??? about my normal ball size

Ive had my female normal ball python for 3 months now maybe.. and well she has gotten longer.. but hasn't really gaind any weight... im kinda getting worried.. for while i thought it was just cuzz i couldn't get her to eat for the first 2 or 3 weeks... but she hasn't missed a meal after i got her to eat the 1st time...

she is prolly around 5 to 6 months old.. and my pastel who was 6 months old when i got her a month ago.. is like 2-3 times bigger then my normal... my pastel can eat small rats.. but my normal could only eat a small mouse... big size diff..

just wanted to know some thoughts on this..

i got her from a pet store.. who told me they were from a breading her in iowa.. and now since i know more then i knew back then i should have asked who the breader was.. but i didn't.. im afraid she could be sick or infected with parasites....

A small mouse is way to small for a 5 to 6 month ball python. Baby balls eat small mice for their first meal and go to adult mice soon after. My 4.5 month ball python has been eating two rat pups for about a month now so I would try a rat pup every five days. If she can handle that than you coud up it to a weaned rat. My store does not sell weaned rat size so I get two rat pups. If she only likes mice then go with adult mice!

well what i was feeding her were adult mice... but just the smaller adult mice.. the thing is .. she isn't big enough to eat anything bigger then that im afraid.. cuzz i tried a fully grown adult mouse.. and she about choked on it... i have a video of it on my youtube account.. look up andrew500gt if you want to see it.... all i could do was sit there.. but she got it down..thank god!!! i just didn't want to risk hurting her with an other meal that was too big... soo maybe i should feed her 2 in one week??? wit 2 small adult mice... if i do that how far apart should the feeding be?

she CHOKED on it but still got it down?

I'm confused as to a snake "choking" on a feeder. You'd be surprised what these snakes can get down. Just because it takes them a little while to completely swallow a prey item doesn't necessarily mean it's "too big"

I found your vids and yeah in the feeding vid of your normal BP (the full length one) it kind of looks like to me like your BP is underweight and possibly a little dehydrated? Do you keep humidity up and give them water to drink?

Also, it wouldn't hurt to collect some fecal matter from her and bring it to a vet to have her checked for parasites.

The rodent's size around should be close to the same size of the thickest part of the snake's body but not larger.

I watched your video and it looked like a normal feeding to me! It does take them a little while to get it down but she does look small for her age! I would feed every 3 to 4 days to get her weight up. There is nothing wrong with feeding live. I feed all mine live and in the wild they eat live. Also you don't need to feed in seperate container, you will find that you get a better feeding response if left in their tank. Young snakes eat alot! I would go with at least an adult mouse! Give us some pics of your setup and we can see if there is anything we can suggest to make your snake happier!

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Originally Posted by seeya205

I watched your video and it looked like a normal feeding to me! It does take them a little while to get it down but she does look small for her age! I would feed every 3 to 4 days to get her weight up. There is nothing wrong with feeding live. I feed all mine live and in the wild they eat live. Also you don't need to feed in seperate container, you will find that you get a better feeding response if left in their tank. Young snakes eat alot! I would go with at least an adult mouse! Give us some pics of your setup and we can see if there is anything we can suggest to make your snake happier!

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it might not have been the right vid you watched... i have a few on there.. and the one im talking about she starts swinging her body side to side.. and making weird movements... i know it takes them a while to get it down lol.. and you don't need to feed in a diff place i know.. but i choose to cuzz many people (with exp with snakes-P.S. im not saying you don't have exp with snakes.. im just pointing out i got that info from people that know a thing or two lol) have told me that if you feed them in there cage they will think you have food everytime you open it.. and might risk getting bit.. i prolly wont feed them in a diff place after i get my rack and have so many snakes it would just take too long..

but thanks for you comment!

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Originally Posted by mainbutter

I found your vids and yeah in the feeding vid of your normal BP (the full length one) it kind of looks like to me like your BP is underweight and possibly a little dehydrated? Do you keep humidity up and give them water to drink?

