Giant ball python?

Wondering how common they are--I know he probably isn't one but Nergal is getting HUGE, almost 3 feet long and I'm guessing 1000 grams or more now...just off of eating 4 adult mice a week. :O
I'm getting him weighed tomorrow I hope but holy cow, he's HUGE.

I don't know as far as length but there are female BPs that get over 3000 grams. My Hera is still growing and just topped 500 grams. She gets 2-3 adult mice a week and she only takes live now

2000 gms are very normal for older adult females without ever being "pushed" in their feeding. My largest is over 5000 gms and is 10 yrs old. Another is 7 years old and was over 3600 gms before laying. I have another dozen or so over the 2000 gm mark and these are 3 1/2 year olds.

The true "giant" bps are from a know local and do get huge in both weight and length. This local is also know for producing very large clutches in the double digits.

I get the idea large adult males can get up to 1500-2000 grams. But I've also heard you have to watch for obesity in older big males, because they can have heart disease problems. Sort of like older, big male humans?

But I don't worry about that with young males like Nergal. How old is he now?

My biggest male is George, the 2008 black pastel, at 1200 grams. George has been averaging a mouse a week for the last two years. You wouldn't think he'd be so big, but he eats EVERY WEEK, and he doesn't really fast during breeding season.

So we don't have a lot of 4-mouse weeks around here! Even the breeding females only do that a couple times in late summer.

EDIT: Did I say 1200 grams? I mean 1400 grams. Gosh, George! Sometimes I wish you were a female.

I remember looking at Platty Daddy a couple years ago and thinking he was HUGE. But he doesn't look so nutso anymore:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ygi2Svopaew

But since then I've seen pics like Dan Wolfe with his favorite 2004 het albino female (from the 2009 December newsletter):

http://www.dwherp.com/HAF7.jpg

And vids like Brian Gundy with his 5000 gram female:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NV7Ps7wW5vI

... so Platty Daddy kinda looks like a midget now.

But these are all females. I still dunno how big mature males can get.

Nergal is about 10 months old. :P

I've got a male ball that is 2130 grams and almost 4ft long while the female is close to 1400 grams and not quite 3ft long. No clue on how old either are but I've had the female for 5 years and the male for about 3.

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Originally Posted by loonunit

I still dunno how big mature males can get.

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Pretty big actually, I've heard of 2800 gram males but have yet to see one bigger in person than our clown male who is hovering just over 2100 grams.

http://i968.photobucket.com/albums/a...y/PICT1540.jpg

I sold a male earlier this year that I thought was female.
he was almost 5 feet long and close to 3000 grms.
I have a female who is 5 years old. She gave me 11 eggs last year as a vergin.
She was 2200 grms.
This year she was over 4500 grms before breeding. She is over 5 feet in length.
I can't weigh her, don't have a big enough scale.
She has a head the size of a boa the same length.:rolleye2:

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Originally Posted by shelliebear

Nergal is about 10 months old. :P

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Okay, THAT'S crazy.

My two biggest females are over 3000 grams.

One is just a standard ball python, best guess she's around 5' +.

One is a newly acquired import female who is one of the elusive Ghana Giants. She laid a clutch of eleven eggs for me, unfortunately I'm not very experienced and none of the eggs ever hatched.

After she laid, she was right around 2800 grams.

Gale

I have a big old girl who is about 9 years and 3600 and about 5'3". But I know what you mean one of my big girls sons is now just shy of 2 (in august he'll be 2) and he is about 4'7" and 1400 gm, his father is also just over 5 foot and 1800 gms. They are a big family...

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Originally Posted by snakesRkewl

Pretty big actually, I've heard of 2800 gram males but have yet to see one bigger in person than our clown male who is hovering just over 2100 grams.

http://i968.photobucket.com/albums/a...y/PICT1540.jpg

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LOL, if there is one snake that will get huge besides the "giant" local it HAS to be a CLOWN :D:bow::gj:

Here's a not so good photo of Nergal when we first got him (about a month after we had got him, actually, back in August or so)
http://i1028.photobucket.com/albums/...17/nergal2.jpg
Here he is next to a can of soda when we first got him
http://i1028.photobucket.com/albums/...7/nergal/5.jpg
And my hand:
http://i1028.photobucket.com/albums/...7/nergal/3.jpg
Here's another not so good picture from a month ago, he is next to a box of toothpaste.
http://i1028.photobucket.com/albums/..._1306482_n.jpg

The giant ball pythons are called sub Saharan giants. They get the largest, lay the largest clutches, and have huge heads. They are from a different locale than the Ghana BPs. I almost bought one of these offspring last year...

http://redtailboa.net/classifieds/sh...p?product=2311

My goodness, you're right--they do have bigger heads :O
Don't think my Nergal is one of those but jeez he is getting big fast. :confused:
Not upset, just wondering why my others can't do this also. lol
they'll get there, I know. :)

I'm on the list to buy a female from Brian Gundy's 5000 gram female's clutch.

