Isn't he rather... small for his age?

I adopted a ball python from a woman who admitted she didn't really feed him or use heat for most of his life. She estimates he's between one and two. Most people who meet him think he's a few months old. His backbone sticks out. (He is now being fed regularly, of course.) Am I crazy or is he tiny for his age?

https://scontent.fsnc1-2.fna.fbcdn.n...dc&oe=5805BA47

https://scontent.fsnc1-2.fna.fbcdn.n...25&oe=57FA3A70
(Sorry for his dull coloring, he was about to start shedding in a few days in this pic)

Yeah, he's tiny! Ball pythons more or less grow at the rate of how well they're being fed, so it makes sense for him to be small with how poorly his previous owner was treating him... Glad you have him now!

Well, yeah, if he wasn't fed he won't grow! Glad he's in a better situation now.

I got a BP from a girl who said he was over a year old, and he was the size of a hatchling. But now he's pretty big and I've only had him about a year now. So once you get him in good conditions and on regular meals he'll catch up.

He's my good boy. He's on two hopper mice a week according to his specialist vet (I hope that's right, but he DEVOURS them... my snake, not the vet). And I have a calorie supplement for him that makes him a bit bonkers hyper but dear goodness he's such a tiny noodle in my eyes. He hadn't been touched by a human for a year. He's made such progress and I love him so much. I just wanted to see if I was overestimating his tiny-ness... maybe being a bit dramatic or something. He's my first snake ever.

I agree that if he was taken care of he would probably be much bigger. You can't compare age with size though. My new snake is 8 months old and eats fuzzie rats and she came from a very reputable breeder so ik she was taken care of, when my super pastel was 8 months old he was eating small rats lol so you can see how 2 snakes that were taken very good care of are significantly different in size at the same age.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G890A using Tapatalk

Should I be feeding him more than 2 hoppers a week? Anything larger surpasses his girth but he does look around for more food, I think, once he eats his first mouse...

That's probably good for right now. Once he gets bigger try a small adult mouse or rat fuzzy. How long have you had him?

I have had him for about a month, I think.

All my snakes seem to grow at different rates, I tend to feed my females the biggest adult mice since I want them to grow big to lay eggs. I raise my own rodents so I have a lot of different sizes, I'm still wishing I had more large adults for everyone. My rats just bred for the first time so pretty soon I'll have enough!

just keep feeding every week, I'd probably move up to bigger mice or one more if I were you.

Are you feeding every 7? If so you can switch to every 5 days and that will help get some weight on him.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G890A using Tapatalk

I feed him on Sunday and Wednesday. :) Is that ok? The vet and the herp store lady said twice a week with 1 hopper each time until he gains a bit more.

It's preferable to feed them a big meal in one go than spread out, assuming he isn't drastically skinny. You can try this next time, if he looks hungry after the first, and since he has probably gained a bit of weight already after a month with you. The two hoppers should go on the same feeding, one right after the other.

So good to see he will be taken good care of now! :snake::gj:

do you have a scale, if not i would get one and monitor his weight and the weight that you are feeding him.. keep track of it all, write it down in a book, or i keep it all in a excel spreadsheet..

hope this helps!

Thanks, guys! That was really helpful. :)

Actually it is better to feed a small meal more frequently, listen to the vet. An overly large meal or repeated instances of big meals may trigger a fast. I would feed one 10% body weight food item every 4 days until he refuses then switch to same % weight every 7 days until back on feed. So on and so forth. This should be the case especially for males. Feed big meals, risk going off feed. I have had males fast for 13 months, a male that small may not make that hike.

So happy to hear he'll be properly taken care of now ! If you dont mind i have a somewhat related question for the people in the replies . I have a roughly 7 month old female ball , i feed her a mouse a week, and they're usually about ad big around as she is at her thickest (was told this is a good judge on size) when i fed her monday though i noticed that not only is she eafing quicker but she seemed to have been looking around like she wanted another when she was done , is it possible i need to move her up to two a week ?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Ashleighsmommy

So happy to hear he'll be properly taken care of now ! If you dont mind i have a somewhat related question for the people in the replies . I have a roughly 7 month old female ball , i feed her a mouse a week, and they're usually about ad big around as she is at her thickest (was told this is a good judge on size) when i fed her monday though i noticed that not only is she eafing quicker but she seemed to have been looking around like she wanted another when she was done , is it possible i need to move her up to two a week ?

---

Any way to weigh her? She should get 10-15% of her body weight a week. One mouse may not be enough.

Yes what chrid said. Once he goes up a prey size you can probably back him off to once a week. Also, i would try to get him on rats while his feeding response is strong.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by melcvt00

Any way to weigh her? She should get 10-15% of her body weight a week. One mouse may not be enough.

