General sex and misc. questions.

[Debbienflorida]

I recently purchased a BP from Petco. So far eating F/T fuzzies and weighs 130g. Since he (?) is too young to sex should I wonder if thee is a chance it is a female or is it more than likely a male? I have named him George but can also change it to Georgia since I like that name too. Are male and female normals pretty much the same price when a little older?

[dsirkle]

Females have a higher value. The snake can be sexed by a Veterinarian.You probably should get a fecal exam anyway and have them check the sex at that time.

[xdeus]

Welcome to the forum Debbie! And congrats on your new snake.

Balls are never too young to sex as long as the person doing it is experienced. They can be popped or probed right out of the egg. As far as value, females will be worth more as they get older because they can be used to breed. Obviously male normals can be bred as well, but they don't have much monetary value as a breeder.

[Debbienflorida]

I went to my regular vet and she takes routine care of reptiles but would refer me if it was a serious problem but the herp vet is quite a drive. Anyway, he was parasite free but she thought he is a bit underweight for length so I am trying to get him to eat every 5 days instead of 7-9 as Petco was doing.

As far as I can tell, it is probably CH, so I am thinking the breeders/wholesalers sex them and only sell males? I actually prefer a male since this is my first and have no plans to breed or that this be anything but a pet and only snake. I have wanted one for years and hubbie has a snake phobia. He has held George and then even tried feeding the other day. I am so proud of him!
I think he will and is warming up to George but another snake is out of the question especially one bigger than a Ball.

Thanks for the welcome! I have been reading on this board before George came home on Dec 19th. I did a lot of research and always came back to the BPs. He is such a joy.

[Spaniard]

Welcome to the forum!

Most people follow a 7 day or 5 day feeding schedule. As your snake gets older and your own hands on experience increases you'll be able to determine what is the best schedule for your snake. I think a 5 day schedule for a young bp is a good idea.

Good Luck!

[rabernet]

As far as I can tell, it is probably CH, so I am thinking the breeders/wholesalers sex them and only sell males?

All of Petco's ball pythons are are CH, and they are both males and females (just sexed two females there Christmas Eve, actually). As babies, their value by sex is close to the same, especially in the pet trade. As they age and gain weight, the females become more valuable as they approach a breeder weight.

[NickP]

Btw, if your bp is 130 grams I'm pretty sure mouse fuzzies are too small for him. You just start feeding the adult mice PETCO carries if that is where you get your F/T from.

[Debbienflorida]

Thanks for all the help so far! He graduated to a hopper today, his last meal was a fuzzy on the 4th of Jan. I wanted to gradually increase size so as not too have any cause for regurge. I have waited years for this little guy so I am doing it slowly if he continues to gain weight. I can sort of tell already when he gets hungrt. He seems to get more active and seems to be "hunting". I offer, he eats or i offer it every 5 days. Petco was only feeding a fuzzy every 2 weeks so he has increased quite a bit.

[dalvers63]

Hammerhead is correct. Even newly hatched ball pythons can take hopper mice. If your guys is 130 grams he can easily eat an adult mouse or a rat fuzzy/pup.

Good luck with your snake! I think you'll find them addictive :-)