What do healthy BPs look like? And feeding schedual?

[Shenzi Sixaxis]

So I've decided I want a BP. I have a nice corn snake, but she is curious and never stops moving for long, and while she's only about 5 months old she is big for her age, but I decided I wanted a heavier "lap" snake, as I call pythons.

I know what temps I need and such, and I've decided I'm going to look for a larger than normal BP from my two pet stores of choice (have bought animals and supplies from both and am a regular, they are good places) since I know BPs go off feed sometimes, so if a BP is big, it has to be eating, amirite?

So, besides all that, I'm curious about how thick a BP's body should be. I've seen skinny ones, fat ones, and plenty in the middle; so I don't have much of an idea of what a BP should look like if it's healthy and not breeding. I know I want to get a BP that is a good size, but I don't want to end up getting a fat one.

Also, I know corns have faster metabolisms than most snakes, but every care sheet that I've checked for feeding is too general for me to like. So, a good feeding schedule for young BPs, sub-adults, and adults? Also, I know that the prey size should be about the girth of the snake.


I'm very certain I want a BP and can take care of it well, but any other advice is welcome.

 

[Bob Kite]

Just because a BP may look big does not gaurantee that it will eat, Balls can be picky sometimes and if/when they decide to go off feed is up to them, I have quite a few that will eat year round right through breeding season and all, on the other hand I have some that will go off feed a couple months out of the year. As to how thick a BP should be, well there are alot of variables that will determine the size of a BP, age, feeding schedule etc. I think feeding schedules are pretty much dependant on you and your animal, I personally feed every 5 days here, but my animals are either breeders or future breeders, but i think if your only looking at it as being a pet only, a 7-10 day feeding schedule will work fine. As for the size of the prey, I judge it by the size of the snake, I start everything out here on ADULT mice or rats of equivilent size, and as they grow so do the prey items. These are just my opinions and may or may not reflect the opinions of others, this is what works for me and I stick to it, I hope this helps and good luck.

 

[Melinda]

I think with most animals and humans in general, it is healthier overall to be a bit on the thinner side. I keep my males on the thinner side, while my breeder females are chubbier. They lose so much weight in egg production, so I like them fat for breeding. My adult males get a medium rat every 7-10 days. My females get large rats every 7-10 days.

Once you get a snake, you can learn it's feeding behaviour and feed it when it's hungry. Mine cruise around the enclosure and when I walk by I can feel the "feed me or someone's gonna get bit" stare. When opening the tub, they are right there waiting for something to eat. Some of them strike as soon as the tub is opened.

Buying snakes at a pet store is a bit of a risk. You have no idea where they came from or if they have been feeding. A large adult could be a import, old breeder etc...

A better idea is to buy from a breeder. There are alot of adult males and frequently adult females that pop up for sale here. You'd get more of the animals history and chances are the animal will be in better condition and eating better than the pet store find.

 

[Shenzi Sixaxis]

The BP I'm currently interested in is somewhat on the heavy side, I'd say, but the employee at the store says that every Saturday when the snakes are fed, it generally eats 2-3 mice (which I think are live) that are from the hopper size to small adult size. They've also had it for a few months, and only when it sheds does it refuse food on Saturday.

The same thing happens with my brother's BP. When she's hungry, she lets you know. Though, she isn't nippy until she's put on the floor or some sort of carpet, since that's when she gets tossed a mouse.

And the pet store I bought my corn snake from has more information on their reptiles than PetCo or Petsmart, and like I said above, the BP that's catching my eye has been in the store for quite a while and eats like crazy for them. Even if they rarely get an adult animal in, they don't take anything that's imported, only captive bred.


Every time I've looked for a breeder, I can't find anything local, and any ads I see want a couple hundred dollars for one BP, even ones that are of common morphs. I got my corn snake from the same store that has this BP, and my corn is in excellent health, and so is the BP; a little nervous when it's held, but I can't find a thing wrong with it besides the weight.

 

[The Python Lab]

As far as feeding, my snakes are all over the place. I have a now 1500g+ spider female who wouldn't eat consistently on rats but thrives on mice. I have 4000g females who won't touch anything bigger then a small to small/medium rat. I have a het albino female ( grumbles and turns red ) who will not eat consistently no matter what I give her. All that being said, I am a firm believer that if a snake is going to be a pet and is not needed for a breeding project then why not get a baby. Balls, if fed right and eating consistently can get large fairly quickly. I have a het pied female that was purchased last august who is over 900g right now. My personal opinion is if it is a pet, why not enjoy it from young and enjoy the transformation and growth process.

 

[Melinda]

Sounds like your very interesting in the pet store snake. The issues I see as possible problems;

Eating live prey can be disastrous for the snake. Mice can do alot of damage in very little time.

Eating mice, this is gonna get expensive at $2 per mouse, 3 mice per week is $24 monthly.

You get more bang for the buck by feeding f/t rats. And if you order the rats through a supplier instead of paying pet store prices, you'll save money.

If you ever get across the mountain to the Sacramento area, there are many breeders in the area including me.

