How much weight loss is "too much"?

[Eazyyyb]

Hey guys, I, and I am sure all of you, know that BPs are picky eaters and often go off feed. My girl has not eaten since 3/16 and she has lost 232 grams from 3/25 (1400 grams to 1168). Is that okay weight loss or should I be concerned?! Thanks in advance

[J.P.]

2 month fast is nothing to worry about. the weight loss seems significant if based on the absolute value alone. but a factor to consider would be whether the original weight was ideal. for example, if she was fat (or had a full belly) at 1400 then she'd be ok at 1168. but if 1400 was the right weight for her, then she'd be underweight at 1168, in which case it's a cuase for concern.

weight is not the best indicator of a snake's health. to illustrate my point, imagine 2 snakes both weighing 1400 but diffrent length, one is a skinny 4 footer, the other is a fat 2.5 footer, both are not healthy. this is the reason i've stopped solely relying on weight to monitor my snakes' health. a better indicator is the overall body tone, healthy snakes have firm muscles and tight skin. i like them to have just a hint of scale separation, just a tiny sliver of a gap between the scales.

[CORBIN911]

Aswell how many bowel movements was there, my girls can hold in there surprise for month or 2 and loose easily 150-200g in weight sometimes. Always sucks when my under 2000g girls hit that mark, then well leave me a gift and drop back down!

[bcr229]

Normally I wouldn't worry, especially if her body condition is still good, and if she is still fairly young then she may have just hit the "1000 gram wall" a little late. And yes, one big bowel movement can make a difference in how much they weigh.

BUT...

- You bought a wild caught cheap imported baby blood python that never ate for you, had seizures, and then died last February a few months after you brought it home. Did you have a necropsy done on her?
- Your male red tail boa later popped up with mites.
- You've brought in two more boas in the past month, one of which was from a pet store.
- You live in an apartment so QT is going to be minimal simply due to lack of space; everything is under the same roof even if you have an enclosure in each room or on opposite sides of a large room.

If this girl's body condition deteriorates, she loses much more weight, or she has any marked behavior changes, I would schedule a vet visit and get bloodwork done.

[MrLang]

That's a lot of weight loss. I would look at other factors in this case. More important than the weight itself is the condition of the body. Can you take some pictures for us? Is her body loose and soft? Extra skin around the neck or at the tail?

[Eazyyyb]

Normally I wouldn't worry, especially if her body condition is still good, and if she is still fairly young then she may have just hit the "1000 gram wall" a little late. And yes, one big bowel movement can make a difference in how much they weigh.

BUT...

- You bought a wild caught cheap imported baby blood python that never ate for you, had seizures, and then died last February a few months after you brought it home. Did you have a necropsy done on her?
- Your male red tail boa later popped up with mites.
- You've brought in two more boas in the past month, one of which was from a pet store.
- You live in an apartment so QT is going to be minimal simply due to lack of space; everything is under the same roof even if you have an enclosure in each room or on opposite sides of a large room.

If this girl's body condition deteriorates, she loses much more weight, or she has any marked behavior changes, I would schedule a vet visit and get bloodwork done.

I dont know why you say wild caught and no I did not, and my red tail was sold to me with mites, and I have had the best luck with local store bought snakes

That's a lot of weight loss. I would look at other factors in this case. More important than the weight itself is the condition of the body. Can you take some pictures for us? Is her body loose and soft? Extra skin around the neck or at the tail?

I will post some pics, but no I do not see anything like that

[Eazyyyb]

Im not sure how to share these pics, but hopefully you can see them from this link: https://www.flickr.com/photos/124102...h/14055661167/

[Eazyyyb]

She looks okay to me?