Ball Python Feeding Guidelines

As much as this topic comes up, I'm sure this ball python feeding chart will prove itself useful. Enjoy!

Find the appropriate prey item and feeding schedule for your snake:

https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...%2F98qfzDH.png

Ball Python Feeding Guidelines
Recommended Feeders	Ball Python Weight		When to Offer Food
Quantity, Type, and Size	Male	Female	Breeders	Pets Only
1x Hopper Mouse (8-11 grams)	First 3-5 Meals	First 3-5 Meals	Every 3-4 Days	Every 7 Days
1x Rat Fuzzy (10-19 grams) or 1x Small Mouse (12-17 grams)	Up to 200 grams	Up to 200 grams	Every 3-4 Days	Every 7 Days
1x Rat Pup (20-29 grams) or 1x Adult Mouse (18-32 grams)	200-350 grams	200-350 grams	Every 5-7 Days	Every 7 Days
1x Weaned Rat (30-49 grams) or 1x Jumbo Mouse (33-50 grams)	350-500 grams	350-500 grams	Every 5-7 Days	Every 7 Days
1x Small Rat (50-89 grams) or 2-3 Mice (depending on size)	Over 500 grams	500-1000 grams	Every 7 Days	Every 7 Days
1x Medium Rat (90-179 grams) or 3-5 Mice (depending on size)	Not necessary for typical adult males	Over 1000 grams	Every 7 Days	Every 7 Days
1x Large Rat (180+ grams)	Not necessary for typical adult males	Not necessary for typical adult females	N/A	N/A

Ball pythons are primarily rodent eaters - most commonly rats or mice. They can eat either live prey or frozen rodents that have been thawed and warmed up. Beyond the first few meals after hatching, I feed exclusively rats to my ball python collection. They provide optimal nutrition and are a convenient option for both keepers and reptiles alike. One appropriately sized rat per feeding is good for both a hatchling and an adult ball python. Even with the above advice, it is important to keep in mind that there is no one right way to feed a ball python.

Find what works for both you and your snakes and stick to it!

I like that is has a different feeding schedule for if you're raising your snake as a breeder or a pet. Very useful!

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Originally Posted by Lizardlicks

I like that is has a different feeding schedule for if you're raising your snake as a breeder or a pet. Very useful!

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Thanks!

My logic is to take advantage of a little one's increased metabolism while they are young and tend to be bottomless pits and then back off as they reach maturity in tune with their natural tendency to do so themselves. Generally speaking, though, ball pythons will do well on a once/week schedule throughout their lifetime (that is also easy for a keeper to remember what day feeding day is), which is why I kept that part in there.

Great job Eric! :gj:

I would totally print (and possibly pastlify) that and send it with any snake I'd sell.

Considering the amount of times this question comes up, I think this chart might be Sticky worthy, but let's see what the rest of the community thinks ;)

Good info Eric. Thanks for posting!

Definitely sticky worth!
Great post and thank you for the info...

Agreed on the sticky.

This so useful! Thanks Eric :)

This is exactly what I've been looking for, THANK YOU :gj:

I like how simple you've made it. That being said, I'm sure everyone has an opinion but this seems to be a simple comprehensive approach to feeding mice or rats to our beloved balls.

Most importantly is the title you've given the chart "Feeding Guideline" to hopefully avoid conflicts.

NICELY DONE - if it's deemed not sticky worthy here, I hope you're satisfied I found it laminate worthy. :D

This is by far great and valuable information and I totally agree that it should be sticky worthy. Thank you for the information kind Sir!

Eric is a great guy, taking time to make a chart to help new keepers. I think he should make one for all snake species now. J\K. :P

Nice, add pittontheprowl's pic and sticky them together?, some useful info for the new peeps. Just throwing this out there because i lost count on how many times hes posted it showing somebody how to. this plus feeding chart:gj:

https://ball-pythons.net/gallery//sh...mageuser=19365

Thanks for the help Eric! Should be a sticky.

Have you posted this on facebook ? I'd want to share it, this is awesome and so much easier then explaining every time.

EDIT: Found it! nvm ;)

if you are keeping them as a pet, but you followed the breeder guidelines, what would happen? is it for them to "bulk up" faster?
would it be harmful to?