They're genetic and he had a female at 8 months of age weigh in at 1100 grams.

I want that blood in my babies. Imagine throwing a triple morph male to her? 14-20 eggs...
Oh man.

ok so you wanna know huge? lol these pair bred for me but to compare and show you how large my female is that little black back male is 1400 grams lol that female is 5'3.5" not joking
http://i1000.photobucket.com/albums/...ndlucifer2.jpg
after i weighed her on empty she was sitting at 3700 grams

My largest girl was 5200 before she went off feed. Two other girls were around 4300 these 3 were imports. A few other girls are all around 2600- 3500 and two virgins this year were around 1500.

I do have a question though and if anyone has pics that is great. In my experience and from what I have seen it is mostly normal girls tipping the scales.??? Maybe I just have not seen any but some big pastel girls past the 4000 range would be nice to see maybe an albino girl up there. Just curiosity kicking as I have never really seen any morph girls breaking 5000 but would like too......

I would be surprised if this albino didn't hit that 4000 gram mark next season, just weighed her and she's sitting at 3300 grams with 8 or 9 eggs in her.
I also have a 2300+ gram black pastel female that is 3 years old, she should get huge the way she's growing.
http://i968.photobucket.com/albums/a...s/PICT6732.jpg

Here's a shot of Nergal from today:
http://i1028.photobucket.com/albums/...s/IMAG0868.jpg
http://i1028.photobucket.com/albums/...s/IMAG0867.jpg
http://i1028.photobucket.com/albums/...s/IMAG0867.jpg
Compare these to the photo of him next to the soda can on page 2 :P

Her's my 2004 albino female and some neighborhood buddies.
http://i685.photobucket.com/albums/v...nakes004RE.jpg

I know, she's not a giant. LOL

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Originally Posted by TwistedEvolution

My largest girl was 5200 before she went off feed. Two other girls were around 4300 these 3 were imports. A few other girls are all around 2600- 3500 and two virgins this year were around 1500.

I do have a question though and if anyone has pics that is great. In my experience and from what I have seen it is mostly normal girls tipping the scales.??? Maybe I just have not seen any but some big pastel girls past the 4000 range would be nice to see maybe an albino girl up there. Just curiosity kicking as I have never really seen any morph girls breaking 5000 but would like too......

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ive been in a similar convo before and was told that normals have been around the longest and morphs are newer but they will gradually get up to size eventually these words are not mine but i fully trust the person who told me as i can completely understand this

Don't know what I was thinking--we've had Nergs for 10 months, he was 6 months when we got him, so he's 16 months or a year and four months old now lol :D

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Originally Posted by bullies&balls

2000 gms are very normal for older adult females without ever being "pushed" in their feeding. My largest is over 5000 gms and is 10 yrs old. Another is 7 years old and was over 3600 gms before laying. I have another dozen or so over the 2000 gm mark and these are 3 1/2 year olds.

The true "giant" bps are from a know local and do get huge in both weight and length. This local is also know for producing very large clutches in the double digits.

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Id like to see a picture of a 5000+ gram ball python.biggest ive ever seen in person might have been around 2000.i would also like the contact info for this local with "giants" you speak of.lol.is it Brian Gundy?ive read about him having big snakes.but i honestly dont know if i believe your snakes are that big.not calling you a liar,just,skeptical.lol.if they are,your doing something right and i must know your secrets.haha.have a good one.

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Originally Posted by Ball_Lover_Haha

Id like to see a picture of a 5000+ gram ball python.biggest ive ever seen in person might have been around 2000.i would also like the contact info for this local with "giants" you speak of.lol.is it Brian Gundy?ive read about him having big snakes.but i honestly dont know if i believe your snakes are that big.not calling you a liar,just,skeptical.lol.if they are,your doing something right and i must know your secrets.haha.have a good one.

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Nothing like being called out on Christmas over a 3 1/2 year old post...

Merry Christmas Eric,:rolleye2:.

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Originally Posted by Sonny1318

Merry Christmas Eric,:rolleye2:.

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To you as well! :)