---

I sadly dont have a way to weigh her atm im hoping to be able to change that soon. Should i try to see if shell accept a mouse tomorrow (5 days from last) , try two on monday , or keep her on her current until i can weigh her ? Not sure what is the best option , i do think its highly possible shes wanting more though she's grown quickly in my time having her

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Ashleighsmommy

I sadly dont have a way to weigh her atm im hoping to be able to change that soon. Should i try to see if shell accept a mouse tomorrow (5 days from last) , try two on monday , or keep her on her current until i can weigh her ? Not sure what is the best option , i do think its highly possible shes wanting more though she's grown quickly in my time having her

---

Digital kitchen scales are pretty cheap at Walmart ($15). And adult mouse is 1oz-ish, so it would be one mouse for every 10oz of snake. I turn mine on with a basket sitting on it, then set Malfoy in.

If if she is acting hungry, I would offer another mouse or two at 5 days.

Granted, I have never dealt with a baby ball, but I would think if she is hungry, she should eat.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by melcvt00

Digital kitchen scales are pretty cheap at Walmart ($15). And adult mouse is 1oz-ish, so it would be one mouse for every 10oz of snake. I turn mine on with a basket sitting on it, then set Malfoy in.

If if she is acting hungry, I would offer another mouse or two at 5 days.

Granted, I have never dealt with a baby ball, but I would think if she is hungry, she should eat.

---

Yeah i told my fiance we need to get a scale with his next paycheck so i can start keeping track of her weight . I know shes a good length for her approx age but i wanna see her weight and also keep track so i know if theres any abnormal changes . I think on her feeding day this week I'll try to offer her a second mouse after she gets the first down and see if shell take it , otherwise ill find a way to keep it till her next feeding or see if my roommates wanna give it to their girl

Honestly, the best thing you can do to help him grow is switch to rats. Mice are extremely lean, so for example, a 20 gram mouse is not at all equivalent (nutritionally) to a 20 gram rat. My hatchlings are usually fed pinkie rats as their first meal, and as long as your ball python is over 100 grams (which he easily appears to be) he should at least eat fuzzies. Above 150 and he could probably eat rat pups.

The 15% "rule" is problematic because it doesn't take into account what you're using (20 g mouse =/= 20 gram rat) nor does it take into account the way that the "percent" should change throughout the snake's life or how the frequency changes. In reality, babies are fed around 18% of their body weight in rats once a week, while a full grown adult will eat closer to 5-10% once every two weeks. I have a 4000 gram female that certainly does NOT need to eat 10% of her body weight... That would be a "jumbo" rat. Medium and an occasional large rat are more than enough to keep her plump and happy. Males and females will also often be fed at different rates after reaching a certain size.

Also, the thickest part off the snake's body should similar in diameter to the thickest part of the rat's body. Many people drastically underestimate the size that their snake should be eating and it leads to very stagnant growth rates.

TL;DR - Mice are like diet food for ball pythons. They'll keep him alive, but rats will actually help him grow and gain weight.

See the problem with that is everyone around me stopped selling rats for feeders , so i have to stick to mice until we can find somewhere that sells rats still

So glad he has a nice home now!!!

My husband and I just rescued a female from a guy who only fed her once a month and didn't have the proper heat either. She's 3.5 feet long but way skinnier than she should be. Since having her for 3 weeks, we've noticed a size difference and she even shed - after 2 meals one week apart.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Family Jewels

Honestly, the best thing you can do to help him grow is switch to rats. Mice are extremely lean, so for example, a 20 gram mouse is not at all equivalent (nutritionally) to a 20 gram rat. My hatchlings are usually fed pinkie rats as their first meal, and as long as your ball python is over 100 grams (which he easily appears to be) he should at least eat fuzzies. Above 150 and he could probably eat rat pups.

The 15% "rule" is problematic because it doesn't take into account what you're using (20 g mouse =/= 20 gram rat) nor does it take into account the way that the "percent" should change throughout the snake's life or how the frequency changes. In reality, babies are fed around 18% of their body weight in rats once a week, while a full grown adult will eat closer to 5-10% once every two weeks. I have a 4000 gram female that certainly does NOT need to eat 10% of her body weight... That would be a "jumbo" rat. Medium and an occasional large rat are more than enough to keep her plump and happy. Males and females will also often be fed at different rates after reaching a certain size.

Also, the thickest part off the snake's body should similar in diameter to the thickest part of the rat's body. Many people drastically underestimate the size that their snake should be eating and it leads to very stagnant growth rates.

TL;DR - Mice are like diet food for ball pythons. They'll keep him alive, but rats will actually help him grow and gain weight.

---

I have to disagree with this slightly... Some owners/keepers feed only mice, and their snakes are large and healthy. While I do believe there may be more nutrients in rats, and use them myself, the main reason most switch to rats is that it's just easier. Rats have more mass, so it's easier to feed one rat than two or even three mice per meal.

To the OP - I think the best thing you can do at this point is listen to your vet. If they are a good herp vet, and have given you a diet plan for the snake, unless you feel there is a problem, stick to that. The vet may see or know something folks here do not. If you weren't under vet care, that's different.