Maintenance feeding

I’m not currently ready to get another BP, but have been doing a lot of window shopping. I watch Garrick DeMeyer’s YouTube videos sometimes and he seems like a nice guy who is very knowledgeable and I know he’s an industry veteran. I’ve looked at his snakes on Morph Market and a lot of them have weights posted that just seem so small. 2018 babies that are 100g or less or 2016 ones that are 400g or so. I know he’s not the only breeder who maintenance feeds, but I was looking at buying from him in particular so I’m just using him as an example. I wonder what people’s experience is with snakes that are kept small like this. Is it fine and they eat and put on weight okay? What about ones that are maintenance fed for a year or two?


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While I have not personally purchased from Garrick, I would not go by the weights listed on MM except for brand new postings. It's likely that weights are not always updated when a posting is renewed, especially if the posting has been up for a year+. Always better to check when inquiring about an animal. :)

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Originally Posted by WhompingWillow

While I have not personally purchased from Garrick, I would not go by the weights listed on MM except for brand new postings. It's likely that weights are not always updated when a posting is renewed, especially if the posting has been up for a year+. Always better to check when inquiring about an animal. :)

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Yes, good point. I would definitely ask for their current weight and info before buying. But hypothetically if those were the actual sizes, would you be concerned about buying small snakes like that? I went to Repticon a few weeks ago and there was one seller who had little index cards below each snake showing their feedings, and they were about once a month. These did not look like adult snakes either. Just wondering if this is something to be concerned about when looking to buy or if it’s just par for the course.


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Personally, that's not who I'd buy from...snakes survive in the wild with a lot less food, and I can't say for sure if it stunts their growth permanently, but I will say
that their immune system might not be as good as it otherwise might be (with more food) & maybe their bones aren't as strong either? I know it's done, but I've
bred some snakes in the past & never considered for a second withholding food. I'm a snake-lover first, never commercial, & I'd support others who do likewise.

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Originally Posted by Bogertophis

Personally, that's not who I'd buy from...snakes survive in the wild with a lot less food, and I can't say for sure if it stunts their growth permanently, but I will say
that their immune system might not be as good as it otherwise might be (with more food) & maybe their bones aren't as strong either? I know it's done, but I've
bred some snakes in the past & never considered for a second withholding food. I'm a snake-lover first, never commercial, & I'd support others who do likewise.

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You’re right, there are so many breeders out there. It’s better to support ones that I don’t have questions about like that, and who seem like they are taking good care of their animals.


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By all means, ask lots of good questions, & check references & reputations. Not all large breeders are bad, & not all small breeders are good.

Snakes in captivity are typically overfed, and honestly I'd rather get one that's been fed conservatively and is a little on the light/small side versus one that is overweight. That doesn't mean the snake should be underfed to the point where the spine is protruding and you can count ribs though.

Agreed...^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ fed "conservatively", yes...starved, no.

I’ve known, dealt with Garrick since the late nineties. Every ball I’ve purchased in the last 5 to 6 years was from him. I’ve found what the others are saying, and the weights are not current. And yes I to would rather have a conservatively fed animal myself. I have never received anything but top notch animals from him. In my opinion he is one of the best.

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Originally Posted by Sonny1318

I’ve known, dealt with Garrick since the late nineties. Every ball I’ve purchased in the last 5 to 6 years was from him. I’ve found what the others are saying, and the weights are not current. And yes I to would rather have a conservatively fed animal myself. I have never received anything but top notch animals from him. In my opinion he is one of the best.

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That’s good to hear, I know he’s been around for a long time and everyone has good things to say about him on the FBI Facebook group. It just seemed like the animals were awfully small weight wise, but I will for sure inquire about the current weight when I am ready to purchase.


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I agree totally with bcr229. Most snakes in captivity are overfed. I don't keep BPs anymore but a few years back I got a yearling carpet python from a very reputable breeder who was 85g on arrival. I saw the feeding records and the snake was eating every 2-4 weeks. I started feeding the animal every 5-10 days like I did with most of my hatchlings and juveniles. Needless to say he grew really quickly. I've since dialed him back to every 2-4 weeks but I see now they don't need nearly as much as we often give them.

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Originally Posted by bcr229

Snakes in captivity are typically overfed, and honestly I'd rather get one that's been fed conservatively and is a little on the light/small side versus one that is overweight. That doesn't mean the snake should be underfed to the point where the spine is protruding and you can count ribs though.

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This is exactly spot on. What people don't realize is that what is typically accepted as normal feeding, once a week, is actually much more food than a ball python needs for good health and normal growth. The typical size we see at 1-2 years old is not needed for a ball python to be healthy. You should not base the health or quality of care based on the size of the animal. Starving an animal to save money is completely different than maintenance feeding. Most breeders are not pushing their hatchlings for growth but that certainly doesn't mean the animal is starving or not healthy. You can judge the health of a ball python by it's appearance but not by size vs age. When deciding on an animal just base it on how it looks, not it's age, and of course the reputation of the breeder.

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Originally Posted by Bogertophis

Personally, that's not who I'd buy from...snakes survive in the wild with a lot less food, and I can't say for sure if it stunts their growth permanently, but I will say
that their immune system might not be as good as it otherwise might be (with more food) & maybe their bones aren't as strong either? I know it's done, but I've
bred some snakes in the past & never considered for a second withholding food. I'm a snake-lover first, never commercial, & I'd support others who do likewise.

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Although I see you have good intentions, it is actually pretty well known that slower growth makes for a healthier, longer living snake. Unless it's taken to the extreme where the animal is being starved to the point of malnourishment, then of course in that case it will lead to all kinds of health problems but this is not what we're talking about here. I can see how some might think a small snake at two years old must of been starved because of what we are used to seeing with weekly feeding but we need to remember that like said already, most ball pythons in captivity are actually overfed.