Weight Question...!!

Can somebody tell me what the perfect weight is for a Ball Python by ages?
For example: when a ball python is 6 months old what the perfect weight is..etc

Thank you

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Originally Posted by Snakie2010

Can somebody tell me what the perfect weight is for a Ball Python by ages?
For example: when a ball python is 6 months old what the perfect weight is..etc

Thank you

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There is no answer to this. They all grow at their own pace. Even same-sexed clutch-mates raised together and fed by the same keeper will grow at different rates. Now factor in different sexes...different genetics...different keepers...different feeding styles....... you get the picture.

I've got three snakes all about the same age. One is shorter and nicely stout. One is really long and skinny...she's putting on length before weight (as did another female I raised several years ago)...and one is right between those two. Haven't weighed them recently, but I know they're all different weights....but all equally healthy.

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Originally Posted by Snakie2010

Can somebody tell me what the perfect weight is for a Ball Python by ages?
For example: when a ball python is 6 months old what the perfect weight is..etc

Thank you

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I'm asking because I'd like to know if my ball python looks healty and if she haves a good weight (117 gr)? I don't know exactly how old she is but I think around around 3/4 months..

This is a picture that I made the first day I brought her home.. 16 okt 2010
http://ball-pythons.net/gallery/file.../img_01171.jpg

This is a picture from 9 nov 2010
http://ball-pythons.net/gallery/file...img_0045_2.jpg

She eats 2 rat pinks every 5 days, is that enough?

Yes, she looks fine. Very pretty. :)

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Originally Posted by JLC

Yes, she looks fine. Very pretty. :)

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Thank you so much :D

Two rat pinks are not enough food. A ball that size should be eating one 20-25g rat every 5-7 days or so.
As for "perfect" weights:
6 months: 200-400g
One year: 350-1000g
Two years: 500-2500g

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Originally Posted by mykee

Two rat pinks are not enough food. A ball that size should be eating one 20-25g rat every 5-7 days or so.
As for "perfect" weights:
6 months: 200-400g
One year: 350-1000g
Two years: 500-2500g

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I thought she should eat 15% of her body weight. As she is 117 gr so she should eat around 17-18 grams right?? That's what I read in other threads..? :confused: Are 2 mice that weigh 25 g together also good to feed her?

10 -15% or about as big around as the snake is. It is not an exact science, if there are very pronounced lumps it is likely a touch too much but if not it is fine. I think that at some point you should think about the switch to rats they have better nutritional value (yes there has been a study on that...) but they are also easier (feeding just one the correct size) and cheaper.

Your snake is WAY under weight. At 3 or 4 months old and only 117 grams??? Babies can weigh in at 85 grams sometimes. At almost 3 months my Lesser is around 250-300 grams. Your snake needs to be on atleast rat fuzzies or small adult mice

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Originally Posted by MitsuMike

Your snake is WAY under weight. At 3 or 4 months old and only 117 grams??? Babies can weigh in at 85 grams sometimes. At almost 3 months my Lesser is around 250-300 grams. Your snake needs to be on atleast rat fuzzies or small adult mice

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Again, I have to reiterate that there is no set growth on these guys. 300 grams at 3 months is huge. My first ball was just shy of a year old when I got her, and she only weighed 350 grams. One simply can't compare one specific example to another. We've no idea if the baby started out as a runt...or had issues getting started...is a slow grower...or is one inclined to grow in length before putting on much weight.

The best way to tell is by look and by feel...if the snake were as underweight as you fear, then she'd LOOK it. (Obviously we can't feel her for overall muscle tone.)

I weighed two 6 day old rat pinks at 10 grams each so feeding a 117 gram snake two every 5 days is about right unless the OP is feeding freshly born pinks.

Judy has that one right! For example I have two half brothers born within 2 weeks of each other that are now a year and a few weeks old one is a monster at 1500 gm and the other is only 600 gm. They are on the same feeding schedule and for a while the same size food until the larger started pulling away. At 6 months one was about 200 gm and the other was over 600.

My male normal is 5 months old and just weighed him last night at 338 grams he is on f/t weakling rats every friday

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Originally Posted by kitedemon

Judy has that one right! For example I have two half brothers born within 2 weeks of each other that are now a year and a few weeks old one is a monster at 1500 gm and the other is only 600 gm. They are on the same feeding schedule and for a while the same size food until the larger started pulling away. At 6 months one was about 200 gm and the other was over 600.

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ALOT of variables go into this that people don't even think about
Temps, refusals, how much body actually uses, giving "left overs" to your dumpsters.
Any of these if not all lead to some snakes being bigger than others, but in the handlers head they still see it as they are eating on the same schedule.
Not saying the smaller snake is unhealthy just stating some facts that some people don't take into account when they are raising their animals.

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Originally Posted by MitsuMike

Your snake is WAY under weight. At 3 or 4 months old and only 117 grams??? Babies can weigh in at 85 grams sometimes. At almost 3 months my Lesser is around 250-300 grams. Your snake needs to be on atleast rat fuzzies or small adult mice

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No, not really. She looks nice and plump--underweight snakes look like triangles.

And I have a 2009 male pied that is 440 grams because he won't eat anything larger than his head (ie. adult mice), and then only once every other week. If he were a female I'd be pretty annoyed right now, and he's certainly in no danger from obesity. But he's perfectly healthy.

