So I read on a different forum that the dreamsickle coloration fades as the ball python gets older. Is this true and if so does this also happen with orange dream? I never seen any adult orange snakes so I’m wondering if it’s true or if they are just to popular? Thank you all!
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It’s not only true with dreamsicles but also true for basically 90 to 95 percent of other morphs, its completely normal for them to fade with age and only a few morphs get brighter with age like that of the desert ghost morph. A dreamsicle still looks awesome as a adult but the deep purples just tend to level out with the yellows so it’s not as intense as a baby but still beautiful none the less.
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If you’re looking for the deep purple and orange/yellow Pied, Candy Pieds are the way to go. They actually hold great color as they get bigger.
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Monarchs also get better with age imo
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Oh so they still look orange they dt just fade to white and have no orange? That’s the impression I gathered from the other forum I was so confused. I’m looking for orange and white I think they’re gorgeous! So they stay orange as an adult?
They still have the same general pattern but the lavender color is not as extreme. If you google pictures of a adult dreamsicle you will see what I mean
Most all ball pythons fade and change with time. There are a few standout mutations that are resistant such as Monarch, Ultramel, and Desert Ghost and others.
Regarding Candy vs Lavender: The adult Candys I have seen develop into more of a light brown where as the Lavenders pull in subtle purples. It’s all subjective but I think a good quality adult Lavender beats a Candy personally. From an investment / supply standpoint Lavender wins as well due to Candy being allelic with the common albino. Justin Kobylka wrote his opinion on it in 2015 here:
Justin also gave some solid insight as to certain dominant mutations added into the dreamsicle help longevity:
" Brightest as babies
- Pastel YB Dream (less orange as baby, but this is the best looking adult Dreamsicle hands down!)
- ODYB Dream
- YB Dream (only 10% less bright than with OD)
- OD Dream
- Dream
- Pastel Dream (more yellow as baby, but way brighter colors as adults than reg Dreams)"
I think Pastel helps with dreamsicle longevity, which is part of the reason why I targeted one for my first dreamsicle, but may actually make them less bright as babies. This pastel dreamsicle girl is around 600ish grams (haven’t weighed her yet, just got her):
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To answer your question both morphs fade/change with age. Do they age badly that’s a personal decision.
You’re right about the single gene candy being brownish compare to single gene lavender, which in my experience are not lavender but slightly less white than a typical albino, even from the “best” lines. Overall, the single expression Candino beats them both for actual Lavender color. I’m not sure why being allelic with albino has any bearing on why one would be superior to the other. If color and quality are truly what matters, Candino wins hands down.
Putting pied in both genes though is night and day. Candy Pieds are actually Lavender where the dreamsicles to me, are not lavender at all. I was working toward Dreamsicles and scrapped the project as soon as I saw the Candy Pieds. Dreamsicles continued to do well and Candy Pieds are just getting started so it will be interesting to see the comparison of different combos down the road.
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Candy pieds are really nice. Hopefully my luck will be better then last year. My double het candy pieds gave me 2 normals, 1 pied, and 2 candies. No candy pieds.
The downside of being allelic with the more commonly found albino is simply a factor of supply and demand. Albino bred to Candy creating a clutch of all visuals in the first generation creates a faster supply. Similar to the difference between dominant and recessive mutations. Recessives hold their value longer due to more generations required to create a visual homozygous animal.
I dont own any Candy or Candinos but from the photos I’ve seen they certainly do have more lavender as babies… but I’m not sure that holds true into adulthood. It seems to develop into more of a less desirable light brownish color. I’m not sure how that translates to its effect with other mutations like Pied. Candy pieds are certainly incredible. I’d like to see more comparison photos of similarly aged Candy Pieds next to Lav Pieds to make a better determination regarding color longevity but I think they’re both great regardless.