 

[Bob Kite]

$2 for a mouse, thats crazy! I breed my own feeders here so I guess that would sound crazy to me. People can and will debate the live vs. F/T issue all day long and to that I say to each their own, I feed live and have never had a misshap, it is how nature intended it, But I do agree that if you dont plan on producing your own feeders it is much cheeper to buy F/T in bulk... I think that if the snake is eating 2-3 mice in a feeding, it should be eating rats by now anyway.... Why, if I may ask, are you worried about the snake being fat, how old is the sanke in question and could you post a pic of it?

 

[Shenzi Sixaxis]

As far as feeding, my snakes are all over the place. I have a now 1500g+ spider female who wouldn't eat consistently on rats but thrives on mice. I have 4000g females who won't touch anything bigger then a small to small/medium rat. I have a het albino female ( grumbles and turns red ) who will not eat consistently no matter what I give her. All that being said, I am a firm believer that if a snake is going to be a pet and is not needed for a breeding project then why not get a baby. Balls, if fed right and eating consistently can get large fairly quickly. I have a het pied female that was purchased last august who is over 900g right now. My personal opinion is if it is a pet, why not enjoy it from young and enjoy the transformation and growth process.

Exactly. I would rather get a baby and not pay ~$400 for an adult. I want a pet to take care of, not a mature animal to breed.

Sounds like your very interesting in the pet store snake. The issues I see as possible problems;

Eating live prey can be disastrous for the snake. Mice can do alot of damage in very little time.

Eating mice, this is gonna get expensive at $2 per mouse, 3 mice per week is $24 monthly.

You get more bang for the buck by feeding f/t rats. And if you order the rats through a supplier instead of paying pet store prices, you'll save money.

If you ever get across the mountain to the Sacramento area, there are many breeders in the area including me.

I know the dangers of live, which is why I feed my corn f/t, and if I can't get the BP to eat f/t right off the bat, I'll try switching it over to at least prekilled. Feeding is going to be no issue for me since I'm getting ready to set up a breeding colony.

$2 for a mouse, thats crazy! I breed my own feeders here so I guess that would sound crazy to me. People can and will debate the live vs. F/T issue all day long and to that I say to each their own, I feed live and have never had a misshap, it is how nature intended it, But I do agree that if you dont plan on producing your own feeders it is much cheeper to buy F/T in bulk... I think that if the snake is eating 2-3 mice in a feeding, it should be eating rats by now anyway.... Why, if I may ask, are you worried about the snake being fat, how old is the sanke in question and could you post a pic of it?

It is kind of crazy, period. I'm honestly not sure how old the BP is because I've never asked, and I'm a little cautious of over-feeding or fat snakes since it's easy to do so.
Here are the best two pictures I have of it. In the next couple of days I should be able to get some better pictures of it.
Obvious enough.
BP I'm interested in is further back in the cage with part of its body on the water bowl.

Also, I don't think the heat rock is on. They have one in the red tail boa cage and neither of them are warm or hot to the touch.

 

[Melinda]

They are good looking snakes. The one in the first pic has tons of yellow. I wouldn't say either one was too fat or too skinny. When you look at a fat snake the spine divets in. Too skinny would a very pronounced spine and when picking up the snake the belly/underside is all sucked up.

 

[R. Eventide]

I feel that a healthy ball python is one that does not show obvious muscle tone in their sides. Instead, they look smooth and round. I prefer my snakes on the plump side rather than the thin side, but I pretty much let them choose. For the most part, snakes aren't like other animals that will gorge themselves if allowed. If my snakes aren't hungry, then they don't eat. The bigger animals I will often offer multiple food items, and if they take them, great. If not, I don't force them (unless they're very, very underweight).

Except for very young snakes, I only feed once a week. Works great for my critters.

Also with feeding, if I can get them on f/t, that's fantastic. If not, then they get live or pre-killed. I honestly have not heard of a mouse doing damage to a snake (except those cases where people leave the mouse in with the snake overnight or something). Rats can and do bite hard enough to draw blood. But I digress.... Yes, it's safer and cheaper to feed f/t, but sometimes, no matter how hard you try, the snake just won't budge. It happens. If you have to feed live, you have to feed live; don't let anyone get on your case about it.

 

[Bob Kite]

I feel that a healthy ball python is one that does not show obvious muscle tone in their sides. Instead, they look smooth and round. I prefer my snakes on the plump side rather than the thin side, but I pretty much let them choose. For the most part, snakes aren't like other animals that will gorge themselves if allowed. If my snakes aren't hungry, then they don't eat. The bigger animals I will often offer multiple food items, and if they take them, great. If not, I don't force them (unless they're very, very underweight).

Except for very young snakes, I only feed once a week. Works great for my critters.

Also with feeding, if I can get them on f/t, that's fantastic. If not, then they get live or pre-killed. I honestly have not heard of a mouse doing damage to a snake (except those cases where people leave the mouse in with the snake overnight or something). Rats can and do bite hard enough to draw blood. But I digress.... Yes, it's safer and cheaper to feed f/t, but sometimes, no matter how hard you try, the snake just won't budge. It happens. If you have to feed live, you have to feed live; don't let anyone get on your case about it.