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yeah i got water in her tank that she can get to anytime.. and she does i see her drinking from it time to time... and it is hard to keep humidity up in the tanks.. which is why im going to get a rack soon.. but i spray both my snakes tanks 2 times a day (morning/night).. with just a spray.. maybe 2 ... that keeps it up.. i also have 3/4 of the top coverd..

i took her to the vet a week or 2 after i got her.. and he said she was healthy.. he did not however check for parasites cuzz she had not pooped yet.. but he said she was getting enough water.. and just looked healthy overall.. (at that time)

and yes not all vets know what they are talkin bout when it comes to snakes.. but mine does.. he also breeds ball pythons .. that i found out after i got there.. he has over 30 ball pythons.. and said he has been doing it for the last 25 years.. sooo he should know what he's talking bout.. lol..

but if i can't get her weight up over the next week or 2 .. i will def set up a time to go to the vet!

thanks for your help!!!

Cage aggression is a myth. Your snake will not try to bite you just because you feed it in its enclosure. Anyone who has experience with snakes will know this because they probably don't feed their snakes in separate enclosures.

Could you link to whatever video you are talking about? I watched them all and they all look like normal feedings.

well id like to disagree with that.. lol.. cuzz the reason most people with exp.. don't take the snakes out and feed them is cuzz they have too many snakes too take out and feed.. but your tryin to help me out so oh well lol.. maybe you are right.. but its just hard to believe that EVERYBODY that told me this is wrong.. when they all have more then one snake.. and most of them have had snakes for at least a few years..

thats the link and the part that im talking bout starts at 5:39 and ends at 6:19

YouTube - Feeding my Ball Python

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Originally Posted by Andrew24

well id like to disagree with that.. lol.. cuzz the reason most people with exp.. don't take the snakes out and feed them is cuzz they have too many snakes too take out and feed.. but your tryin to help me out so oh well lol.. maybe you are right.. but its just hard to believe that EVERYBODY..

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I have four snakes. All of them are fed in their enclosures. Never of them have ever bit or struck at me.

I know many people whose snakes are the same as this that are fed in their enclosures.


I will quote something that I have said on previous threads regarding feeding in separate locations.

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Scenario time:
You are about to feed your ball python in its enclosure.
Step one: Prepare the food, pre-scent if it is live, thaw if it is F/T
Step two: Place feeder in tank with ball python. Use tongs or drop the live feeder in.
Step three: Watch ball python eat
Step four: Leave ball python alone for 2 days so it can digest.

Where in this process does it say "wave your hands around in front of the snake when the food is nearby". It doesn't. That is because your hand should have NOTHING to do with the feeding process. You are not a mouse, you do not smell or look like a mouse, so why would your ball python associate you with a mouse?

Now lets look at feeding OUTSIDE the home enclosure.
Step one: Pick up your ball python and place it in a separate container.
Step two: Prepare the food, pre-scent if it is live, thaw if it is F/T
Step three: Place feeder in the feeding enclosure with the snake. Use tongs or drop the live feeder in.
Step three: Watch ball python eat
Step four: Pick up ball python and move back to home enclosure
Step five: Leave ball python alone for 2 days so it can digest.

Now which one sounds more risky when it comes to "associating" feeding with your hands. The separate enclosure. Especially if you aren't feeding your snake enough. If you have handled a rodent and forget to wash your hands, you smell like a rodent. You go in there to move your ball python back to its home enclosure and WHAM, he thinks you are another mouse for him to eat for dinner.

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If you go into the tank other than for feeding, which you should for cleaning he cage and changing the water then there is no way the snake can associate "your hand" with food. It just doesn't add up.

That being said, I still wish to see what video you are talking about. It seems like you are underfeeding this snake.

i posted the link in my other reply to you.. i had to edit it

That part didn't really look that out of the ordinary to me. They sometimes sway around to help use gravity to push the feeder down. I have fed my snakes much larger meals then that around that age/size.

Trust me, they can eat more then you think they can. 10-15% of the snakes body weight is a good rule to follow while they are still growing.

