BP has been getting really dark. Is this normal?

[JamesdaLion]

have had my BP (Fido) for about a yr now. Fido is about 1 1/2 yrs old and is almost 2ft long. his color seems to be getting really dark compared to when i first got him. Is this normal? Also, he refused his first meal today since ive had him. Ive read this is normal but thought id throw that in anyway.

[Valley]

Shed?

Seems a bit small for that age..

[The Serpent Merchant]

It looks like your BP is going into shed.

The answers to these questions will help us make sure that you have everything set up correctly:

http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...t-Questionaire

[JamesdaLion]

yea hes gettin reaady to shed sorry thought i put that in the post. but his color is still dark even after he sheds. Is he small for his age? he's my first snake so i dont have much to go on.

[JamesdaLion]

1. How long have you had your ball python? little over a year



2. How old (or how big) is your snake?
around 1 1/2 years , 49 inches


3. Does it eat on a regular schedule? every monday



4. How long since its last meal? 7 days



5. What type/size prey is being offered? live mice/ idk average mouse size? lol



6. How often do you offer food? every monday



7. What type and size of enclosure does it live in? home made wood frame but plexy glass on entire interior it is 2ft by 4 ft with back half 4 ft high and front half 2 ft high



8. What are you using as substrate? If it has depth, how deep is it? aspen shavings 1-2 inches and a moss carpet on top shelf of cage for when he climbs up there



9. What type of heating do you use? 2 ceramic bulbs (1 Day/1 night) and heating rock



10. Do you use a thermostat to control temperatures? no



11. What do you use to measure/monitor temperatures? incage thermometer 1 in hot spot and one in cold



12. What are the surface and ambient temperatures in the enclosure? ambient is on avg 78 F



13. What is the average humidity level? 55 - 65



14. How many and what type of hides does the snake have? 3 1 medium rock style (in hot spot), 1 large fully enclosed wood "house", and 1 medium open hide with fake vegetation surrounding



15. Is water readily available at all times? yes



16. Does the snake live alone or does it share the enclosure with anything else? 2nd bp atm



17. How often and for how long is the snake typically handled? 2 times a week for around 15 - 30 mins



18. Does the snake have any medical history (old injuries or illnesses)? no



19. Do you have any other reptiles? Have you brought in any new reptiles recently? 2nd bp staying for awhile while friend gets adequate enclosure. It is new from Petco about 10-12 inches



20. Is there anything specific or unique about your situation that we should be aware of? his enclosure is new to him about 1 month

[The Serpent Merchant]

Looks pretty small.

[The Serpent Merchant]

1. How long have you had your ball python? little over a year



2. How old (or how big) is your snake?
around 1 1/2 years , 49 inches


3. Does it eat on a regular schedule? every monday



4. How long since its last meal? 7 days



5. What type/size prey is being offered? live mice/ idk average mouse size? lol



6. How often do you offer food? every monday



7. What type and size of enclosure does it live in? home made wood frame but plexy glass on entire interior it is 2ft by 4 ft with back half 4 ft high and front half 2 ft high



8. What are you using as substrate? If it has depth, how deep is it? aspen shavings 1-2 inches and a moss carpet on top shelf of cage for when he climbs up there



9. What type of heating do you use? 2 ceramic bulbs (1 Day/1 night) and heating rock



10. Do you use a thermostat to control temperatures? no



11. What do you use to measure/monitor temperatures? incage thermometer 1 in hot spot and one in cold



12. What are the surface and ambient temperatures in the enclosure? ambient is on avg 78 F



13. What is the average humidity level? 55 - 65



14. How many and what type of hides does the snake have? 3 1 medium rock style (in hot spot), 1 large fully enclosed wood "house", and 1 medium open hide with fake vegetation surrounding



15. Is water readily available at all times? yes



16. Does the snake live alone or does it share the enclosure with anything else? 2nd bp atm



17. How often and for how long is the snake typically handled? 2 times a week for around 15 - 30 mins



18. Does the snake have any medical history (old injuries or illnesses)? no



19. Do you have any other reptiles? Have you brought in any new reptiles recently? 2nd bp staying for awhile while friend gets adequate enclosure. It is new from Petco about 10-12 inches



20. Is there anything specific or unique about your situation that we should be aware of? his enclosure is new to him about 1 month

Please remove the hot rock. These are known to fail and can be very dangerous to your snake.

How many mice do you feed per feeding?

Are the ceramic heat bulbs in a place where the snake can physically come in contact with them?

[JamesdaLion]

He is exaclty 28 inches long and 5 3/4 in diameter. and no they are not. i feed him one mouse

[The Serpent Merchant]

That that age he should probably be eating more than 1 mouse a week. How much does he weigh? That is generally how we measure a BP's growth (in grams preferably)

[JamesdaLion]

ill have to find a scale and get back to u on that