If you weren't careful and didn't pay attention to the snakes body condition (which is another part of knowing what to feed when that can't really go into a chart) you could risk obesity. It's assumed breeding animals are going to be using a lot calories and energy during the entire breeding process, and at some point they're probably gonna go off food, so they need to go it with some extra reserves and then you have to build them up for next season.

That said, depending on your individual snake's metabolism and activity level, you could just end up with a perfectly trim and healthy, while rather large snake.

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Originally Posted by paroxysm

if you are keeping them as a pet, but you followed the breeder guidelines, what would happen? is it for them to "bulk up" faster?
would it be harmful to?

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"Bulk up" really isn't the right way to think about it. It's playing into their voracious appetites when they're young to set them up for success as they get older. For someone who breeds ball pythons, it is especially important to take advantage of this while they can and then gradually back off when their animals tell them to as they mature. That's what I tried to replicate in the chart. For a pet, in the grand scheme of things, the growth rate of their little ones is less important and, ultimately, most BPs will do well on a once/week schedule. Whichever side a person follows, after a few months they're exactly the same anyway. No harm will come to any animals using either guide - it's a pretty conservative schedule.

Personally, I advocate the "breeder" side for all animals - pets and breeders alike. Getting little ones into a good feeding routine is beneficial for everyone. I didn't want to box anyone in though and say that there's only one way to do things, which is why I left the guide flexible.

:gj:

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Originally Posted by BR8080

NICELY DONE - if it's deemed not sticky worthy here, I hope you're satisfied I found it laminate worthy. :D

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I love that you found it laminate worthy! :)

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Originally Posted by Neal

I think he should make one for all snake species now. J\K. :P

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I know you're J\King, but I just gotta say it. No thank you. I'll be the first to point out the limits of my knowledge/experience, and "all snake species" are well beyond that boundary.

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Originally Posted by Ufoo9k

Have you posted this on facebook ? I'd want to share it, this is awesome and so much easier then explaining every time.

EDIT: Found it! nvm ;)

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Yep - it was on my FB page a couple of days before this post. Share away! :gj:

I'ts interesting to look at such a feeding chart and consider the pro's the con's. As an evolutionary biologist, herpetologist, and herpetoculturist, I try to absorb as much information regarding the effects of feeding schedules on the snakes physiology. Combine that with dissections of numerous "pet/breeder and wild" boids and pythonids over the years, I get to see the effects of feeding first hand. I posted this before, but I think its relevant.

"The frequency of feeding is something that interests me greatly, due to the dramatic physiological changes that occur rapidly upon feeding. Based on work carried out on Burmese pythons, it was shown that within 48 hours of feeding metabolic rate increases 44 fold, and the plasma triglyceride content increases 160 fold (thus the blood becomes thicker). Within 72 hours major organ specific changes also occur. For example, the small intestines, pancreas, liver, kidneys, and heart, increase in mass by between 40 and 100 fold. These changes last 10 to 14 days before returning to pre-feeding conditions. Physiologically, that is a massive amount of stress on organs. So, the question arises, if we feed on a 5 to 7 day routine, are we maintaining our snakes in a constant state of physiological stress (which may explain the short life span of many pythons and boas in captivity)? Furthermore, if we are feeding on a 5 to 7 day schedule, are the animals effectively utilizing all of the available meal, or are we simply pushing this through their systems with a reduced amount of processing?"

Would love to hear others opinions. Personally, I could not disagree more with a feeding regime of every 3-4 days for snakes up to 200 grams. But that is just me basing it off what we currently know about pythonid physiology.

Warren

I think you could easily go with feeding most adults every second week.

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Originally Posted by Warren_Booth

I'ts interesting to look at such a feeding chart and consider the pro's the con's. As an evolutionary biologist, herpetologist, and herpetoculturist, I try to absorb as much information regarding the effects of feeding schedules on the snakes physiology. Combine that with dissections of numerous "pet/breeder and wild" boids and pythonids over the years, I get to see the effects of feeding first hand. I posted this before, but I think its relevant.

"The frequency of feeding is something that interests me greatly, due to the dramatic physiological changes that occur rapidly upon feeding. Based on work carried out on Burmese pythons, it was shown that within 48 hours of feeding metabolic rate increases 44 fold, and the plasma triglyceride content increases 160 fold (thus the blood becomes thicker). Within 72 hours major organ specific changes also occur. For example, the small intestines, pancreas, liver, kidneys, and heart, increase in mass by between 40 and 100 fold. These changes last 10 to 14 days before returning to pre-feeding conditions. Physiologically, that is a massive amount of stress on organs. So, the question arises, if we feed on a 5 to 7 day routine, are we maintaining our snakes in a constant state of physiological stress (which may explain the short life span of many pythons and boas in captivity)? Furthermore, if we are feeding on a 5 to 7 day schedule, are the animals effectively utilizing all of the available meal, or are we simply pushing this through their systems with a reduced amount of processing?"