As was already stated, there really is no set guideline on exactly how much a snake should weigh. I have a 5 month old male that eats small rats and is a whopping 582 grams. I also have a 2 or 3 year old rescue that is only 285 grams due to being under fed by the previous owner. This snake is very slowly gaining weight while my big boy just grows like a weed.

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Originally Posted by Snakie2010

Can somebody tell me what the perfect weight is for a Ball Python by ages?
For example: when a ball python is 6 months old what the perfect weight is..etc

Thank you

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my girl was about a month old when i got her - she was 75g. She is now 4 months and is weighing in at over 400g. She is however a pig that will eat everything in site ;)

I started her on mice..mainly because i have around 50 mice... =P

she eats two adult mice in one feeding now. Will keep her on mice til my mice run out.. and i had a "surprise' boy get in with my 6 females.. so will have mice....forever...=P

I know most prefer rats but my kids have gained extremely well on mice, then i switch them to rats at around 500-600g

My 09 boys are both over 1100g with starting on mice.

feed her what you feel is right, how she grows is all in how she feels like growing.

im sure she is fine and by the looks of you posting to find out if you are doing everything you should, im sure she's in good hands! good luck!

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Originally Posted by MitsuMike

ALOT of variables go into this that people don't even think about
Temps, refusals, how much body actually uses, giving "left overs" to your dumpsters.
Any of these if not all lead to some snakes being bigger than others, but in the handlers head they still see it as they are eating on the same schedule.
Not saying the smaller snake is unhealthy just stating some facts that some people don't take into account when they are raising their animals.

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Agreed but so do genetics my big boys mother is massive the others isn't so large. In this example they were raised in the same conditions or as closely as the instruments I have to record them are. they were fed the same day moments apart the same size as they both arrived to be within 5% weight of each other. The little one I don't recall him ever refusing a meal in his life and the bigger will not eat during shed at all so he has refused a few times. They are just growing a differing rates. Nothing is wrong with either just one is half the size of the other.

This got me wondering, how can you tell if they are underweight? Someone mentioned that they sort of look like triangles, are there any warning signs that they need to be bumped up to larger food or be feed more than one per feeding?

I have seen a really under weight very very very poor feeder that looked well under weight, her ribs we easy to feel and her belly was U shaped it was actually really really obvious that she was WAY under fed and the owner was going crazy with her (breeder actually, with over 200 animals and 3 real problem feeders) She is on the mend now as he passed her and the other 2 along to a friend to work closely with them to get them feeding so far capped ASFs seems to be working.

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Originally Posted by snakesRkewl

I weighed two 6 day old rat pinks at 10 grams each so feeding a 117 gram snake two every 5 days is about right unless the OP is feeding freshly born pinks.

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I feed her 2 rat pups. Together the rat pups weigh about 18 grams. I weight her today and she is 125 grams.

Here a picture of her now.. pictures made today..

http://ball-pythons.net/gallery/file...1/imag0103.jpg
http://ball-pythons.net/gallery/file...1/imag0104.jpg
http://ball-pythons.net/gallery/file...1/imag0105.jpg
http://ball-pythons.net/gallery/file...1/imag0106.jpg

She looks great. Very nice!

just listen to jlc, most people keep there snakes over weight. I mean snakes in the wild only eat a few times year in the wild , but all snakes are diffrent.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with your snake's weight.

Now if this snake were a year old or more, then yes it would be considered underweight, but not for 3-4 months old.

I think what you are feeding is fine for now. As to how do you know when to go up a size, I let my snakes tell me. When what I am currently feeding has them hunting for more food 2 or 3 days after eating, I think about bumping the prey up a size. I try a slightly larger item, if they take it no problems and seem content to wait the 5-7 days again, that is what I go with.

If they refuse the larger food, or if eating the larger item causes refusal to eat for around 2 weeks, we'll go back down a size and give it another month or so. This plan works well for me. 90% of my snakes eat weekly, two are every-other-week eaters, and of course my adult boys are having their wintertime lovesick fast right now.

Gale

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Originally Posted by angllady2

There is absolutely nothing wrong with your snake's weight.

Now if this snake were a year old or more, then yes it would be considered underweight, but not for 3-4 months old.

I think what you are feeding is fine for now. As to how do you know when to go up a size, I let my snakes tell me. When what I am currently feeding has them hunting for more food 2 or 3 days after eating, I think about bumping the prey up a size. I try a slightly larger item, if they take it no problems and seem content to wait the 5-7 days again, that is what I go with.

If they refuse the larger food, or if eating the larger item causes refusal to eat for around 2 weeks, we'll go back down a size and give it another month or so. This plan works well for me. 90% of my snakes eat weekly, two are every-other-week eaters, and of course my adult boys are having their wintertime lovesick fast right now.

Gale

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^^^
Very good advice. I was going to say that I noticed when I fed my babies mice that come feeding day the next week, they would be posed and ready to strike when the tub slid open. Since I've switched to young rats, my babies still eat weekly, but they aren't posed at the opening ready to strike so hard they fly out of the tub. If your snakes are ready at the cage opening on feeding day, you might want to opt up a size in feeders and see if that helps. ;)

Btw, from your pics, the snake's weight looks fine.