color now is more like the aspen chips than the yellow on her body now.

I would say color fluctuation is common with most Carpets. I've observed "bad sheds" with both juvies and adults. I'm not referring to incomplete sheds, but rather a shed where the new skin underneath just doesn't look as vibrant this time around. Much of it probably has to do with hormonal changes, temps, outside weather changes, etc.

I'm sure she will brighten up again within the next few sheds. However if she doesn't, her color may be taking a different direction -- possibly ivory or cream? It's really hard to say with any certainty, but using her parents as a guage I'd say she will become a beautiful bright yellow & black adult. Guess you will just have to wait and see!
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Will Leary
Reptilicus Reptiles

My '03 from the same clutch seems to be getting brighter and brighter. But I do know that one of my '02s has variable color even between sheds! The second pic was taken the night after the first pic with no shed in between! These pics were taken with the same lighting and both accurately reflects his true color at the time of the picture.