What's up with all the underfed snakes

i have 6 snakes all around the same age and their weight vary greatly. for comparison. i have two females that were born in june of 09 and one it 600 gmas. the other is around the 1300 mark. the smaller female is a picky eater, only goes for mice. the other will eat anyhing that you put in front of her. but i still only offer once a week to her like the rest. i guess she just puts every gram of food to work.

Many breeders believe in "slow growing" pythons to make them live long healthy lives. Whether "slow grown" = "underfed" is really up to the individual I guess. I personally would prefer to see a baby fed no more often than once every 7 days, and consider feeding any more often too much, but this is only my own opinion, and I wouldn't dream of telling someone NOT to feed their snakes more often or less often.

Also, some places will "maintanance feed" animals which doesn't promote quick growth at all, because they feed them less often, I ASSUME to save on feeding/cleaning/whatever.

Maybe the babies that get big quick naturally on the same feed schedule are etiher kept back or sold first, and thus only slower growing babies are on the market still?

Just ideas for thought.

But, that just goes back around to 'something is wrong'. I'm sorry, but I consider a hatchling that will not eat every week (when not in shed) to be a problem feeder. It's not an animal I want in my breeding program.

I also see no reason to buy an animal that has been fed just the minimal amount necessary to keep it healthy without allowing it to grow properly. If I'm buying a baby ball, it's because I want a good future breeder--I want a big, fast-growing, healthy baby, not an undersized baby that doesn't eat reliably, or won't grow well for some other reason.

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Originally Posted by WingedWolfPsion

If I'm buying a baby ball, it's because I want a good future breeder--I want a big, fast-growing, healthy baby, not an undersized baby that doesn't eat reliably, or won't grow well for some other reason.

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Agreed.

I see this too. and i not sure what it is at time people being cheap, hard to get proper sized rodents( I know ifi ask for a large mouse I get a small one ).. I seen this too. I adopted a snake out to a girl who wanted one but returned it like 3 months or so later cause they could not get a permit to keep it ( De funny and the upper counties are funnier.) but the snake left my care at about 150 grams ( i kept the nonfeeding sibling ) when I got the snake back it was only 350 grams and my problem eater had turn around and eating lke a champ ( never turning the meal down) at about 700 grams. now they about the same weight since I offer both food weekly and at first givign the little returned one a mouse as atreat mid week till she caught up with the other snake.

Sadly I don't keep feeding records too much even with the dephi program ( cause it not in the reptile room ) and i always mutli tasking when I feed,clean and such things with th snakes. ( might be why I so use to getting bitten since i smell like a mouse or rat from feeding the other snakes lol.. and the rats are lbiting me cause I smell like something that will kil lthem ( not that thety far off) so I so use to getting bit I don't even think 2x about it lol)

It seems some breeders "maintanence" feed their hatchlings. I guess by definition, it is enough food to maintain the Ball baby. I would say if a breeder hatches a baby Ball and feeds it enough so it does not looks skinny, so that it looks proportional, that is fine. Then, the person who buys the snake can feed it as much as they want.

My babies get fed two times a week for the first several months, and then once a week when they take larger prey items. The '09 PDH male I just sold was only about 50 grams smaller than my largest 09 female holdback. I knew I was going to sell the male because I have a 100% DH male, his father, but I fed him like he was staying here. I do try to feed my females a bit more than my males anyway, but I feed all my hatchlings pretty much the same. I would rather do it this way, then maintanence feed the babies I intend to sell, and have to try and pump them up right before I ship them.

I recently picked up a snake that was not quite skin and bones, but WAY under what he should have been...he looked kind of skinny and felt empty. Not cool.

I like to "go with my gut" on this one. If a breeder is someone that I trust, but the snake is on the small side, I would/will ask about its feeding response. Some breeders and keepers use more of a "maintenance" diet, as opposed to a "power-feeding" diet.

An underfed snake will look thin. If a snake is relatively robust and has a slight chub to it, that is fine with me. If you can see its spine.. no.

I too would be put off though, on undersized-for-their-age snakes. Although growth does vary (I saw that in my clutches that I have produced.) Usually an undersized snake, in my experience, comes with an explanation from the seller; I myself had to do that when selling my pinstripe, because she was not a great eater at first.

Sometimes snakes grow slowly, with no health issues.

And sometimes, snakes are not as frequent of feeders.

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Originally Posted by WingedWolfPsion

an animal that has been fed just the minimal amount necessary to keep it healthy without allowing it to grow properly.

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I dissagree with this statement. As I stated in my post earlyer not all snakes eat as often as others do. Just because the snake is not as big as you think it should be for its age, doesn't mean it has not grown properly. A wild ball python is probably only going to eat once or twice a month and they grow at a normal steady rate. The females are not getting to breeding size for at least 3 to 4 years of age. It is not "natural" for a female ball to be breeding size by 1 to 2 years of age. That is a spead up growth rate, which is not healthy or proper.

Some of mine eat more than others. The ones that eat more get bigger quicker. Just because a snake doesn't eat every time you throw some food in his face doesn't mean it's not a solid snake. I don't expect my males to be at breeding size in four months and females in Fifteen. To say that a snake who doesn't eat every week is a poor feeder and shouldn't be in a breeding program is a matter of opinion, but I happen to disagree.
I like to let them grow at their own pace.