Not sure if I should purchase this BP or not...

I am considering purchasing a BP from a small local breeder, but I am concerned about one thing.

He is about 5 months old, and only weighs 70g. I'm no expert, but that seems kind of small to me. The breeder claims that he eats an appropriatley sized mouse weekly.

I have records on my current male, and at that age he weighed about 200g. I realize each snake is going to grow at its own rate, but 70g just doesn't seem right.

Thoughts?

Thanks,

George

Firstly, if you have doubts on whether or not you should purchase the snake, its probably a good idea that you don't.

Secondly, the snake could have been a very small hatchling. I would ask for his hatch date and hatch weight. If you take into consideration that hatchlings can be as large as 70-80g at hatching, then yes, at 5 months they could easily be 200g. A hatchling that hatches out at 30-40g might take a while longer to gain the weight.

That is way to small! My male was about 426 grams at that age! I would take a look at the snake and make sure he is healthy! Did he write this to you! Maybe it was a typo!

Actually, it is "she" -- I suppose she could have left out one digit (I hope), although she did say he was the "runt" of the clutch.

I e-mailed the breeder my concerns, and am awaiting a response. I'll have to wait to see what she has to say.

Thanks,

George

If the snake was a "runt" it is highly likely the hatch weight of this snake was very low. I hatched out a snake last season that was 37g. Tiny little fellow. I would guess it would have taken him a long time to gain weight. He may also have been tough to get feeding.

Thanks for all of the advice everyone.

The only reason I am even considering it is because it is a spider, and at a really decent price. She sent me a pic of him, and he looks nice...

I guess I will have to sleep on it...

Later,

George

Even a runt should be bigger I would think!

I could be wrong, but I'd bet he's selling a problematic feeder. 70 grams is way too small for a 5 month old ball python. If you say an average of 5 grams of weight gain each week for 20 weeks, that would be 100 grams, That would be added to it's original weight of say 50 grams. So at the very least that snake would weigh 150 grams. Remember my weights are VERY conservative too. I would guess a real world average should be somewhere about 20 -30 grams a week for that age.

Way too small for me. There are issues to be sure.
Jim Smith

It probably is a small hatchling with feeding issues. I would want to see it in person before purchasing it and view feeding/shed records for the snake.

My guess is a small hatchling with feeding issues or a bad wobble. I would stay away from the deal.

that doesnt sound like a good deal to get into. either its a problem feeder as stated or it may have a bad wobble or it may have parasites that r preventing it from gaining weight. if i were u i would find a reputable breeder to get a spider from and pay a bit more for the quality. dont try to save money now and end up regretting ur decision later.

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Originally Posted by seeya205

That is way to small! My male was about 426 grams at that age!

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Good lord, that's a lot of feeding!

Don't know the age of my snake but he's at least 7 months old, maybe older. He's about 235g. He was probably underfed at Petco and it's taken me a while to get his appetite up to snuff, but I can't imagine him twice that size.

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Originally Posted by zantedeschia

Good lord, that's a lot of feeding!

Don't know the age of my snake but he's at least 7 months old, maybe older. He's about 235g. He was probably underfed at Petco and it's taken me a while to get his appetite up to snuff, but I can't imagine him twice that size.

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My male is 7 months now and weighs 636 grams! I feed 15% of his body wait every 5 days until he was 500 grams, now every 7 days! He pounds everything in site down! I have had him since he was 3 weeks old!

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Originally Posted by Elise.m

My guess is a small hatchling with feeding issues or a bad wobble. I would stay away from the deal.

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I don't mean to hyjack, but whats a 'wobble?'
*new to me*


HHH

spiders have a neurological issue with there genes. some are worse than others and some only show it at certain times, like feeding. u can google it and find all types of videos from minor to severe cases

do a quick search on 'spider wobble' and you'll know more than you ever wanted to know...

Quote:

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Originally Posted by seeya205

That is way to small! My male was about 426 grams at that age!

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Quote:

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Originally Posted by zantedeschia

Good lord, that's a lot of feeding!

Don't know the age of my snake but he's at least 7 months old, maybe older. He's about 235g. He was probably underfed at Petco and it's taken me a while to get his appetite up to snuff, but I can't imagine him twice that size.

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I have two '09 snakes who were over 500g at 5 months... Julius (Mojave) is now 7 months old, and nearing 800g! :O I don't overfeed them either, they're just really good eaters - and apparently fast growers. Snakes can definitely grow at different rates, but I agree 70g is WAY too small for a 5 month-old.

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Originally Posted by Lolo76

I have two '09 snakes who were over 500g at 5 months.

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Sheesh, we got Patriot at around 5 months of age and all of 108g. Nevermind triangle, he was shaped like an eel at the time. He's caught up well since. :P

I hatched out twin pieds two years ago. Each were around 30 grams at birth. Because they were so small, the size prey fed to them was very small. At five months they would have been around 70-80 grams. About six months old they really started to put on weight.

Just sayin that it doesn't mean there is anything wrong, she could have been a very small hatchling. As several have said, depending on where she started from, 70 grams might not mean a problem snake. Find out the hatch date and the weight at birth and that might tell you more of the story, one way or the other.

stay away! if he eats weekly and at 5 months is only that big. stay away!

Hmm that seems like an iffy deal to me. 70 grams is awfully small and really makes me think there is some sort of underlying issue going on. Perhaps you should post in the business section and see if anyone has purchased from this breeder and how it went. You don't have to write any details because she may be doing just fine with that snake. I wouldn't buy that snake unless people say she's a decent breeder. Also, keep in mind this snake could be a tough feeder and may be a lot of trouble for you!

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Originally Posted by seeya205

Even a runt should be bigger I would think!

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My lesser hatched at 38 grams. At five months old he was about 150 grams with regular feeding. So yes, I agree that a five month old should be bigger than 70 grams unless it had to be assist fed to get it started (in which case, if this breeder is like me, we do give the animals a chance to eat on their own before we decide to assist feed).

Doesn't mean that it's a problematic feeder, as the babies I've had to start with assist feeding have gone on to become my most eager feeders.

It's possible. Don't forget about Goober, who hatched out at 15g and the update at 4 months reported him at 50g. I don't know if it's the same case here but....

Thanks for the help everyone. I talked more to the breeder, and I feel a little more comfortable about making the purchase.

He hatched out at a low weight, and was a problem feeder at the start. He has now eaten consistently for the past month and a half, and is starting to slowly put on weight. She says that she would not sell him to me if she wasn't confident that he will continue eating.

I realize a breeder could tell me anything they want, and I have to decide if I am going to believe it or not. I am getting a good vibe from her. I am going to pick up the spider this afternoon.

Hopefully it is the right decision!!

Thanks everyone!

-- George

Well, I ended up getting the spider. I just got home, and snapped a couple of pics before putting him in his new tub.

I was pleasantly surprised when I put him on the scale and he weighed in at 98g instead of the 75g the breeder had told me.

Hopefully all goes well, and he eats and grows well!!

http://i289.photobucket.com/albums/l...1/IMG_1358.jpg

http://i289.photobucket.com/albums/l...1/IMG_1360.jpg

Thanks again to everyone for all of the help, and hopefully this turns out to be a wise decision on my part.

Later,

George

He's nice looking. congrats

He's pretty, and I'm sure he'll be fine.
All snakes grow at different rates. It's possible the breeder didn't feed on a perfectly set schedule too. :)

He looks good! Congrats!