Adult Pastel Yellow Side By Deborah Stewart

Pastel

Type: Incomplete Dominant

First Produced By: Greg Graziani , NERD

Aliases: Lemon Pastel

First Produced In: 1994 ^[1] ^[2]

Availability: Common

Last Updated: 2023-03-04

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About

The Pastel Ball Python is a pattern changer and colour enhancer that can easily be told apart from a Normal Ball Python by the high contrast yellows throughout its body, as well as the “hook” and “ringed” shaped alien heads. Pastels also tend to have green eyes that can help tell them apart in a clutch.
There have been multiple lines of Pastel brought into the hobby from wild caught animals thought the past 25 years.

History

Around 1994, Greg Graziani picked up a male ball python from a reptile importer. A year later at a reptile expo, Graziani discovered that Kevin McCurley from New England Reptile Distributors (NERD) had a female which looked just like his. Both were certain it was genetic, however neither was willing to sell up. Around '97 Graziani bred his “Type 2 Jungle” to a normal female.

Greg expected a clutch of hets, but on July 22, 1997, when the clutch hatched, he discovered that all seven hatchlings looked like his “Type 2 Jungle” male.

Meanwhile, Kevin had bred his female but only one of the three eggs hatched. However it looked identical to Graziani’s “Type 2 Jungle”. ^[3]

Kevin started calling his “Pastel Jungles”, which is the term that stuck. Along the years the “Jungle” was dropped from the name and today it is simply known as the Pastel Ball Python.

Appearance

Head

Pastel Ball Pythons usually have faded/pale yellow heads at birth that darken with age, though some can keep the faded look. They are easily told apart from a Normal by the faded yellow crown, white lips and green eyes, though keep in mind that on rare occasions a Normal can also have green eyes.

Body

Pastel Ball Pythons’ bodies can be told apart from Normals by the bright yellow scales within the “alien heads” and blushing within the black markers.

Belly

Pastel Ball Pythons have very clean undersides compared to the track-marks and spotting of a Normal Ball Python. Along either side of the belly, bright yellow ‘flames’ stretch up through the black markers into the body pattern.

Tail

The Pastel’s tail is much like a Normal Ball Python but follows the Pastel’s colouration.

Other

Blushing

Pastels show ‘blushing’ throughout their entire body, usually in between the “alien head” outlines. When combined with other morphs, these patches of blushing can cause huge contrast in body markings.

Green Eyes

Pastel Ball Pythons usually have green eyes.

Proven Lines

Pastel Jungle

First Produced By: NERD (1210)
First Produced In: 1997

Lemon Pastel - 2nd NERD Line

First Produced By: NERD (1210)
First Produced In: 2000

Citrus Pastel

First Produced By: Amir Soleymani (315)
First Produced In: 2002

Bell Line
Morton Wright Line

Related Traits

While not genetically related, there have been many “Pastel” named Ball Pythons throughout the years, but few have kept the coinage.

Cinnamon Pastel - Now referred to as simply Cinnamon to lessen the confusion with Black Pastel, which some debate are the same mutation. ^[4]
Black Pastel - Still rocking the Pastel name.