Skinny Baby?

Ever since I got Shilo, he's been tiny and skinny. The breeder I got him from had gotten him back from a return (Someone thought he was a super, not due to false advertising, he was really really bright as a hatchling) and I bought Salem from him. Salem was plump, healthy, and Shilo was somewhat small and skinny. Even with the feeding records, he was thin. I've been keeping a record of his feedings, and he keeps getting longer, but not quite thick enough. I don't know if this is just the way he is, or if I should feed him more. The next step up is small rats, but that's a huge step considering large mice stretch his neck and head but not his belly. I really don't want him to be hurt if I upgrade him to a rat. I can't find any stores that sell rat pups, just go from a large mouse to a small rat.

Any suggestions or am I doin ok?

http://i49.tinypic.com/oawsvb.jpg

It is kind of hard to tell from that picture.

I would start taking his weight and feed him 10-15% of his body weight every 5-7 days.

Shiloh looks gorgeous. As long as he is eating and pooping, he should be fine. If you are concerned, you can have a fecal done at the vets to check for worms.

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He does not seem overly skinny to me from that picture. If he's fairly rounded and not triangular, then he's ok. Some snakes get longer first, some get thicker first. My husband has a pinstripe female, and at 1200 grams, she's a full 7" shorter than any of my females of that size, so she looks ridiculously fat. But, she's been that way her whole life. She gains girth for a while, then she lengthens out some, then she gets girth again.

In contrast, my cinnamon female is long and skinny looking. She's a healthy 1100 grams, but she's at least 6" longer than my other females of similar size, so she seems too skinny. But she's nicely rounded and plump, so I know it's just her length playing tricks on my eyes.

You do want his food to make a little bulge in his belly. Think Thanksgiving dinner, not hot dog eating contest. You'd be amazed at what these guys can swallow.

Gale

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Originally Posted by angllady2

He does not seem overly skinny to me from that picture. If he's fairly rounded and not triangular, then he's ok. Some snakes get longer first, some get thicker first. My husband has a pinstripe female, and at 1200 grams, she's a full 7" shorter than any of my females of that size, so she looks ridiculously fat. But, she's been that way her whole life. She gains girth for a while, then she lengthens out some, then she gets girth again.

In contrast, my cinnamon female is long and skinny looking. She's a healthy 1100 grams, but she's at least 6" longer than my other females of similar size, so she seems too skinny. But she's nicely rounded and plump, so I know it's just her length playing tricks on my eyes.

You do want his food to make a little bulge in his belly. Think Thanksgiving dinner, not hot dog eating contest. You'd be amazed at what these guys can swallow.

Gale

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Thanks Gale! Yeah, his brother Salem is really plump but not as long. So what you've said here really makes sense. I feed him plenty, once a week to once every 4 days depending on the size of the food. And he's definitely not triangular, I can't feel his bones or anything, he's just so thin compared to Salem!

I think it depends on the snake really. I have an Enchi boy who is short and fat and I have a pastel YB thats Long and thin. Super active at night but eats off and on. He's an odd one.

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Originally Posted by BP2

I think it depends on the snake really. I have an Enchi boy who is short and fat and I have a pastel YB thats Long and thin. Super active at night but eats off and on. He's an odd one.

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Shilo eats normally, he just digests super fast in my opinion.