No carotenes=no breeding colours?

[Azhael]

One of my male pyrrhogaster is in breeding mode, but except for the dots on the tail his colors have changed very little. He has a creamy/yellow belly and i´m starting to suspect that without the red coloration there´s no breeding attire to develop. Does anyone have experience with pyrrhogaster that didn´t develop their red coloration and have seen the same thing happen?
I expected that at least the blueish colors would develop(since they shouldn´t depend on diet), and perhaps even some of the pink...but nothing...

 

[Yahilles]

I have some experience with ensicauda breeding dress- when male started to fan females, he had no colours on tail. The colours started to develop at 17 July, and i spotted the first fanning more than a MONTH before it! Now male's tail sheen is still "growing", as this is picture from 26 August and today the little light dot right to the sheen is a black spot like 1,5 mm wide. In my opinion, you just need to wait, my male is also breeding (or trying to breed) this year for his first time, like yours, am i right?

 

[Azhael]

I´m aware that i may need to be patient since it´s inded its first year, but i quite astonished to see no development of the colors at all. I expected...well..something, little as it might be.
I can see the development of a new skin texture, and even the fading yellow colour in the laterals of the bely, but that´s it...where other colours should be there´s nothing.

 

[Yahilles]

You can try to take a newt picture with flashlight, in my case it showed up first blue pigment when you couldn't see it by your own eyes.