Please Help - Ball Python "Morbidly Obese"

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Lizardlicks

a beep

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oh my gosh that's an adorable way to refer to BPs and i'm totally using this.

it's sad that experienced herp vets can be diamonds in the rough, but the truth is the majority only have minimal BASIC knowledge of our animals. judging by the picture your baby looks a-OK and could probably use some bigger meals! how old is the snake? i never saw that mentioned.

also, welcome to the forum!!! we're very happy you found us and sought to ask your question; you obviously knew something wasn't right with that vet's answer.

i think i can speak for most of us in saying we hope you stick around. :gj:

I always call them beeps! XD Also, boopers, because boop their snoots.

20g rat? Haha my female is eating 25g gram rats and weighs almost 200g wow


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1700 grams is actually on the lighter end of the spectrum for a 6 year old Ball Python female. She is not "skinny" but she sure isn't even fat, much less morbidly obese.

Does this vet treat reptiles often?

Also, unless there is a problem, I really see no need to take a snake for a "general checkup" to a vet. More chance to get it sick, through stress, wrong temps and possible mites.
Of course IF there is a problem, by all means, the vet is where you need to go.

But perhaps not to that vet ;)

Please continue to feed that snake appropriately sized meals, at the very least small rats.

The snake is actually thin for a female considering the picture, obese snakes have scales so spread apart that you can see the skin in between, I am not seeing that.

Adult female that size can be fed what you are currently feeding ONCE a week and even larger.

An adult female should be nice and PLUMP and a good body weight / proportion for a female is about 500 grams per foot (which she is not)

As for the vet find another one.

Agreed with everyone above. Find a herp vet, preferably one that specializes in snakes and has at least some experience with ball pythons.

Just to reaffirm everyone else, your snake looks totally normal, if even a little bit thin! I'll bet that vet checked a colubrid chart somebody gave her (corn snakes, king snakes). I hope he/she never gives advice about any other reptiles. If this were me, I would call and correct her, as she gave advice that would have starved my ball python to death, literally.

Also agreed, snakes don't need regular checkups.