Hard to fatten up snake?

I have an '09 female that I bought in April and she weighed ~300 or so grams. The old owner said she fed well each week and just had a hard time gaining weight. I weighed her last week and she is only up to 375 grams.

She eats every week without fail, sometimes twice a week, and always digests her food. She poops every few weeks. Is it normal that she only weigh 375 grams? I keep seeing pictures of other '09 snakes that are much bigger. Should I have her fecal matter tested?

Thanks for your time!

altho im new i would say it wouldent hurt to visit the vet, i would think it would of gained more than that

justin

realize too that the size fo the prey would effect the weight gain ( each snakes groes at it own pace) but I guess at about 375 grams should be eating rats crawlers I say if not smalls. i know i offer crawlers when I can , but I also feed adult mice ( males ) when I need ot thin the mouse colony down.

When I first got my male bp he was almost 2 years old and only 250 grams! Its was shocking. He wouldn't gain weight, even eating mice every week. He never refused food. Then I switched him to rats and whoa those saved me a vet visit. He he hadn't started gaining weight w rats I was going to get him checked for parasites. But now 8 months later he is 1090 grams! So there is hope!! Feed rats! & keep hoping. If not get the bp checked for Parasites. :D
Good luck!!

She's on rat weanlings right now, they are just the right size for her girth. I just bumped her up a few months ago and I feel that if I went up a size she might be oversized.

She looks absolutely fine and sheds well, it's just there is no weight gain. If she had a parasite, would there be any other symptoms or is it a test-only sort of issue?

Thanks for the answers! :)

I believe I would have a fecal done, JUST to be on the safe side.

It could be something as simple as not large enough prey, but it could also be very serious.

I will say that I've seen personally a ball that was fed what seemed an appropriate size prey but was only maintaining weight and barely gaining.

When I got over my unease and offered larger prey, he started gaining steadily, and proved that ball pythons really are made of rubber. :D

Gale

Test that poop! Take a fresh sample into a vet and they can give you meds if he has anything. If not, try slightly bigger prey and make sure all the enviromental things are as they should be. A stressed animal gains less weight than a calmer one. Is he in a high traffic area? Getting handled a lot? Try reducing any stressful events and see what happens.

Balls can handle a little larger meals. You should see a noticeable lump after the meal. Feed every five days until she gains a little weight. Hope this helps.

Temps and humidity are right on. She's handled at most two times a week, usually she is handled once every week or two.

I just put an order through for new rats and ordered all the same size, should I just try giving her two at one sitting? Or would it be better to two on two consecutive days? I've always had the feeling that her prey isn't big enough, because she never hides for more than a night after eating. I think it's time for Mommy to stop being a worry-wart and let her have big-kid meals. :rolleyes:

Thanks for the suggestions! I'll wait for her next poop and have that tested. :)

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Originally Posted by El_Dorado

Temps and humidity are right on. She's handled at most two times a week, usually she is handled once every week or two.

I just put an order through for new rats and ordered all the same size, should I just try giving her two at one sitting? Or would it be better to two on two consecutive days? I've always had the feeling that her prey isn't big enough, because she never hides for more than a night after eating. I think it's time for Mommy to stop being a worry-wart and let her have big-kid meals. :rolleyes:

Thanks for the suggestions! I'll wait for her next poop and have that tested. :)

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I would try two in one sitting. As soon as she gets the first one down, offer the second.