Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I haven't really followed all the threads on pastels lately, but I see that the main idea is what makes a pastel a pastel.
In my opinion a pastel boa is a boa that is very very clean, has good color and a really nice tail.
It also has a "light" look to it.
All in all, they vary quite a bit, and everyones pastel definition is up to them.
This pictured is a Miami Fire Line Boa which is genetically High pink/red. You breed these to a normal and you theoretically get 50% boas that look like the one in the pic, and 50% light, clean boas. Now there have been two litters where all are this color, and a litter with only a couple this color. So we assume it is a co-dominant gene makeup, which originated by selectively breeding over generations high pink/red colored animals.
Would you consider it a genetic pastel or a genetically high pink animal?

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"Quality isn't Quality without customer service so I guess I sell quality"

The pastels are not defined by color, but by a reduction in black. With that said from looking at your picture I would say that it is a pastel. Typically the places to look are around the tail blotches fro a reduction in black speckling. Also, on the side medalions. Pastels have very pale medalions with very little black, sometimes blend right into their sides.

Again color is just a bonus and does not define a pastel, from selective breeding however many have nice color but this is not what makes them pastel. It is all in the degree of hypomelanism (not to confuse this means less black then normal).

Chris

But I always thought pastel was meant for "colors", like pastel "colors", get my drift? lol.
Meaning colors not bright but light and smooth......
anyone know what I mean?
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"Quality isn't Quality without customer service so I guess I sell quality"

When I first learned about them I was confused because I had the same deduction as you regarding pastels being lighter colors etc.. But the trait has nothing what so ever to do with coloration, it just happens that color is a by product on most pastels.. Nice looking snake btw..
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Randall L Turner Jr.
www.aircapitalconstrictors.com

n/p

That looks like a pastel with nice coloring to me.
John
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"To be the best..........You must lose your mind."

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Davey Giltner

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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