Does anybody know?

I'm getting conflicting answers from pet stores, I want to know if my 10 month old male bp should be getting fed every 5 days or 7 and if its 5 then at what age do I bump him to seven? I don't want to power feed.

When most talk about power feeding they are usually talking about daisy chaining rats one after the other by putting the head of the second rat in the snakes mouth right as it finishes the first, forcing the snake to eat more. This is a process I would not recommend.

Feeding every 5 days is the normal feeding schedule for baby/juvi ball python and I feed every 4-5 days until the bp is at least 400-500 grams.

That being said, even if you fed a baby every 7 days, it's not like you would be under feeding it.

Ok, thanks, I'm taking him to be properly weighed today so I'll have a better idea what to do after that. Also where you say that every 7 days wouldn't be under feeding him,I understand but at every 7 days is he getting enough for proper development? Considering taking him to a vet for a check up as well. He's a part of our family and we want him healthy. He looks and acts content but I read that bps don't just get sick, they're sick for a while before you notice.

You can buy a scale from your local walmart in the cooking section that goes up to 5000 gram.
Don't know what you mean by properly weighed :confusd:

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Originally Posted by GregsMoko

Ok, thanks, I'm taking him to be properly weighed today so I'll have a better idea what to do after that. Also where you say that every 7 days wouldn't be under feeding him,I understand but at every 7 days is he getting enough for proper development? Considering taking him to a vet for a check up as well. He's a part of our family and we want him healthy. He looks and acts content but I read that bps don't just get sick, they're sick for a while before you notice.

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The size of pray is going to have just as much to do with development as how often you feed. As long as your snake has a nice plump/round shape, you can't see his/her spine, and you are feeding a rat/mouse that is as big around as the snake or 15%-20% of the snakes body weight every week or two then I'm sure he/she will be perfectly healthy.

Just make sure temps and humidity are in range to help with digestion and shedding.

A lot of people over think the feeding process for BP's but the first time you have a BP go on a feeding strike, you will see that it isn't a necessity that these snakes eat every week or two.

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Originally Posted by PitOnTheProwl

You can buy a scale from your local walmart in the cooking section that goes up to 5000 gram.
Don't know what you mean by properly weighed :confusd:

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+1

Get a kitchen scale from Walmart and if the snake goes off feed then just watch for any massive weight loss. That is a sign that something is wrong. Other than that, as long as the snake is eating and gaining weight, temps and humidity are in acceptable ranges, and you don't see any signs of respiratory infection (Blowing bubbles out of nose, excess mucus in mouth, dark coloring in gums and mouth, runny stool) then your snake should be fine. :gj::gj:

Just got a scale and weighed Moko he's 202grams, at 10 months it seems low, I'm waiting for a vet to let me know if this is average, my main concern(overly protective) is that he's healthy I don't care if he gets huge or not. I tend to worry a bit but he is my baby, I feed a frozen thawed rat pup which is the same size as his largest part of his body, every seven days, pretty sure I'm switching to every 5 days but what age to continue that to I'm unsure.

They grow at different rates but i would say thats a little on the small side for sure.
What are you feeding.

The first time I weighed him was with a kitchen scale but it only had oz which I converted into grams but I went and got a scale from the pet store which weighed in grams and he's 202 , pet store says this is a normal weight but others are saying it's underweight. Arrrrrrgh! Frustrating! I'm switching to every five days but need advice on how long to keep him there until switching back to seven, is there a age that I should go by?

Weight not age.
About 400 or 500 grams.
I have a couple that are at a year well over 1200g.
Again they grow at different rates.
So what are you feeding him?
I would offer a large rat fuzzy or small pup every 4 or 5 days and go from there.
If he starts to refuse in a couple months then move to 5 or 6 days.

All snakes are different. If YOU feel he's on the lighter side go for a 5 day feeding schedule. I didn't weigh my girl till recently for the first time. At 4 yrs she was 745gr. Now she's over 1000 grams. She will probably be on the smaller side the rest of her life. I just got a new girl and at about the same age she's 1675 grams and fat. IMHO I think in captivity we over feed. In the wild they wouldn't be on a set schedule and be handed food. They would have to hunt for it. When my girl was a baby I fed a raat pup, asf fuzzy, rat fuzzy, anything I could get and fed when she was hungry just like you would for a human baby. At a year old went to rat crawlers when she was hungry and so on. I went by her largest part of her body on size. Now I can feed her anything from a small rat ro a large and she snags it. She hasn't missed a meal and hasn't gone on any strikes.

Thanks, I think I'm worrying a bit much, but with the advice I've received I'll be able to make a better decision on what to do. Thanks again.