Would love to hear others opinions. Personally, I could not disagree more with a feeding regime of every 3-4 days for snakes up to 200 grams. But that is just me basing it off what we currently know about pythonid physiology.

Warren

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Thank you for your insight, Dr. Booth. It's always welcome to hear feedback beyond the hobbyist's perspective. I would be interested in learning about how these physiological changes change throughout a snake's lifetime. How many hatchling snakes were included in the Burmese python research? From my own observations, and through conversations and reading what others have written on this topic, I have found that the actions and growth pattern of hatchling ball pythons indicate that they benefit from being fed more frequently than older snakes.

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Originally Posted by silverbill

I think you could easily go with feeding most adults every second week.

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Yes - a non-breeding adult could certainly be offered food every other week. Offering once weekly with the occasional skipped meal works as well. As I said on the chart - find what works best for you and your animals.

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Originally Posted by Warren_Booth

I'ts interesting to look at such a feeding chart and consider the pro's the con's. As an evolutionary biologist, herpetologist, and herpetoculturist, I try to absorb as much information regarding the effects of feeding schedules on the snakes physiology. Combine that with dissections of numerous "pet/breeder and wild" boids and pythonids over the years, I get to see the effects of feeding first hand. I posted this before, but I think its relevant.

"The frequency of feeding is something that interests me greatly, due to the dramatic physiological changes that occur rapidly upon feeding. Based on work carried out on Burmese pythons, it was shown that within 48 hours of feeding metabolic rate increases 44 fold, and the plasma triglyceride content increases 160 fold (thus the blood becomes thicker). Within 72 hours major organ specific changes also occur. For example, the small intestines, pancreas, liver, kidneys, and heart, increase in mass by between 40 and 100 fold. These changes last 10 to 14 days before returning to pre-feeding conditions. Physiologically, that is a massive amount of stress on organs. So, the question arises, if we feed on a 5 to 7 day routine, are we maintaining our snakes in a constant state of physiological stress (which may explain the short life span of many pythons and boas in captivity)? Furthermore, if we are feeding on a 5 to 7 day schedule, are the animals effectively utilizing all of the available meal, or are we simply pushing this through their systems with a reduced amount of processing?"

Would love to hear others opinions. Personally, I could not disagree more with a feeding regime of every 3-4 days for snakes up to 200 grams. But that is just me basing it off what we currently know about pythonid physiology.

Warren

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I found the article you referenced (found here: http://jeb.biologists.org/content/211/24/3767#F8). The part that caught my eye was the impact that meal size had on these changes. When meal size was varied, the physiological changes were more elevated and prolonged as the meal size increased. All but the smallest sizes of meals used, though, are not recommended as appropriate for feeding ball pythons regularly. For hatchlings, 10-15% is the generally used range. For juveniles and adults, the percentage is considerably lower than that. For those size meals, the elevated responses are largely finished by the 3rd or 4th day.

Here is the figure (Figure A) I'm referring to:
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...%2FMsTXO4t.jpg
Even in the other figures/images shown in the article, the meal sizes used were 50% (for the body distension images) and 25% (for the remainder of the figures) - both larger than necessary for ball pythons. I just thought it was important to add some context to the numbers you referenced here.

Hi Eric,
That is an older article. The one that I am referring to was published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, U.S.A. 2013. Castoe et al. The Burmese Python genome reveals the molecular basis for extreme adaptation in snakes. 110:20645-20650, however I have seen follow up talks with more data presented at several meetings.

Here are several figures to show what changes are occurring, and the duration for which organ remodeling is taken place. This is for a meal that is 25% of the body weight, which is large for captivity, in general, but not for the wild (given that they are opportunists).

Regarding metabolic rate and blood tryglyceride levels -
http://i701.photobucket.com/albums/w...ps5u2bm55u.jpg

and now organ remodelling -
http://i701.photobucket.com/albums/w...psaeiwapet.jpg

Even if we scale this back to the ~8% to 18% prey size to body size that you recommend, it is clear that organ remodeling is not going to reduce dramatically to 3 to 5 days.

