Size & Weight

Hi,

I got a baby banana ball back in August and he's a great eater, never fails. The selection on some feed days were rather small so on some occasions I fed him 2 or 3 hopper rats. He is now 621g, and I want to know if that seems a little high as I don't want to cause him to be overweight. Should I cut back a week, feed less, feed smaller??

Thanks,
Steven

digestion is very taxing on a beep's system, and when feeding multiple prey items their system has to work overtime. i would start feeding one appropriately sized meal every 7 days, which @ 621g is a small rat. this will also save you some $krilla on feeders. :gj:

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

In your honest opinion have I done any damage to him? I mean he still acts normal and poops. I will start feeding 1 a week for sure, it just sucks because in Indiana there aren't a lot of place that sell live feeders.

Oh and does 621g seem big for 7-8ish months old?

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Originally Posted by ssecrest77

In your honest opinion have I done any damage to him? I mean he still acts normal and poops. I will start feeding 1 a week for sure, it just sucks because in Indiana there aren't a lot of place that sell live feeders.

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nah. ;) as long as your husbandry is and has been correct, it really isn't an issue; but it's better to provide a proper meal to avoid any risks. if you still have a lot of feeders left over, feel free to try and use them up.

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Originally Posted by ssecrest77

Oh and does 621g seem big for 7-8ish months old?

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IMO he is a bit big, especially for a male, but without a photo i can't really say for sure. each animal is an individual and there is no rule about size and age. if you had an updated photo i could tell you if he's looking a bit plump. :)

I buy weekly as I only have 1 BP, so I don't ever have leftovers. I use aspen and have him in a tank but am buying a new 4'x2'x15" enclosure at the Tinley Park show next week end. He prefers the aspen as he tends to "play" in it and burrow through it.

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Originally Posted by ssecrest77

I buy weekly as I only have 1 BP, so I don't ever have leftovers. I use aspen and have him in a tank but am buying a new 4'x2'x15" enclosure at the Tinley Park show next week end. He prefers the aspen as he tends to "play" in it and burrow through it.

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hey i'll be at Tinley!!! maybe we'll bump into each other. ;)

have you ever tried to switch to f/t? it's much cheaper in the long-run.

https://ball-pythons.net/gallery/fil.../6/0/waldo.jpg

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If you need a better pose or position let me know.

Maybe I will bring him with me and you can see him. Are you a seller or just going to be browsing/buying?

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Originally Posted by ssecrest77

https://ball-pythons.net/gallery/fil.../6/0/waldo.jpg

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If you need a better pose or position let me know.

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we would need to seem him stretched out and from above, but from this one photo he looks perfect. :aww: barely any freckles!

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Originally Posted by ssecrest77

Maybe I will bring him with me and you can see him. Are you a seller or just going to be browsing/buying?

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browsing/buying.

please don't bring your snake to the show! you could potentially pick up mites or a potential infection at the show and be in for a real bad time. :( it's not worth the risk to your noodle buddy!

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Originally Posted by ssecrest77

https://ball-pythons.net/gallery/fil.../6/0/waldo.jpg

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If you need a better pose or position let me know.

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Oh my! He's absolutely stunning! Are you sure he's a banana? I ask because he looks almost identical to my Candino?

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Originally Posted by ckuhn003

Oh my! He's absolutely stunning! Are you sure he's a banana? I ask because he looks almost identical to my Candino?

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if you look closely you can see like one or two freckles, but at his size i'd expect way more freckling for a single-gene Banana. hmmmmm!

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Originally Posted by tttaylorrr

if you look closely you can see like one or two freckles, but at his size i'd expect way more freckling for a single-gene Banana. hmmmmm!

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yea, I'm horrible when it comes to identification but he looks almost identical to my boy. although the eyes might be different. mine are red.

btw...i'm jealous of that weight. mine is over a year old and almost 400grams.

What other gene would you think he had?

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The seller said he was a Banana

https://ball-pythons.net/gallery/fil...0/img_0394.jpg

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Originally Posted by ssecrest77

What other gene would you think he had?

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The seller said he was a Banana

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maybe Pastel or Enchi, but Bananas come in many different variations of pattern and color and their speckling can vary. i'd trust the breeder before this stranger on the internet lol. :P

so based on the stretched out pic, does he look a little big? I bought him 1 small rat today.

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Originally Posted by ssecrest77

so based on the stretched out pic, does he look a little big? I bought him 1 small rat today.

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i answered your PM with this question earlier and no, i do not think he looks big. he has great body condition with obvious muscle definition, and is not overly round at all. he looks great!

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Originally Posted by ssecrest77

so based on the stretched out pic, does he look a little big? I bought him 1 small rat today.

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He might be a She honestly. Thats a good size Beep. Not to Fat as its well Proportioned... But very large for a 2017 Male. Mistakes in sexing happen.
On another note, Different Pet stores call their Feeder sizes all different things. Make sure whatever size they call it the prey isn't bigger than the thickest part of your snake. Lastly, Id never feed a Live Small Rat to a 600gram BP. A small rat bites like crazy as they get suffocated. If it was a Retic , Boa or Burm that would be different, but a BP at 600 grams could get a good hole in it. I feed Small Rats to my 1600 gram girl and I make sure their dead first. The last time one was alive its teeth hooked onto a Hide and thank god got stuck in and out of the Door Because that Rat would have sunk those teeth in by accident just by choking.


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They popped him at the show I bought him from. He's definitely a boy. I will watch when I feed him to make sure he doesn't get bit.

If not a small rat then what? I was feed 1-3 rat hoppers and he seemed like he was getting too big. I'm so confused.:(

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Originally Posted by ssecrest77

If not a small rat then what? I was feed 1-3 rat hoppers and he seemed like he was getting too big. I'm so confused.:(

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i think he meant a frozen/thawed small rat over a live small rat.

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Originally Posted by tttaylorrr

i think he meant a frozen/thawed small rat over a live small rat.

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Right, once a Rat is 3 months old they give a hell of a struggle.. I feed fresh kill. That way the Rats warm, fresh, and once I lay it at the Doorway of their hide at night they nail it, if not right away then within 3-5min they just drag it in their hide like a dog with a bone. My 6 month old i sometime have to hold the prey with tongs and move it around.
As far as the size Rat, im saying what one store calls a small Rat another calls a Medium, Ive also ran into pet stores calling small rats nothing but a weaned rat.. So use your judgment, not just what they call it, make sure its only as thick as your snake, look for yourself [emoji1360]

Ps: thats some awesome coloring [emoji1362][emoji216]


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