Growth rate?

[Gooseman]

Well... I've had my snape since new years and have a question concerning her growth rate. I've read that bp's grow roughly a foot a year, but when I got her late january she was 19 inches and now she's a whopping 27 1/2 inches. I've been feeding her only a mouse every sunday of appropriate size, I'm wondering if such growth rates are healthy.

[sg1trogdor]

every snake is different i have a male thats about 6 inches smaller than my female and hes about 5 months older (runt) lol my female is about a year and only about i would say 30-32 inches maybe.

[ballroom]

growth rates do vary per snake. What I can tell you is that in the wild a snake will eat as often as possible and as much as possible. Over the years I have seen What we now call Bush babies come into the country. Knowing that they were the same age as snakes I was feeding what I thought was an agressive schedule .( 1 appropriate size meal every 5 days) these things were almost twice the size as mine...
basically I dont think you can over feed a ball python on a once a week schedule as long as the meals are no larger than the widest part of the snakes body.

[Gooseman]

I just find it odd that my lil girl is growing at 2 inches a month, I was expecting half of that.

[mricyfire]

I just find it odd that my lil girl is growing at 2 inches a month, I was expecting half of that.

I know the feeling...mine turns a year end of May and he is already 2inches shy of 3 feet.

[Christina]

wow my girl has grown from 17" in december of 06' to around 30" in the beginning of april. there's usually like a 4" or 5" difference every month... she gets a small rat every week, but nothing bigger than the widest part (as stated above). i think she'll be a year in june or july.