My concern is not growth rate. Look at obesity in America for example. Offer a kid food, 9 times out of 10 if it is their favorite meal they will eat it, and... they will grow. Therefore how do you measure growth rate, and how do you determine a healthy growth rate from an excessive and unhealthy growth rate? You have 3 years experience keeping ball pythons, therefore how can you determine the impact of this feeding regime on the long term health of the animals in your care, or those that you are recommending this to?

I am not trying to be argumentative. That may come across due to the nature of non-tonal text, however I am playing devils advocate here and would ask for scientific data to support such a dramatic and prolonged feeding strategy. Speaking to a very successful boa and python breeder recently, he mentioned that his feeding strategy for ball pythons is very simple. Between September and December he feeds them any time they will eat. The rest of the year, they are not fed. He has had incredible success over a very long time with this method. The other aspect to consider is breeder vs. pet. We know that breeders in general want their animals to be breeding size as quick as possible, but again, what is the long term effect of this on health? I personally have concerns over such a strategy, and simply want people to consider the physiological impacts on the animals. We are in a society that is sadly starting to ignore science. As reptile hobbyists, we should embrace it and learn from it. Therefore, before implementing a feeding strategy, lets see some data supporting it being healthy first. (note, colubrids are a totally different beast. Very high metabolic rates and do not do well with prolonged periods without food).


Regards,
Warren

One other aspect that is not discussed in this feeding model is defecation rate. That is an important aspect to consider.

Warren

Thank you Eric and Warren! Great information. @ Warren could you please expand on your defecation comment?

I have been feeding my adult BPs every 10-14 days. They would be too dang fat on a 7 day schedule, lol!

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Originally Posted by Warren_Booth

One other aspect that is not discussed in this feeding model is defecation rate. That is an important aspect to consider.

Warren

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Yes. What would be considered a normal/healthy rate though? Have there been studies on this?

EDIT: To add to this, I have logged the date and gram weight of every meal, the date of every defecation (not the weight of it - that's too much for even me), and the post-defecation "empty" weight of every animal in my collection since the beginning. Less a few vacations where I couldn't determine the exact dates, the information I have is solid. If you're at all interested, I could certainly share.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Warren_Booth

Hi Eric,
That is an older article. The one that I am referring to was published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, U.S.A. 2013. Castoe et al. The Burmese Python genome reveals the molecular basis for extreme adaptation in snakes. 110:20645-20650, however I have seen follow up talks with more data presented at several meetings.

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Thank you for sharing. It is incredibly interesting to read about the relationship between the genome sequence itself and the resulting physiological and metabolic adaptations in these animals.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Warren_Booth

My concern is not growth rate. Look at obesity in America for example. Offer a kid food, 9 times out of 10 if it is their favorite meal they will eat it, and... they will grow. Therefore how do you measure growth rate, and how do you determine a healthy growth rate from an excessive and unhealthy growth rate?

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I don't have a scientific answer to those questions beyond knowing how to recognize healthy body proportions versus unhealthy body proportions in both people and pythons. The comparison between the two, however, is a stretch and at best we can say that there is a relationship between obesity and longevity for people and pythons alike. David & Tracy Barker, in their book Ball Pythons: Their History, Natural History, Care, and Breeding, had this to say on the subject:

• "If environmental conditions are constant, then the rate of growth is a function of the amount of food that is fed, combined with a particular animal's genetic potential for growth and size. There are strong opinions among herpers about exactly what constitutes the optimal growth rate. We don't know what the optimum growth rate is - but neither do we think anyone else has more than a strong opinion on the subject."
• "Ball pythons that are fed too much become obese. Obesity tends not to be as common in ball pythons as in other python species. As we've mentioned before, ball pythons seem to have a faster metabolism than say, blood pythons, Burmese pythons, or boa constrictors, and P. regius are prone to occasionally stop feeding for periods of several months at a time. Still, we have seen ball pythons that have been overfed and were massively obese."

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Originally Posted by Warren_Booth

You have 3 years experience keeping ball pythons, therefore how can you determine the impact of this feeding regime on the long term health of the animals in your care, or those that you are recommending this to?

