Help! BP have empty belly

Hi! My spider BP have a empty belly that is one te lungs area, anyone can figure this out what is goin on?
http://ball-pythons.net/gallery/file...3555_thumb.jpg

:confused:

when was the last time he ate?

we feed our snakes once a week without missing, so he just ate on friday

Maybe the prey item was too small? Did he regurgitate? If not, you can always try feeding him something a little larger.

bp's suck in like that when you pick them up and touch their bellies even my late 09 1020 g fat boy does it. Some say they have tickelish bellies. Totaly normal.

Hi,

Does it look pinkish in real life?

Just thought I saw a tint in the pic and wondered if she is coming up to shed or if it is something else.


dr del

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Originally Posted by ed4281

bp's suck in like that when you pick them up and touch their bellies even my late 09 1020 g fat boy does it. Some say they have tickelish bellies. Totaly normal.

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Yeah, I've noticed some of my shy snakes do this... recently I interrupted Mona (big 2000g girl) while she was sleeping, and she sucked in her belly just like that picture. She's a fatty who eats 3 large mice weekly, so I know she isn't underweight! To the OP, have you observed the snake's belly while he's relaxed in the the enclosure?

ed4281: i think that's the problem, thanks!
dr del: he doesnt look pinkish in real life, just in the process of shedding, thanks!
lolo76: yes, his normal wen he's relax, thanks!
regno-cg: we feed them 8 cm mice(not including tail) every week, so probably it won't be a thin snake, thanks!

Your not feeding anywhere near enough

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Originally Posted by 2kdime

Your not feeding anywhere near enough

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X2

Dude you gotta feed way more then that!

Yeah with that size food you probably should offer a couple times a week, more if you plan on breeding. If you can switch to a "small" rat then once a week should be ok if the snake is purely a pet.

How old is he? Are the mice adults? I'm not converting 8cm into anything meaningful XD an adult snake can eat 2-3 average adult mice a week.

ya my 400 gram male eats 2-3 mice every 5 days.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by ed4281

bp's suck in like that when you pick them up and touch their bellies even my late 09 1020 g fat boy does it. Some say they have tickelish bellies. Totaly normal.

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I didn't know that! Lol a ticklish snake sounds so cute.

8cm??? That seriously sounds like a hopper. Nothing near enough though. I'd up his food to a weaned rat. Or a couple adult mice. If he's just a mouser. He looks like one of my males before a good meal during a winter fast. Totally empty. That sounds like enough food to keep him alive but not gain Any weight. Normally their food intake should be 10% of their weight.

What is it with people feeding mice? They are junk food for your snake. Feed rats, that is your best bet. They come in many sizes, larger than mice, and healthier.

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Originally Posted by BlckPhntm

What is it with people feeding mice? They are junk food for your snake. Feed rats, that is your best bet. They come in many sizes, larger than mice, and healthier.

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It has never been proven that rats are "healthier" for your snake compared to mice. Maybe by miniscule amounts, if you want to split peas here, but nothing significant. Mice work just fine.

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Originally Posted by BlckPhntm

What is it with people feeding mice? They are junk food for your snake. Feed rats, that is your best bet. They come in many sizes, larger than mice, and healthier.

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I have never seen any documented research that says rats are more nutritious than mice. From everything I've read, 100g of mice is not much different than 100g of rat. I was under the impression that people prefer feeding rats because they can feed a single prey item rather than multiple mice...

Do you have any links or any documentation to back your claim that mice are "junk food for your snake"?

(I have an 1100g girl feeding on mice. 2-3 per week and she's doing just fine, putting on weight, shedding and pooing normally... She just never would eat consistently on rats for me, but will eat as many mice as you throw her...)

I agree. Mice/rats is the same. For some snakes a mouse is like a snack where as others it can be a full meal. But they are the same nutritionally. I have 2 female that eat soley mice. They put 3 of them down in a sitting but they won't switch to rats. It's no different except they have seconds and thirds!