How does your Ball Python grow?!!

[severe_bomber]

Hatchlings, Juveniles, Adults? Just wondered what the age ranges for these are, considering a Ball-Python can live for 20-30 years?

Also, is there a phase in their lives where they grow more quickly (like kids grow into adults and then stop growing!) or do they just continue to grow throughout their lives at a fairly constant rate?

The reason I ask is because I'd like to know how old my BP is and as I've learned from other posts here, you can't base their age on their length or weight as they vary so much.

(He's 3ft, 4inches long and weighs 770 grams, by the way. )

Many thanks...

[CoolioTiffany]

Every snake grows at its own rate, but normally when they are at their hatchling/juvenile stage they will shed more often and grow faster (which is also why breeders and/or hobbyists tend to feed their hatchling every 3-5 days).

As they are at their adult stage they will start to shed less often and grow less often, but snakes never stop growing their entire lives and will always shed throughout their lives even if it seems they haven't grown much. At their sub-adult to adult stage, breeders and/or hobbyists will feed them every 7-10 days.

EDIT: You can also not tell your snake's age by its length or weight since all snakes grow at different rates. We could give you a guess but it may not be accurate.

[severe_bomber]

Every snake grows at its own rate, but normally when they are at their hatchling/juvenile stage they will shed more often and grow faster

So at what age are they classed as an adult rather than a juvenile? Or is it based on appearance rather than age?

[WingedWolfPsion]

I've found that on average, snakes put on approximately 500 grams per year. Once they reach age 3 or 4, their growth rate slows, and by 5 they've really settled into a very slow adult growth rate. All reptiles continue to grow over the course of their lives, but their growth slows once they reach adulthood.

Ball pythons are considered adult at age 3 or 4. Animals around age 2 to 3 are subadult, and animals age 1 to 2 are juveniles. Up to age one they're usually considered hatchlings, but some some really fast growers might be called juveniles before age 1.

This is a general guide, because growth rates can vary tremendously. Some animals won't reach 1500 grams until age 4 or 5. Some animals WILL reach 1500 grams by age 1! Both can be perfectly healthy. There's a lot we still don't understand about ball python growth and genetics, of course.

[Kaorte]

I would say at about 2-3 years old, their growth significantly slows. They get the most growing done in the first year. Yearlings are generally between 500-1000g.

I would classify an Adult as a snake that is able to breed.