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I never claimed to be working in a silo when I put together this guideline. I appreciate you calling out my experience, though, and questioning my ability to share not only what I've observed myself, but also what I have learned from others during that time. Again, pulling from the Barker's decades of experience:

• "Our schedule for hatchlings and young snakes is to feed them one rodent per meal, two meals per week. They grow very nicely on this schedule. In six months or so, they get big enough that one adult mouse doesn't even make a bulge. At this point in their lives, we move them to bigger cages and start feeding them small rats, one meal per week."
• "Throughout most of the year, we offer a meal to our adult ball pythons every week. It's difficult for us to quantify this any more exactly. We attempt to tailor the frequency and the size of meals to the individual snake, and there is quite a variation from snake to snake as to exactly what and when they eat. We may offer and they might refuse, or they might be hungry but we skip a meal. If they are getting too heavy, we may reduce their intake, usually not by fewer meals but by smaller meals. If they need to gain some weight and bulk, we might feed them larger rats or we might feed them more frequently for a while."
• "We try to keep each snake at a good level of weight throughout its life, and the snakes do the growing. When they are young and growing fast, we have to feed them a lot in order to keep them at a good level of weight, with good fat reserves, but not fat. We might offer a young ball python 70 to 80 meals in the first year. Older, mature snakes have a much slower rate of growth: only 20 to 30 meals a year are necessary to keep a mature snake at a good level of weight, heavy and solid, but without taut skin or scales spread around the posterior body."

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Warren_Booth

I am not trying to be argumentative. That may come across due to the nature of non-tonal text, however I am playing devils advocate here and would ask for scientific data to support such a dramatic and prolonged feeding strategy. Speaking to a very successful boa and python breeder recently, he mentioned that his feeding strategy for ball pythons is very simple. Between September and December he feeds them any time they will eat. The rest of the year, they are not fed. He has had incredible success over a very long time with this method. The other aspect to consider is breeder vs. pet. We know that breeders in general want their animals to be breeding size as quick as possible, but again, what is the long term effect of this on health? I personally have concerns over such a strategy, and simply want people to consider the physiological impacts on the animals. We are in a society that is sadly starting to ignore science. As reptile hobbyists, we should embrace it and learn from it. Therefore, before implementing a feeding strategy, lets see some data supporting it being healthy first. (note, colubrids are a totally different beast. Very high metabolic rates and do not do well with prolonged periods without food).


Regards,
Warren

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I don't take this as being argumentative. It did seem out of place to be called out based on my own experience, but I'm not one to shy away from that either - I'm well aware of my limitations. Having said that, until such a scientific feeding strategy exists, I'm going to keep feeding my animals based on my own experiences and those of others who have much more experience than I. I don't believe the guideline I shared here is dramatic in the least bit and it, as I shared above in the case of the Barker's, has also proven to have incredible success over a very long time. I simply combined these pieces of information into this easy to follow guide.

After all of that, I feel I need to quote this excerpt from this guide one more time:

• "Even with the above advice, it is important to keep in mind that there is no one right way to feed a ball python. Find what works for both you and your animals and stick to it!"

And one last quote from David & Tracy:

• "In general, it is a good idea to keep a feeding record for every snake. The problem with records, however, is that for some keepers they become rigid schedules. The keeper will look at the feeding record to decide when to feed a snake instead of looking at the snake. Doing this is a terrible mistake, a manifestation of the tendencies of keepers to seek the security of a hard and fast recipe for the maintenance and husbandry of their snakes. Indeed, much of herpetoculture can be broken down into discrete manageable parts, but the hands-on work with the snakes themselves - the feeding, cleaning, and breeding - requires careful study and evaluation of each snake. Decisions need to be made for each individual snake."

Best regards,
Eric

Some great information coming from this discussion.

As stated do what's best for you and your snake is always the priority, I wanted to move up in prey size but my reptile guy told me to wait because she has a small head/throat, so feed x2 instead of 1 large until she grows a bit more.

Again I'll say, a discussion on this forum would be an all out brawl on most others (I can only speak to non snake related forums), it's such a relief to be a member and learn from all your experience. For that I thank you all.

***EDIT***

That being said, I still laminated it.

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Originally Posted by BR8080

Some great information coming from this discussion.

As stated do what's best for you and your snake is always the priority, I wanted to move up in prey size but my reptile guy told me to wait because she has a small head/throat, so feed x2 instead of 1 large until she grows a bit more.

Again I'll say, a discussion on this forum would be an all out brawl on most others (I can only speak to non snake related forums), it's such a relief to be a member and learn from all your experience. For that I thank you all.

