BP Care - Should I weigh William Snakespeare regularly?

So, I've done a good job of logging his eating habits and his bathroom habits. I wondered if I should be weighing him regularly too? I would assume that's the best way to ensure that he's growing properly. It's not as though he would enjoy me stretching him out once a month on a yard stick. Any advice? Thanks!

He's still eating like a champ and finally did his business. He's a lot of fun. Got him a new hide that he seems to enjoy. As best I can tell, he's a happy snake.

Yes I would definitely weigh him regularly. Glad he's happy!!

Not many ball python owners measure length and it really doesn't matter as much as their overall body condition. I weigh once a month, preferably after a poop to keep it consistent and accurate. I weigh more often when the adult males stop eating to make sure they're doing okay.

its a few minutes once a month, and when you do it each month you can make a nice diagram. for whomever it concerns.

no, really, its not bad to have. when you have a weight-time-diagram going on, and if your BP somehow picks up internal parasites for example, that would be the first indication. same food scedule, same feeding response, but weight curve does a dive.

keeping records of stuff seems like a waste of time...... until you wish you had them but dont have them. and then they are suddenly worth a lot. putting your snake on a scale now and then and writing it down is not much work. but when random circumstances arrive, it may prove invaluable.

by the way, for snakes its grams and kilograms. the resistance that the USA, Burma, and Liberia still mount against the global takeover of grams, kilograms, milligrams and tons is corroding. all other nations adapted. the imperial unit coalition is rather small now. the reptile world is a lost cause. grams it is.

Thanks! I thought I was headed in the right direction. We do have a scale that measures in grams. I can put him in his feeding box and weigh him once a month. Probably on a Saturday, right before I feed him for consistency. He really does seem to be quite content. He's fun to watch and likes to hang out on my arm and shoulder when I'm checking email and such.

I really appreciate the advice. I want to make sure I'm doing the right thing for him.

Its totally up to you, I weight weekly but I tend to over do things too LoL

You know if you google 'snake measurer' there are websites where you can upload a picture of your slithering snake with an object next to him (I use a cell phone) and you can get a length on him without having to stretch him out. The object is the scale and you click on points along his body to measure him curve by curve.

nice name:gj::gj:

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by gaplastina

You know if you google 'snake measurer' there are websites where you can upload a picture of your slithering snake with an object next to him (I use a cell phone) and you can get a length on him without having to stretch him out. The object is the scale and you click on points along his body to measure him curve by curve.

---

its a ball python, they are tame, so you can just use a tape measure (a soft, fabric one) to go along the back. or a piece of string. also this tiny little piece of software will not account for perspective.

that being said, we are talking about weight.

Weights are good to track. If you're tracking feedings and poops, weight is a good thing to add (along with sheds).

If nothing else, it'll help you feel better if your snake goes into one of the BP fasts. It's very easy for people to say their snake is losing weight and looks skinny because he hasn't eaten in two months, but the truth ends up being he's lost a trivial amount (10g) and is just fine. If you have the weights all along, you'll know how he's doing and won't be guessing or letting concern cloud your vision.

If you end up running into serious issues and need a vet for your snake, you'll have the detailed weight history for him. The weight may or may not be useful for whatever the issue is, but better to have the history and not need it than want it and not have it.

For what it's worth, I weigh mine everytime they get fed. Once a week for bigger snakes, every 4 or 5 days for smaller snakes as feed day dictates.

Excellent advice. We will start weighing on Saturday morning. Right before feeding. Every week and track that just like we track his food and sheds. He hasn't shedded yet. But I don't expect that for a while. Thank you very much.

Don't forget to subtract the weight of whatever you're weighing him in. I remember when I first started working with snakes, I totally forgot to do that, and the Herp keepers were suddenly very confused as to why the king snake had gained 200+ grams in one week. Oops!

Use the same bowl and tare the scale with it on there

I weight and measure mine always before feeding or after pooping. Having a chart of weight/size gain is a must for me :rolleye2:

Using a bowl or a shoe box or something alike to keep the snake in place is a must. And mainly all digital scales have TARE function to reset to 0 after you put on bowl/box/etc...

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by jxl

I weight and measure mine always before feeding or after pooping. Having a chart of weight/size gain is a must for me :rolleye2:

Using a bowl or a shoe box or something alike to keep the snake in place is a must. And mainly all digital scales have TARE function to reset to 0 after you put on bowl/box/etc...

---

i think absolutely all kitchen scales have that function. otherwise, weighing out for example 180 grams of sugar, 250 grams of wheat, and 150 grams of molten butter would really be no fun at all ^^

Thanks! I weighed him on Saturday, right before I fed him, in his feeding box. He only weighs 150 grams! Yep, he's a little guy! Or girl. I really don't know. BUT, now I have a new question. We've had him a month and this morning I found him burrowed in his bedding. Like there are tunnels everywhere now. He's even moving his hides and water bowl around doing it. Is this normal? Is he just getting more comfortable and being who he is? Or could it be a sign that he's needing something different or getting ready to shed? His eyes are clear and he looks great. Oh the things I don't know about our newest family member. Thanks for your help.

I've been doing it every time I feed my snakes. If you want to copy it, the log I made has the following columns:

Date Fed
Weight BF (Weight before feeding)
Ate? (Y or N)
What/Quantity (example: 2 pinkies)
Shed? (Y or N)
Date Shed/Length of Shed
Last BM (when had a bowel movement)
Other Notes

I keep this log in case I have to take them to the vet, it may help the vet to help my pets.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I weigh mine weekly. She's a light adult female. When I say light I mean she's 4 yrs old and weighs under 1000 grams. I even weigh my male weekly because he's gone off food. I want to make sure he's not loosing significant weight. Also the burrowing could be either he likes to burrow or he's getting ready to shed and needs the extra humidity under the substrate. Check your humidity and see if it's low. I would raise it and see what he does. Are you using a digital hygrometer or the analog one? The analog ones are very inaccurate. You can get a digital thermo/hydrometer from Walmart for about $12. It will be in the hardware section. I wish you great luck with the little guy.

We have an analog, I will up grade to the digital as soon as I can get to the store. I'm in Atlanta and the whole freakin town has shut down. You would think they've never seen snow. CRAZY TOWN!

Thanks y'all very much! He's a good boy. I want him to be happy!

I track length once in awhile, not as often as weights though. You can buy a cloth measuring tape from where they carry linen to make your blankets and that kinda stuff.