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is my bp too fat??

herpspaz

herpspaz

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Hey, I was just wondering if my ball python is too fat, i know obesity isn't a good thing. (but the bf spoils her so much)

S/he is 38" long, 6" around the fattest middle, weighs 491 grams, and is about a lil under 2 years old.

we feed two average sized mice once a week and it seems like he's still hungry.

any suggestions??

(btw, i tried to post a pic, but when i hit preview, it wouldn't show up, so i dunno...)
 
Try posting the pic again. I don't believe it shows up in the preview, but does in the post.
Seeing it would be the best way to judge whether he is getting obese or not. Trying to visualize measurements is more difficult.
 
just my opinion of course but i do not think she is, a two year old ball python that weighs 491 grams? that's rather small for a two year old . i would suggest upping the size of her prey start off with rat pups , they are,untritionally, wonderful. feed her every 7 days, once she starts getting a bit bigger move her up to the next sized rat, either weined or small rat and keep moving her up as she gets larger (i have adult ball pythons that eat jumbo rats)i hope this helps
 
You're right Robin, I completely missed the weight and only saw the measurements.
I have a 9 month old that weighs 400 grams, and he's not near 38", so I'd agree he definately needs some weight on him.
 
Yes please, a photo would help. 38" is just over 3 feet. My snakes in that length range are usually about the size of a standard soda can in the middle. I have some heavier, but they are longer as well.

Are you sure you have the weight right? A 3 foot ball that big around would be MUCH heavier than 491 grams. I would guestimate 1000 to 1200 grams at the length and width.

Not sure at all here, but if anything I would say you may be UNDER feeding it. 2 Mice a week is not very much for a subadult ball. I've got 03's at 200 grams taking 2 large mice (or one small rat) a week.
 
omg...well i never realized that he could be underweight! i'm trying to post the pic here, so i hope it turns out...

the length and the weight is correct, we just weighed him last night before the post. we measured his length by taking string and following his body.

when we bought him at a show, the breeder said he was about a year old, and we've had him for about a year.

thanks very much for the input guys,
-Karin
 

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I think it looks pretty healthy.
It does look kinda big in the middle but so does mine,basicly it looks good too me.
 
one small rat or three mice a week...gotcha...

when do i start reducing feed to once every two weeks??

btw, thanx again guys, i woulda started cutting down on his feed cuz i thought he was fat..hehehe..


-karin
 
He looks pretty good.
I offer food to all my snakes every week, regardless of age (well babies get fed 2x's). If they eat they eat, if they refuse, ok.
 
He does look pretty good, although I like to have a little more bulk on my ball pythons. They are a stout bodied snake and should normally have a little higher girth to length ratio.
What I wonder though is how is his muscle mass? Is he firm with good muscle tone, or is he kind of soft or flabby?
I wonder because of the weight. It just isn't normal for a ball of that length to weigh that little.
I have a male ball that is breeding now. He's not yet 3 feet long but weighs around 800 grams. Some of my females are only a few inches longer than yours, but weigh 12-1500 grams. There's a normal range of weight for a given length in balls, and a 38" snake weighing less than 500 grams is outside of that.
 
Question...

Hey Clay or anybody,I have a quick question.
How much should a ball weight that is around 20-24 inches long?
Does female or male have anything to do with the weight difference?
I have read females get longer and heavier then males,is this just when full grown or are females always bigger then males?
I still don't know what mine is,I am guessing a male but thats just a guess!
 
I always keep my females a little more plump than males. I have a few that are a foot shorter than yours, but weigh a 100 grams more.
 
Alright thanks.
How do you guys messure the weight of your snakes?
I have a simple kitchen gram scale but I am not sure how accuarte it is,it was only like a dollor!
Well I know mine has atleast a little bit of weight to him/her but even though it's around 2 feet long I can hold it easliy in on hand when it is curled itno a ball.
It feels like it must be atleast 1/4 pound or more but thats a guess,he might be closer to 1/2 pound,I will try that scale out and see what it says.
Thanks
 
He feels pretty firm to me, not to much different from many of the BP's i've handled before.

If he is too flabby and doesn't have good muscle tone, what can be done about this??

I'm going to double check on the length and weight in a few days..we just fed him a couple hours ago (3 good sized mice) so I don't want to mess with him quite yet.

Will post back in a few...
 
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