I originally typed this up in response to another thread but thought I'd just start a new one...
One way to tell if your snake is starting to get a little porky is if you pick him up and can feel a layer of fat under his skin/scales. I have a yellow belly who was generally the one who would get leftovers if someone else refused to eat. I eventually noticed that I could actually feel a more than normal layer of fat on her. If you experience it, it's very apparent.
Another thing to look for are the ends of their tales. I noticed this same yb started to get a kind of stumpy tail, unlike the normal tapered thin tail...I kind of attribute this to her growing too fast...:confused:
Here's the yb's tail...
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a3...s/IMG_0136.jpg
As opposed to my spider and butter...
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a3...s/IMG_0138.jpg
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a3...s/IMG_0139.jpg
They're all roughly the same age, but the yb was always the better feeder...obviously...
I cut down her feeding schedule and her fat layer seemed to dissipate to a normal level...she went on a brief fast last year which helped as well...
Out of my three females I bred last year, she's the only one who didn't give me eggs. I definitely attribute this to her being too heavy. It was a lesson learned...:oops:
If you're going to feed on a heavier than normal scale you need to be more in tune with your animals...If you want to keep it simple, stick to a 5-7 day schedule...unless you're feeding prey items that are way too big, you'll never need to worry about your snake getting fat...:gj:
This is all my personal experience...there are a lot of experts here with tons more experience than I.
If they have any info, experience or thoughts please chime in!!!