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Originally Posted by Kaorte

That part didn't really look that out of the ordinary to me. They sometimes sway around to help use gravity to push the feeder down. I have fed my snakes much larger meals then that around that age/size.

Trust me, they can eat more then you think they can. 10-15% of the snakes body weight is a good rule to follow while they are still growing.

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ok that i did not know.. lol.. it scared me . well i knew they could eat big meals.. ive been into snakes for a long time.. i use to watch things on tv and youtube on snakes all the time.. but that and owning one are two very diff things hahaha lol.. but i love the 2 girls i got now.. and can't wait to get my bumble bee!.. that was a lil off topic but meh oh well

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Originally Posted by Andrew24

it might not have been the right vid you watched... i have a few on there.. and the one im talking about she starts swinging her body side to side.. and making weird movements... i know it takes them a while to get it down lol.. and you don't need to feed in a diff place i know.. but i choose to cuzz many people (with exp with snakes-P.S. im not saying you don't have exp with snakes.. im just pointing out i got that info from people that know a thing or two lol) have told me that if you feed them in there cage they will think you have food everytime you open it.. and might risk getting bit.. i prolly wont feed them in a diff place after i get my rack and have so many snakes it would just take too long..

but thanks for you comment!

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how advanced is the exp these people have? cuz ive heard from people that have had snakes for years (not kept properly) that if you keep them in smaller cages they wont get too big. just because someone has had snakes for a while doesnt make them experts.

there are a couple good threads on a bunch of snake myths here and here

I have talked to so may people who have been doing things totally wrong for years. Humans in general tend to believe things that they hear and then advocate for those myths. My mom still tells me to put on a coat or I will catch a cold. Every time she says it I say "Mom, do cold viruses thrive in the cold or in houses with poor ventilation do to being sealed up because its cold out." She gets angry at me and walks away because she knows I am right but has been told her whole life that the cold causes colds. Its hard to let go of myths. Most people know that the cold is caused by a virus but still believe that a coat will protect them. I fully believe that cage aggression is a myth. I believe that aggression around feeding time is real. My snake gets in feeding mode when I pre sent the room, not when I open the cage. In short, feed your snake larger prey in its enclosure. You and your snake will be happier. Just because someone claims to be an expert doesn't mean they are.

My snakes dont move like that when they eat, but hey every snake is different and I dont have that many. As per the feeder size. That looks normal to me, they can eat much bigger than that, though I dont recomend it. I feed mine a little on the bigger size prey items, because thats all I can get.

At first is weird watching something strech out their neck, but it is fine. Im sure they dont go around in the wild hunting for their perfect size prey to eat.

If I remember right you are in the counsel bluffs area? I don't know any breeders on that side of Iowa, there are quite a few in my area, SE Iowa. Anyway, if she has parasites she probably got them from the pet store. Pet stores seem to always have infestations. The only way to find out if she has parasites is to take her to the vet. She could be a slow grower. I have a normal male that has eaten along with everyone else and he's pretty darn small at a year old.

yeah.. well i live in ames.. and the vet/breeder i was talking bout lives in des moines..

There has been polls done on feeding in or out of their enclorsure and most people with experience agree of feeding it their enclosure. That is a personal choice but it's alot of hassle for no extra benefit!

My snake moves side to side, shakes his head and body back and forth slightly, and will even push the mouse against the ground to force it into its mouth. Snakes do weird things when they eat, and sometimes it takes a while.

And just think about the idea of cage aggression for a minute -- you have a ball python that is basically genetically engineered to be a mouse killer. It's NOT going to confuse you for a mouse unless you smell like one. Your heat signature and smell are nothing like a rodent's, and your hand certainly doesn't look the same.

That's not all, either. I don't know about anyone else, but I feed my snake every 5-7 days, and I generally handle every day except feeding day and the day after. That's 3-5 days a week I'm opening his cage to handle him, and 1 day that I'm opening it to feed him. He probably associates cage opening with "Oh god, this idiot's about to pick me up" more often than "MOUSE? MOUSE! MOUSE!!"