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I bought this female because she looked very light and I thought would make a good choice for a future breeder. When I took her outside in the light, I looked her over better and her eyes are a rusty gold color through them and her side blotches are pink inside. She has light brown saddles and very reduced dark pigment. What I am wondering is could she be a hypo even though the tail looks very similar to a normal, could she be out of an orange tail litter? Pic is not great as my camera is a cheapo, I will be having my son use his high end camera when I get my website. Thanks for looking! Andy Federico

to me she just looks like a normal but outstanding boa that will throw some awesome babies, I dont see anything that leads me to believe shes hypo or pastel, awesome looking animal though just my opinion
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Thanks and take care - Joe Rollo
'Tis not the stongest of the species that will eventually survive, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change' Charles Darwin

I think that you have a very nice common boa there. 'Pastel' is a very tricky attribute. I have a 6 year old common boa that is better looking (more colorful) than almost every 'pastel' I have ever seen, but it is simply a common boa that I bought for $35 in 1998. Everyone wants his/her boa to be a morph. Why they feel the need to do this, I have know idea. Maybe it is something that has spilled over from the ball python market, who knows. I think that Jeff Ronne & Hoppy are the only ones that have proved their 'pastels' to be genetic, but I could be wrong.
Good luck with him/her and copngrats on your beautiful new boa!

I understand what you mean about the morph thing.. lol..

not sure if you understand the pastel trait, but a colorful boa is not a pastel - color is not used to define a pastel...
I have many colorful boas much more colorful than my pastels or most I have seen for that matter..

The definition is moreso a reduction in melanin, reduced pattern/speckling, washed out sides (medallions/diamonds) and so on..
when this occurs, it enables more color, if present, to show, since it is not covered in a blanket of brown and black. However, by no means must a boa be high in color to be pastel.

If you see that boa in the pic, its side medallions are washed out, and in some areas, hardly visible! There are faint outlines which appear to be red, and the centers are primarily 'missing' or clear.. just one example/expressive characteristic...
this animals side pattern is cleaner than many hypos even advertised in this page.

Whether or not it was produced from genetic pastels and whether or not it can produce pastels, and at what ratio, is what's questionable here.

Jeff Ronne's Pastel Dreams show outrageous color mostly in due to close to 20 years of arduous selective breeding - his pastels are testament to selective breeding.

Thanks - take care - Joe
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Thanks and take care - Joe Rollo
'Tis not the stongest of the species that will eventually survive, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change' Charles Darwin

Thanks all. I just wanted to add a little more. This female in question is aprox. 5 feet long. She is not a neonate so these colors are end products. No one commented on orange tail possible sibblings? Does anyone have some orange tails to post....or even some of the normals from the litter of orange tails? Thanks again all! Andy Federico

Then by the definition given by the originator,it's not a "pastel"...the term is a generic,descriptive term that doesn't have a particular,or,specific hereditary,bloodlineal source. it is often used to describe "soft",secondary,or,background coloration seen in B.c.i. AND,B.c.c.,often combined with an ill-defined latteral pattern.by Jeff's own admission,the "pastels" he produces,are the product of multi-lineal combinations,and,subsequent selection,and,reintroduction...this points to selective refinement,and,cumulative result,rather than direct result of specific,genetic trait inheritence,which ALWAYS requires specific bloodline adhesion,to be "proven".