Reasonable rates of weight gain?

[slartibartfast]

Forgive me if these are slightly different questions...my experience in raising animals comes from feeding livestock, where you want maximal gain, optimum feed efficiency, etc. and from rearing neonatal kittens, where I monitor their weight daily to make sure they are doing well.

My question is about tracking growth rates for husbandry purposes.

I am aware that over-feeding can result in problems, and I don't think I'm at risk of that. I am currently feeding appropriate sized prey weekly, and everybody eats unhestitatingly.

How often do you check weights on them?
What rates of gain do you expect to see?
Has anybody done growth curves on this species?

Also, I have an adult female who is in extremely poor condition. I mentioned her earlier in a thread on the ethics of buying from a negligent store. When I went in again a week after first seeing her, she was looking somewhat better and had eaten that day. I paid $50 for her (yes, I know I'm wrong for doing it) and took her home and dewormed her with oral ivermectin at the dose listed in Plumb's formulary. I don't have her exact length, but she's at least three feet and only 500g. She looks bony, but is more alert and responsive and readily took two adult mice for me on Monday. One eye was obscured by a large scab, which has since come off as she's shedding, and there is a hazy but intact eye underneath. She has at least a dozen small areas of scarring, some with palpable lumps of tissue underneath.

What is a good feeding rate to allow her to regain her weight? I'm not in any hurry; just want what's best for her recovery.

Thanks!
~Jess

[joepythons]

I weigh every snake after they shed and release any poo they might have.I do not think there is a set weight gain to expect since every ball python is differant.For instance i have a female het albino that barely 900 grams and she is a 04,now my male pastel is a 05 and he just reached 1000 grams.The female het is a very picky snake and the pastel would probably eat a horse if i dropped one in his enclosure lol.Now some of the others might have a little insight on there snakes weight gains.