overweight BP? please help

[Amp625]

hey everyone, my snake is getting big and im worried to big. Can they get overweight and if they do is it a problem. I have always stuck to the girth size and 10-15 % of body weight rule for correct sized rat. thanks

[MasonC2K]

Some pics would be helpful.

[Amp625]

file://localhost/Users/Aidan/Pictures/Photo%20Booth/Photo%20on%202011-07-17%20at%2021.11%20%232.jpg

file://localhost/Users/Aidan/Pictures/Photo%20Booth/Photo%20on%202011-07-17%20at%2021.11.jpg

file://localhost/Users/Aidan/Pictures/Photo%20Booth/Photo%20on%202011-07-17%20at%2021.12%20%232.jpg

copy and paste these

[snakesRkewl]

not working

[llovelace]

Try uploading thru photobucket

[AK907]

You need to upload them to a host, like Photobucket or Imageshack.

[WingedWolfPsion]

Those are local files, you need to upload them to photobucket, or something like that.

One way to determine if a snake is overweight is to look at its skin and scales carefully. A snake at rest should not show skin between its scales. If it does, it may be overweight.

Ball pythons are naturally very girthy snakes, and many people are surprised by how robust a healthy ball python that is not overweight can appear.

Obesity is very bad for reptiles, however, and leads to problems with fertility and liver function, so obesity needs to be recognized and avoided.

A few general rules:
1) Juvenile ball pythons rarely become obese. Unlike some other species, ball pythons put extra nutrition almost exclusively into growth. They will skip a meal if they've had too much. Obesity is pretty much a non-concern until about age 3.

2) Adult snakes that are NOT breeding, and do not stop eating for several months over the winter, should be fed once every 2 weeks, rather than every week.

3) Trimming down an obese ball python is quite simple. You can feed the animal less often (perhaps once per month) until it reaches the appropriate weight, or you can reduce the size of its prey items. (Feed hoppers instead of small rats, for example).

Here is a minor example of what to look for: http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b2...s/DSCN1715.jpg
You can see in this photo that the skin between the scales is visible and the skin appears stretched. (This snake may not actually be obese, but simply bending her body sharply to produce this effect--in an obese snake, you will see this when the snake is straightened out).

[Amp625]

[Amp625]

one minute im trying to put the other closer ones of him up

[WingedWolfPsion]

Your ball python doesn't appear even remotely overweight.