Weight and Length Chart for BPs by Age?

[Stingray74]

Hey All,
Just curious if there's a length/weight chart out there for BP's. Something that shows the average weight and length for BP's based on the age/sex. Kind of like when you bring your kid to the doctor and they tell you that your kid is 55% for height and 75% for weight, based on the age. I guess I'm looking for a basic guide on what healthy snakes should weigh at a given age. Thanks in advance.

[Stewart_Reptiles]

No there is not, it does not work that way, because there are too many variable such weight out of the egg, how fast an hatchling get started, feeding frequency, prey size, occasional food refusal, fast etc.

I have had females weighing 1800 grams at a year and a half and some weighing 1200 grams at 3 years.

And of course there is also a difference between males and females.

The best guide is to have a snake that is well proportionate and let it grow at his own pace.

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk

[Stingray74]

No there is not, it does not work that way, because there are too many variable such weight out of the egg, how fast an hatchling get started, feeding frequency, prey size, occasional food refusal, fast etc.

I have had females weighing 180p grams at a year and a half and some weighing 1200 grams at 3 years.

And of course there is also a difference between males and females.

The best guide is to have a snake that is well proportionate and let it grow at his own pace.

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk

Thanks, Deborah! I appreciate the response. So, maybe I'll try asking this question another way and focus on females. What would one expect a healthy female ball to weigh at 1 year, 2 years, and 3 years of age (never being paired up)? I realize there's a ton of variables in my question, but am just looking for a basic guideline to refer to. I do plan on breeding my few females later down the line, but am not power-feeding them at all. They all eat once weekly and roughly 10% of their empty weight. Thanks in advance all.

[Eric Alan]

Thanks, Deborah! I appreciate the response. So, maybe I'll try asking this question another way and focus on females. What would one expect a healthy female ball to weigh at 1 year, 2 years, and 3 years of age (never being paired up)? I realize there's a ton of variables in my question, but am just looking for a basic guideline to refer to. I do plan on breeding my few females later down the line, but am not power-feeding them at all. They all eat once weekly and roughly 10% of their empty weight. Thanks in advance all.

Your question rephrased will still get the same answer. I've had females be at breeding weight by 1 year, by 2 years, and by 3 years. All perfectly healthy. All perfectly normal. There just isn't really a guideline like that.

Generally speaking, most females hit breeding size (which is up for interpretation itself) between 18 and 36 months. The road they take to get there is completely dependant on not only their husbsndry, but also their own individual metabolism.

[Stingray74]

Your question rephrased will still get the same answer. I've had females be at breeding weight by 1 year, by 2 years, and by 3 years. All perfectly healthy. All perfectly normal. There just isn't really a guideline like that.

Generally speaking, most females hit breeding size (which is up for interpretation itself) between 18 and 36 months. The road they take to get there is completely dependant on not only their husbsndry, but also their own individual metabolism.

Thanks, Eric.

[Macropodus]

... many variable such weight out of the egg...

Is there a correlation between egg size, hatchling weight out of egg, and/or number of eggs per clutch?

I recently acquired a "Normal Ball Python Hatchling" born this year. She was 340grams on arrival (weight verified on 2 different scales) and supposedly her "mother is 4000+ grams and laid a 13 egg clutch." I think 340grams is very large for a snake of this age (even a female), and being just a Normal the probability of her being power fed is quite low. Also, she was on sale for two months before I purchased her, leading me to believe that she may have even been maintenance fed for the last two months.

One could plausibly think that a large number number of eggs per clutch might correspond to smaller eggs. Hypothetical example: two 4500 gram females, one with a ten egg clutch and the other with a 15 egg clutch but both clutches have the same total weight and so therefore the 15 egg clutch would produce smaller hatchlings ??

[Stewart_Reptiles]

Is there a correlation between egg size, hatchling weight out of egg, and/or number of eggs per clutch?

Some animals (identical animals) laying the same number of eggs will lay small eggs which translate as small offsprings out of the eggs while some will lay massive eggs and hatchling.

Obviously a small hatchling may have to be started on a smaller than usual prey whereas a larger hatchling might start on something larger. That means the larger hatchli bgs will put on more weight in the same amount of time than the other hatchlings.

I have a female that consistently produce 90/95 grams hatchlings while another produce 40 grams hatchling, and both produce massive clutches which that is more common with older individuals, both are also big individual.

Big eggs and hatchling are not necessarily synonym of large female either I have small females laying fewer but bigger eggs and the opposite is true too.

The individual genetics are really at play and nothing can really be predicted, it is actually even possible to have a huge egg with a very small hatchling inside also usually it's not the case.

Usually I notice a difference of 20/25 grams between egg and hatchling.