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I was actually just looking for information about feeding because my girl has a small head/throat but a rather large body. I've been feeding her x2 as well because I don't want to risk a regrurg.

Thanks for this sticky. I was basing the size of the prey based on the size of the snake and if there was a visible lump and increasing once there was no longer a lump. The exception being the above.

First of all, thanks for the info it's really great;moreover, I've got a question for you, I was misinformed about the ball python feeding guidelines, and thought that there was no problem if I fed my ball python monthly, she's a year and a half old and I've been feeding her once maybe twice a month for most of her life. I recently started to stick to the weekly feeding but I'm worried that this malnourishment will affect her health and growth. If I continue with these weekly feeding will she be able to grow normally and healthily?

Thank you in advance.

Is the rat in Azreal's mouth too big for him? I do realize it's late to ask as it is already being digested, but I just want to keep him happy. I was 'gifted' him and I've never had a BP. I've been reading a ton, but I just need reassurance that I'm not harming him or causing him discomfort.

The pic is my profile pic since I don't seem to be able to add pics to messages, yet.

Thanks in advance for your help.

Azreal is 350g, was eating 2 med mice/week.

After successfully having my first few clutches this year and gained experience feeding proper babies rather than fed on juveniles/sub-adults I can honestly say that this chart is a god send and one of the most useful items that I have ever came across so therefore I have printed it out, laminated it, and stuck it to the door leading into my snake room as a constant reminder to myself and can only urge that others do the same. (Live in Scotland so will do my best to call them Balls in all my future posts rather than Royals). :rofl:

Any people who have asked my advice on keeping Balls I have provided them the address of this forum as well as this thread as you guys are the most helpful/friendly/reliable bunch out there and I can only therefore be eternally grateful for all the support you guys provided when I first got started! Keep up the fantastic work guys and will finally be posting more regular updates/advice due to finally have a laptop compatible with my phone!

All credit goes to Eric Alan the original provider of the chart on this thread! I tip my hat off to you sir! :bow:

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Originally Posted by Eric Alan

As much as this topic comes up, I'm sure this guide will prove itself useful. Enjoy!
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...%2F98qfzDH.png

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So I've been following this chart and my 3 month old (130~ gram) python for the last 3 feedings and been feeding her a small arctic mouse from Petsmart every 7 days. She has hasn't regurgitated them but seems to have a very pointed spine? She seems to be underweight per another chart I seen online.. I haven't weighed the thawed mice yet to see if they match the grams listed on the chart above yet. the last feeding I did was 6 days apart. wanted to start her on rats soon.. so I should just start her on fuzzies? or wait till the next weight limit?

thank you

Eric, This is perfect. I'm a first-time owner and this is SO helpful...especially because it addressed the difference between a pet (mine) and a BP that is being bred. Thank you. Thank you!

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Originally Posted by Eric Alan

As much as this topic comes up, I'm sure this guide will prove itself useful. Enjoy!
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...%2F98qfzDH.png

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My boy is 485g, and I've been feeding him small rats since I got him, which will be a year this february. Hes not skinny, I do know that. Hes my first ball python, or my first snake really, and I don't wanna mess this up. I've also been feeding him every week because i was talking to someone and they said hes too small for a year and half, I think. Should I change what I'm doing?

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Originally Posted by jumpingscxles

My boy is 485g, and I've been feeding him small rats since I got him, which will be a year this february. Hes not skinny, I do know that. Hes my first ball python, or my first snake really, and I don't wanna mess this up. I've also been feeding him every week because i was talking to someone and they said hes too small for a year and half, I think. Should I change what I'm doing?

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Small rats WERE definitely too big for him...til now.

Don't focus on weight as much as body structure. BPs should maintain a slight triangular shape.

Many people in the pet hobby over feed their snakes and their snakes are often overweight.
You'll also see people in the hobby try to feed their snakes larger meals to get them bigger faster, which is unhealthy for the animal.

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Originally Posted by Eric Alan

Thanks!

Generally speaking, though, ball pythons will do well on a once/week schedule throughout their lifetime (that is also easy for a keeper to remember what day feeding day is), which is why I kept that part in there.

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Thank you so much! This is perfect info for me. I have been feeding them weekly, on the same day usually, (and believe me, they know the day), and that's the size I have been feeding too. I am glad I don't need to go up a size. It fits my budget too.

Thank you again.