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  • 03-31-2012, 05:02 PM
    Crawly's Mom
    How much weight is too much weight?
    Okay so this may be a weird question and I might just be over cautious, however, I thought I would put a question out to you guys and see what you think. I weighed Parker just two weeks ago and was surprised to find she was over 700 grams, well, we weighed her again today and she is now 833 grams, which is 113 grams heavier than she was two weeks ago. She last ate on Tuesday. Is there such a thing as putting on too much weight too quickly? We had been feeding her twice a week, just like the babies, every 4 days and she eats every time without fail. She just seems to pack on double the weight of any of the other snakes. It seems like she turns her food straight into body weight. My little piglet. I can't see anywhere where her scales are separated or anything, which I know is a sign of an overweight snake, so am I just being a paranoid mama?

    Here are some updated pictures, you guys can tell me what you think.

    http://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-...11130526_n.jpg
    http://a5.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphot...66074625_n.jpg
    http://a2.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphot...47342988_n.jpg
  • 03-31-2012, 05:03 PM
    The Serpent Merchant
    She looks fine to me. some of that weight might just be undigested rodent
  • 03-31-2012, 05:07 PM
    piedplus
    Re: How much weight is too much weight?
    Be happy while she's eating, you never know when she might stop. I think they know best what they need, and she looks great! :)
  • 03-31-2012, 05:10 PM
    Crawly's Mom
    I guess I should mention too that I originally got her in October and she was sitting right around 100 grams. So she has put on about 700 grams in 5 months. She is about the same age as Crawly, yet she is double her weight. I may just be paranoid, I just don't want to feed her too fast and end up hurting her or making her sick.
  • 03-31-2012, 05:56 PM
    mangopixie
    Lol I just asked this question yesterday. Here's my thread if you want to read the answers
    http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...-grow-too-fast

    One important thing is to only trust the weight that they are after pooping or shedding. That way you know you are only measuring body weight.
  • 03-31-2012, 06:09 PM
    Mike41793
    Wait until she takes a dump then get a weight. This would be most accurate. But some pack on weight differently than others . My cinny boy has put on a little over 200 grams in the almost 3 months ive had him (just for comparison)...
  • 03-31-2012, 06:30 PM
    LLLReptile
    Re: How much weight is too much weight?
    I wouldn't worry too much, in another few months she may well hit "the wall" and stop feeding for a while. Most of my babies have grown like this; that growth that you're describing sounds exactly on par with my holdbacks from 2011.

    As long as she has good muscle tone, holds on to you when you have her out, and feeds for you, just keep feeding her when she wants to eat! :)

    -Jen
  • 03-31-2012, 06:59 PM
    notmyfault
    I think the best way to know an accurate weight is wait till after they evacuate their bowels, that way you're weighing less pent up poop. :-)
  • 03-31-2012, 08:59 PM
    piedplus
    Re: How much weight is too much weight?
    I had on that grew so quickly that her head looked too small for her body. Just when I thought I should put her on a diet, she stopped eating. Now her head & body look like they belong together. Just wish she'd start eating again! :rolleyes:
  • 03-31-2012, 09:41 PM
    Slim
    They all grow at different rates, but if you're feeding her evey 4 days I'm not suprised she's packing on the weight. I usually switch to feeding evey 7 days once they hit 400 grams.
  • 04-01-2012, 03:15 AM
    Crawly's Mom
    Thanks guys for all the feedback, I am going to drop her down to only being fed once a week. Because of her age I was still treating her like one of the "babies", but I think I need to stop giving her food every four days. She had never refused a single meal and is always my best eater, strikes right away whenever food is presented. I just haven't seen this kind of growth in any of my other babies and they were all being fed the exact same way. I mean in five months she has put on 700 grams, that just seemed crazy to me.
  • 04-01-2012, 03:54 AM
    crazyj83
    No worries, i've heard from a few breeders that for some reason spiders will eat and grow more aggresively then any other morph. I called b.s. Till i got my spider, black pastel and het ghost, all of which are late 2011's. Both black pastel and het ghost are sitting at 250gr+/- my male spider is almost 500gr and they eat the same every time. I also weight after a a poo day so i know i have empty weights...:gj:
  • 04-14-2012, 05:42 PM
    Crawly's Mom
    Just wanted to throw in another update. I cut her back to eating once a week instead of twice. Still eats every week without fail. I weighed her again today and she is up to 918 grams. So she gained almost 200 grams once again. I swear this girl is a mutant weight gaining machine. I may have to hold back all the girls she produces at this rate.
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