Introducing

Ok.. just in.. I finally found a vet around my area that will work with snake.... Did you know that seems to be a very rare commodity.....Well I have an appointment with my baby Ball Python to do an initial check-up and sexing... This not knowing is driving me crazy... the name "little one" jsut does not fit with my snake and I am having a very hard time naming the snake when I do not know the sex.... So far though baby seems to be a very healthy eater and has had very little troubles getting situated in the last weel that the baby has been with us.

Ok .... as you all have seen I purchased a baby ball python from petco last week... Now I have an appointment with the vet tomorrow for an initial check up and sexing...(since petco is not nice enough to really provide any information on their snakes).... What I am curious about is age......I do not have a scale, but has been a very avid eater since I brought it home last week. It is measuring at about 18 inches long...(I measured it when it was streched out on my legs) Does any one have any guesses at about how old the baby would be at 18 inches?

Alrighty then.... Just got back from the vets today.... Just an initial check up...... It is official!!!! I have a boy snake... now to only name him. He weighed in at 108.5 grams and was measured at 19.5 inches long.... Any guesses on his age would be appreciated. That or what is the normal length of a boy snake when hatched?

Did you get the sale python from Petco like me? :) Yay pals card! LOL

One thing, I don't what your vet told you and I haven't taken mine in, but I was told by the manager (who took it out and sold it to us) they were feeding pinkies still! Ick. They are big enough for fuzzies, I fed both of mine 1ea last night and they devoured them! So you might be dealing with snakes that haven't been fed properly. Just an FYI since you got a Petco snake.
And yes, I got two! Short version, one got lost. :)

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Originally Posted by Zafra

Did you get the sale python from Petco like me? :) Yay pals card! LOL

One thing, I don't what your vet told you and I haven't taken mine in, but I was told by the manager (who took it out and sold it to us) they were feeding pinkies still! Ick. They are big enough for fuzzies, I fed both of mine 1ea last night and they devoured them! So you might be dealing with snakes that haven't been fed properly. Just an FYI since you got a Petco snake.
And yes, I got two! Short version, one got lost. :)

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I did get a sale bal python out here in the Bay Area CA... The lady that I talk to in the store seems to know a little bit about snakes and reptiles told me that the breeder over loaded them with snakes and that was why they were going for $30. The store I got mine from a week and a half ago was feeding him hoppers and so far he is eating like a champ. He just took two hoppers last night:banana: Thanks for the looking out though....... Now if I could only figure out about how old he is.

Ok sorry but a quick question....... I just called Petco to see if by chance there was any record of hatching date... Of course there was not..... So I asked her when she got the current batch of babies that I purchase from and she is telling me that they got them in about two weeks ago. So with a weight of 108.5 grams, an avid eater, 19.5 inch long male that the breeders sent to the store two weeks ago........... So how old do the snakes need to be before the breeders send them to the stores or sells the babies? That should give me a better guess at how old he is.

Hi,

That depends entirely on the breeder I'm afraid.

Most of the good ones will wait until they are certain the hatchlings are eating and growing with no problems and so usually do not sell them till they have had 3 or more meals.

Some however will sell them either straight out of the egg before they have even had their first shed or immediately after the first shed.

Bottom line there is no way whatsoever for you to be sure of the age of your snake unless you find the original breeder and he can identify the snake and has a record of the hatch date.


dr del

Just got ahold of the manager there that knows i am kind of OCD about my snakes and she is going to try to get ahold of the breeder for me....So next time I go in to pick up some F/T I should hopefully have an answer

Whooo hooo!!!! I have finally decided upon the name Rios (short for curious) and he jsut ate his first adult mouse! He has been on Hoppers but I went ahead and just offered him his first adult mouse....Definately took a bit longer for him to get it down, but he was able to get it.

http://img199.imageshack.us/img199/2...ttleone041.jpg


http://img189.imageshack.us/img189/2...ttleone042.jpg

http://img20.imageshack.us/img20/2333/littleone037.jpg

Ok... I have noticed that Rios has one scale that seems to have damage to it.... Petco of course has no history on Rios. When I was at the vets he did not think that it was anything to worry about but I felt like the vet is more handeling snakes by the book then by experience... any thoughts ....

Oh yeah... and I think that he is in the very beginning stages of a shed.. first one for being with me... i am use to how garters look when they are about to shed but not BP's...So a first for me.