Bp weight

[CamStatic]

My little girl was born April 2007, and was really puny when I got her.
For about 6 months now, she's grown from 250 grams til 350 grams. She didn't start eat for me until 2 months after I got her, but now she has the apetite of a horse. o_o I feed her thawed proper sized rats, every 7-12 day, and has been doing so the last 4-5 months.

I thought everything was going normal, until I checked out some threads at other reptileforums, that they got a '08 girl who's already the same weight as mine! o_O

So, is my girl just growing reaaally slowly, or am I doing something wrong? o_O
I like her being all small and cute, but it would be cool if she was ready for next year's season. ._. I don't think she will be in this pace. :p

[starmom]

I only have 13 ball pythons but out of that 13 I have two females who are really slow growers. One of them has not been a very good eater (and I'm working on that with her) and the other is just growing very slowly. All my other girls are absolute feeding machines!!
I think that there might be an average growth rate, but they also grow at their own rate. So, maybe you have a snake who might just not be ready to go next season. It happens....
Just a side note: 12 day feedings seem like a long time for a snake who weighs that much. Have you considered making the feedings every 7 days and sticking to that? It might help a little with weight gain

[CamStatic]

Thanks for the answer!
It's no stress if she isn't ready next season, but it would be cool, y'know.

Hmm, you actually think that's too little? :o I've been so afraid of over-feeding her, since I've heard so much bad things about that. But if you think it's okay to start feeding her on a regular basis every 7 days, then maybe I shall give it a try..

How would I know if I'm overfeeding her?

[frankykeno]

If she's like most ball pythons, if you overdue it she'll simply refuse a week here or there. They are pretty good at self-regulating but since it's better for them and for us to stay to a nice regular feeding routine, try to avoid triggering those fasts.

I'd say she'd probably do quite nicely for you on a properly size prey item offered once a week. Just pick a day that works for you and pretty quickly she'll have figured out the routine and be coiled there, primed and ready to eat on that night.

She's 250 grams now. What prey type and size are you offering her at present?

Also never compare to anyone else's snakes. All snakes grow at different rates, all keepers feed their own ways so 1 to 1 comparisons tend to be apples and oranges. Look for general patterns....as in most 07's are between this and this size more than specifics. A broader group helps you see the overall patterns of growth I think.

[CamStatic]

Thank you for the advice!

Umm, I feed her 4-5 week old rat pups, around 40 grams each. I try to stick to the "keep meals as large as the thickest part of the snake" logic.

[Somed00d]

Unfortunately I don't think she will be up to breeding size by next season, that's not a bad thing really its better health wise to wait longer and to grow up slowly (i can't prove that but Its what I believe). I personally would feed her every 6-7 days. Your feeder size sounds perfect, a 40g rat is about the right size to feed. Some people go by 10% of the snakes weight but its roughly the same if you go by the thickness of the prey.

Good luck and lets hope she continues eating like a horse!

[CamStatic]

Thanks, I actually think the same, Somed00d. Like I mentioned earlier, I don't want to overfeed her to get her ready for next season. I do Ralph Davis philosophy on this subject; "when she's ready, she's ready!"

Hmm, gotta correct myself a little, just weighed her again, and she's actually up to 466 grams now. Might have something to do with the rat I gave her three days ago tho. She was 350 grams in mid May.

But from 350 grams til 466 in just a few weeks can't be bad? :p

[starmom]

I would bump her up to a rat weanling or a small rat- depending on the gram size of each