ball python weight & shedding

my baby ball is about a month and a half old, i weighed him today and he weights 92 grams, is that good? Or bad? First Ball python that ive owned. i was watching a video on youtube and it was a 3 month old ball and he was way fatter and bigger than my boy. He also hasnt shed yet, and i dont see any cloudiness in the eyes or anything, just wondering on when hell start to shed? thanks hope to here from somebody soon!:)

A picture of your BP will help us to determine if his weight is ok or not.

As for shedding a young BP should shed every 4-6 weeks.

Based on your post I think you probably need to increase the amount of food your BP gets. What size/type of rodent are you feeding and how often?

ive been feeding him an alive medium hopper every week

i would post a picure but i do not know how :(

How to post pictures:

http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...with-pictures)

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Originally Posted by MarcsReptileShed

ive been feeding him an alive medium hopper every week

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It's probably time to move up to either weanlings or small adult mice.

[IMG]http://i1363.photobucket.com/albums/...pseb2e5160.jpg[/IMG]

What would i ask forr in the petstore idk how big is too big and idk how small is too small. i dont want to buy him somthing he wont eat because its too big, also if i move onto small adult mice would that mean that i can still feed him once a week?

He does look a little thin.

You can either feed hopper mice like you are now every 4 days or 1 small adult mouse every 7 days.

so how about shedding? i mean ive read online that they shed every4-6 weeks, ive had him for 7 weeks tomorrow and still nothing no cloudy eyes or going into blue his skin does look a little dull but still no other signs of shedding. ive had other snakes in the past when i was younger so i dont remember much about how their shed cycles were and they werent actuallly my pets they were my dads so i didnt pay much attention to them.

how can i determine the right size small adult mice?

Snakes only shed when they need to, because your BP is growing slower than normal he doesn't need to shed yet. Get a few small adult mice in him and he should shed relativity quickly.

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Originally Posted by MarcsReptileShed

how can i determine the right size small adult mice?

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Find the largest area on your snake (around the girth). Make sure the mouse is no bigger than that.

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Originally Posted by MarcsReptileShed

how can i determine the right size small adult mice?

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You want to feed a rodent as wide or slightly wider than the fattest part of the snake. With young BP's you can also use the 15% rule.

The 15% rule says that a BP should eat 15% of it's body weight once per week. So in your case:

90 grams x 0.15 = 13.5 grams

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Originally Posted by kat_black181

Find the largest area on your snake (around the girth). Make sure the mouse is no bigger than that.

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The mouse can be slightly larger without any issues.

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Originally Posted by The Serpent Merchant

The mouse can be slightly larger without any issues.

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Ahh. :-) Thanks!

so how many small adult mice is that a week?

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Originally Posted by MarcsReptileShed

so how many small adult mice is that a week?

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It should be 1, but there isn't a standard weight/naming system for feeder rodents. You will have to see what your local supplier sells.

okay thank you for your help with everything definitely a knowledgeable man! Im gonna get him a small adult mouse asap! Than hopefully hell shed for me!:):)

He does look skinny, don't be worried about the shed, they do that when they have to, because they're growing. Just feed prey that is a bit larger than his widest part. I would suggest going to rats as soon as you can, they are better for them and if they get real big they will need them anyway, so it's better to start young.

ETA: If you are feeding live I strongly suggest feeding prekilled or frozen/thawed prey.

speaking of which i was just about to ask,ive been trying to convert over to frozen thawed im actually going to try to feed him right now a frozen thawed mouse, i have the feeding tongs and i try to make it move as realistic as possible, but he just doesnt seem interested... any ideas or tips?

the petstore i bbuy my live stuff from doesnt sell rats i dont think, but if he takes this f/t right now than im in buisness

Quote:

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Originally Posted by MarcsReptileShed

speaking of which i was just about to ask,ive been trying to convert over to frozen thawed im actually going to try to feed him right now a frozen thawed mouse, i have the feeding tongs and i try to make it move as realistic as possible, but he just doesnt seem interested... any ideas or tips?

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How did you thaw/heat the rodent?

i get some steaming hot water than place the mouse still in the bag fully submerged into the water for about 15 minutes until it is warm and there are no cold spots and than i put it under the heat lamp to dry it off for a minute than i try feeding

Quote:

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Originally Posted by MarcsReptileShed

speaking of which i was just about to ask,ive been trying to convert over to frozen thawed im actually going to try to feed him right now a frozen thawed mouse, i have the feeding tongs and i try to make it move as realistic as possible, but he just doesnt seem interested... any ideas or tips?

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Did you try warming it up with a hair dryer? Especially the head.

ETA: I leave my weaned rats to thaw for 3 hours on top of the enclosure to pre scent the room, and then take it out and warm it with the hair dryer before offering it.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by MarcsReptileShed

i get some steaming hot water than place the mouse still in the bag fully submerged into the water for about 15 minutes until it is warm and there are no cold spots and than i put it under the heat lamp to dry it off for a minute than i try feeding

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In the future don't use hot water to thaw the rodent. Thaw the rodent in cold water then heat it under a heat lamp or with a hair dryer. Heat the rodent up to about 100 F. If you have a temp gun you can use it to check the temperature of the rodent.

Once you have it heated hold the rodent in feeding tongs by the tail and dangle it in front of the snake. Wiggle it, but don't be too aggressive with it. The last thing you want to do is scare the snake. Slowly move the rodent closer and farther from the snake until it strikes.

thanks ill try that but it might be hard with the cat lol

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Originally Posted by MarcsReptileShed

the petstore i bbuy my live stuff from doesnt sell rats i dont think, but if he takes this f/t right now than im in buisness

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Not sure what pet store but they notoriously over price their feeders. Where are you located? I'm sure someone can find you a cheaper source of feeders :)

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Originally Posted by MarcsReptileShed

thanks ill try that but it might be hard with the cat lol

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LOL, I have a cat too and she doesn't bother with it all. Maybe close the door if she's overly curious?

im in south jersey my feeder hoppers are only 1.79 when i buy them i dont think thats too expensive? i was ataully just messing around with the f/t small adult mouse that weighted about 13 grams and he took it for the first time. Now im just waiting for him to swallow it :)

That's great.

now im just hoping that hell swallow it and keep it down, ive read alot the 1st f/t they usually regurgitate or just "kill it" and dont eat it. He coiled around it and now hes just laying there with the tip of its head in his mouth, so hopefully he swallows it and keeps it down:):)

Kill it and not eat it maybe, but your BP shouldn't regurgitate it. If your snake does you have a much bigger issue.

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Originally Posted by MarcsReptileShed

now im just hoping that hell swallow it and keep it down, ive read alot the 1st f/t they usually regurgitate or just "kill it" and dont eat it. He coiled around it and now hes just laying there with the tip of its head in his mouth, so hopefully he swallows it and keeps it down:):)

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Yay, I bet he does, it'll be fine. I pay about 1.30 per 35g weaned rat, and that is apparently a bit pricey (compared to Toronto, I'm on Ottawa ON).

he swallowed it! so were alll good :) again thank you so much for your help!:)

than i guess im paying to much for a live hopper thats probably about 6 grams!haha

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Originally Posted by MarcsReptileShed

than i guess im paying to much for a live hopper thats probably about 6 grams!haha

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Congrats on getting him to eat though, that's awesome :) Yeah, it's overpaying, but right now, it's more important that he eat. I hope someone from the area can help out, or else check local classifieds, or if you have a store in the area that specializes in reptiles?

the closest actual reptile store is about an hour away from me, but thank you:)