Is she fat?

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Originally Posted by rossi46

Huh? What part of their genetic make-up or DNA would tell them to stop eating?

They're opportunistic eaters. In the wild, there's tons of uncertainty as to when their next meal is. BPs don't have the ability to understand they are in captivity, being cared for by an "overly generous" owner who will offer a nice plump rat the next time, if they decline this meal.

There certainly are fat BPs out there - I see it all too often in breeders who are plumping up their females in order to get to breeding weight ASAP. Maybe I'm the only one out there, but I'm keeping my pied lean.

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Have you owned snakes other than ball pythons? In my experience, an opportunistic feeder will eat anything in sight. Ball pythons don't tend to have obesity problems because they lay off food once they get to be a bit fat. Keep in mind that when they get a bit fat, and go off of food, they can easily go 6+ months without eating and be fine.

Some people here might have snakes they refer to as a "garbage disposal", because they eat anything in sight, at any time. Ball pythons generally don't do this.

People leave food out 100% of the time for house cats, and they can stay relatively skinny like that. Now, if you had a Labrador retriever, and you left food out 100% of the time, he would be morbidly obese. Some animals regulate their own body weight even when given the chance to eat as much as they want, others don't. Ball pythons seem to be able to know when they need/don't need to eat. That can be in the DNA.

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Originally Posted by towelie4365

Have you owned snakes other than ball pythons?

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No. But, then, I thought this discussion was about BPs.

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In my experience, an opportunistic feeder will eat anything in sight.

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That's kind of my point. It's hard-wired into many animals' brains that food is scarce and, when made available, they must take the opportunity to feed.

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Ball pythons don't tend to have obesity problems because they lay off food once they get to be a bit fat. Keep in mind that when they get a bit fat, and go off of food, they can easily go 6+ months without eating and be fine.

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I'm just not sold on the idea that BPs have the brain function to "know" they are fat, and respond accordingly. I would venture a guess that their going off feed is due to either hormonal changes (due to sexual maturation) or seasonal factors. And yes, BP's metabolisms are incredibly slow, allowing them to not eat for months at a time. I believe this is part of their genetic makeup, not any conscious decision on their part to "save energy" or to stop eating in order to "slim down."

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Some people here might have snakes they refer to as a "garbage disposal", because they eat anything in sight, at any time. Ball pythons generally don't do this.

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Not sure if I would agree with this. It must be said that the majority of feeding issues out there with BPs is probably related to husbandry. Just look at this forum: nearly every day there's new posts about a BP who won't eat. Poor husbandry is almost always the diagnosis. You throw an animal that is supposed to spend most of its life burrowed and out of sight into a clear-on-all-sides aquarium tank, with temperatures to cool/too hot... no wonder it won't eat! I find it hard to believe that, in the wild, BPs are "picky eaters." If you have your husbandry dialed in, your BP will eat.

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People leave food out 100% of the time for house cats, and they can stay relatively skinny like that.

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It's purely anecdotal evidence, but I've seen way too many fat cats in my life to not believe they'll overeat themselves.

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Some animals regulate their own body weight even when given the chance to eat as much as they want, others don't.

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On that, we agree. I just don't think BPs make that list.

Very interesting discussion, cheers! :snake:

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Originally Posted by rossi46

That's kind of my point. It's hard-wired into many animals' brains that food is scarce and, when made available, they must take the opportunity to feed.

I'm just not sold on the idea that BPs have the brain function to "know" they are fat, and respond accordingly. I would venture a guess that their going off feed is due to either hormonal changes (due to sexual maturation) or seasonal factors. And yes, BP's metabolisms are incredibly slow, allowing them to not eat for months at a time. I believe this is part of their genetic makeup, not any conscious decision on their part to "save energy" or to stop eating in order to "slim down."

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Research has shown that your body actually tries to regulate its weight by adjusting its metabolism (http://runews.rockefeller.edu/index....=engine&id=256), so therefore your body, in a way, has a preferred weight. You can be completely blind to the fact that your obese, and your body might respond to that in a way that makes you lose weight--all without you even knowing.

Not that this proves that BP's eat only when they need to, but it shows your body can regulate how it functions without conscious thought, so it isn't too far-fetched to think ball pythons can do the same thing.

The reason I asked if you owned other snakes is so you can actually tell the difference between feeding responses. Even with perfect husbandry you can get a snake to go off of feed as a BP, but other species will eat anything you throw at them unless their husbandry is atrocious. If you owned a different species of snake before, I think you would agree. Now, this definitely could be hormonal, but I'm just saying that it could also be their body's response to how much fat they have stored.