new 6-year-old... feeding question

Guys snakes grow and different rates just like us as people.

I have some snakes that are 5 years old and still only 6-800 grams. As they will only eat maybe 10 times a year. Each snake is different and there's no set rule saying that every 6 year old snake should be this size and eating that. It just doesn't work like that. When fed mice she could of stunt the growth a bit but it could also be a very slow grower.

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Originally Posted by kbiddy

I thought she seemed small for 6 years old as well. He was keeping her in a 55 gallon and I am now keeping her in a larger enclosure. Perhaps the larger habitat and eating live mice(thanks for the advice, btw) will help her to grow a little.
Do you think I should take her to see a vet if she is this small?
She seems very healthy and happy.

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A bigger enclosure is not what you are looking for.

Ball pythons are secretive snakes and actually do better in smaller enclosures. a 55g is way too big. I would go with a 20g long or a 30g breeder.

Also, you need to be feeding that snake either 3-4 mice or a small rat.

What Kaorte said. A 55 gallon is large enough for a big female, let alone a tiny 3-footer. Cage size has zilch to do with how quickly or how large any animal grows. Including fish. That business is nothing but a myth--the reason some fish don't grow well in small tanks is because they run out of oxygen. Then they die--so it doesn't really count. What controls how quickly a ball python grows, and its adult size, is how much it eats, and its genetics.
I would definitely get the ball python sexed. A 3 1/2 foot snake at age 6 is more likely to be a male. But if it is female, it may just be small because it was seriously underfed.
Once in a while, you'll get a snake that's just smaller than usual, though. Based on the report of how much the snake was fed, I would be very surprised if it isn't underweight, in addition to being small overall.

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Originally Posted by snakesrkewl

how do you know for a fact it is a her :p

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+1

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Originally Posted by snakesRkewl

How do you know for a fact it is a her :P

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I agree maybe it is a male, that could explain a smaller size snake. And also most people that aren't really into snakes know that they could go once a month on a meal and might take that approach literally. We have no idea how poorly the previous owner took care of this snake.