*Why does my snake seem much skinnier then everyone elses snakes?*

ive been looking at pics of ppl's BP's and they seem the same length as my snake but they seem so much plumper...i feed my snake every week and a half...is that not enough eating?

ill get a pic of my snake soon...

Can't speak for everyone but I feed weekly, and I think a lot of ppl do. Your snake could be smaller simply b/c she isn't getting as many meals as some others.

i.e over a 3 week period my snake will eat 3 times, yours will eat twice.

pics of my snake r in the pictures thread

In my experience, it also depends on what you are feeding your snakes. I believe most ppl on the site who own bp's are feeding them rats mostly.. I too noticed that mine seem a bit thinner and not as plump as others, but my snakes eat mice. They are prey imprinted, so rats are not an option for mine... I believe that when they are on rats, they gain more weight in general even if the feeding schedule is the same. The reason I believe this is b/c when my snakes were younger, one of them took rats, but after going off feed for winter, she would never go back to rats. She always seemed more filled out/plump until she chose mice over rats...

then again, she has always been a sporatic feeder.... one mouse one week, and then next week she may take 2... if we are really lucky, she will take 3.

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Originally Posted by Jeanne

In my experience, it also depends on what you are feeding your snakes. I believe most ppl on the site who own bp's are feeding them rats mostly.. I too noticed that mine seem a bit thinner and not as plump as others, but my snakes eat mice. They are prey imprinted, so rats are not an option for mine... I believe that when they are on rats, they gain more weight in general even if the feeding schedule is the same. The reason I believe this is b/c when my snakes were younger, one of them took rats, but after going off feed for winter, she would never go back to rats. She always seemed more filled out/plump until she chose mice over rats...

then again, she has always been a sporatic feeder.... one mouse one week, and then next week she may take 2... if we are really lucky, she will take 3.

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look in the Pictures thread at the thread called "My cute BP :)" and thats my snake...

btw, i feed my snake white mice every week and a half..

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Originally Posted by rmune0750

look in the Pictures thread at the thread called "My cute BP :)" and thats my snake...

btw, i feed my snake white mice every week and a half..

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Very nice lookin snake, however, the pic does me no good as far as guessing if it is really thin or not, mine look like that.... it helps if you have something in the pic for size reference.

How many mice is it eating and how big are they in comparison to your snakes girth?

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Originally Posted by Jeanne

Very nice lookin snake, however, the pic does me no good as far as guessing if it is really thin or not, mine look like that.... it helps if you have something in the pic for size reference.

How many mice is it eating and how big are they in comparison to your snakes girth?

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its eating 1 mouse every week and 1/2...the mice im feeding the snake r only about 3-4 inches long....and the snake is about 2 feet long...im pretty sure its 2 feet long but its really hard to measure perfectly when the snake is moving all over the place.....

If you think your snake needs to eat more, switch to 2 mice in one sitting. Feed the first, wait for him to swallow it and start roaming, then repeat the process with the second one. Your interval is ok, every 10 days is fine, so long as he's getting the right sized meal.

Also...if you have a male, that might have a lot to do with why he's thin, males stay much leaner than the ladies.

i have no idea what sex it is...wish i knew...:spid0r:

I saw your pic, and my 22" BP looks to be about the same girth. When they become adults (I assume) the girth starts showing. Of course, if it's a male don't expect as much girth as a female (as already stated). And yes, he/she is a cutie. :D

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Originally Posted by Grim91Z

I saw your pic, and my 22" BP looks to be about the same girth. When they become adults (I assume) the girth starts showing. Of course, if it's a male don't expect as much girth as a female (as already stated). And yes, he/she is a cutie. :D

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i would kno what to expect if i knew what the sex was!!! :taz:

If you're that concerned, find someone to probe it. :D

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Originally Posted by Grim91Z

If you're that concerned, find someone to probe it. :D

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can i just POP the hemipenes out?

Have an expert do it. ;)

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Originally Posted by Grim91Z

Have an expert do it. ;)

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i dont kno ne experts...:(

There isn't any secret way of determining sex. There's popping and probing. Both should be learned by someone who is experienced. Popping isn't easy for everyone. Without proper instruction you are likely to missex the animal. I'd advise taking the animal to a vet.

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Originally Posted by rmune0750

its eating 1 mouse every week and 1/2...the mice im feeding the snake r only about 3-4 inches long....and the snake is about 2 feet long...im pretty sure its 2 feet long but its really hard to measure perfectly when the snake is moving all over the place.....

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Not length, girth. The width of the snake/mouse at their middle (belly). Your snake should be eating prey that is the same width he is at his mid-section.

I would think that if your snake is about 24" long, 1 mouse every 10 days isn't quite enough. I personally would either feed 2 large mice every 10 days or one large mouse every 7 days. The best thing would be to get him on weanling rats, but if you can't get them then make sure you buy big mice. :)

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Originally Posted by JenHarrison

The best thing would be to get him on weanling rats

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Why would weanling rats be "the best thing"?

-adam

Bigger than mice? It sounds to me like his snake is big enough to eat prey larger than mice and I thought it may be easier for him to feed one prey item rather than multiple.

My yearlings eat two medium mice a week and they are certainly not experiencing any missed meal cramps. Rats aren't necessarily necessary! ;)

Mousers:

http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e9...e/Pandora1.jpg

http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e9...ivan/Echo5.jpg

nice looking snakes, for mousers!:P j/k:D



vaughn

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Originally Posted by kavmon

nice looking snakes, for mousers!:P j/k:D



vaughn

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Hahaha! And those pictures were about 2 months ago - they're both even bigger now. If it ain't broke - don't fix it! ;)

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Originally Posted by JenHarrison

Bigger than mice? It sounds to me like his snake is big enough to eat prey larger than mice and I thought it may be easier for him to feed one prey item rather than multiple.

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Why would that snake need multiples?

-adam

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Originally Posted by rabernet

Hahaha! And those pictures were about 2 months ago - they're both even bigger now. If it ain't broke - don't fix it! ;)

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:love:

What a long way you've come Robin! You're definitely "doing it right"! ;) :gj:

-adam

I've had discussions on the whole mice/rats thing and had about a billion people tell me that snakes should be on rats if their size permits (nutritional value, 1 prey item vs. multiple prey items, etc). I wanted to feed some of my smaller ball pythons mice (and one particular adult that seems to feel more comfortable with them) and everyone made such a big deal about how I'd have to feed 3-4 mice per meal and more often, etc. :rolleyes:

It seems like I'm apparently wrong no matter what. I have on opinion on something, get told I'm wrong, then I change my opinion to fit that of those who have been doing this longer than me, repeat it, then I'm still wrong. :confused:

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Originally Posted by Adam_Wysocki

:love:

What a long way you've come Robin! You're definitely "doing it right"! ;) :gj:

-adam

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Hey - as long as you listen to those who've been doing it much longer than you and are open to critiques, you can't go wrong! To quote Joanna - there's no need to re-invent the wheel! :colbert2:

I'll always be learning!

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Originally Posted by Adam_Wysocki

Why would that snake need multiples?

-adam

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Well to be fair Adam, I know Robin feeds multiple mice. I've feed multiple mice before all the BP's went over to rats (not because rats are better I just refuse to breed mice and besides when I tried I sucked at it LOL). I've feed 2 rat pinkies or fuzzies to the occasional snake that wasn't quite ready to go up to the next size yet but wasn't satisfied with one. I'm just confused now as to whether multiples is wrong if done correctly (as in not trying to powerfeed or push too much prey on a snake too fast sort of thing).

From the pics I've seen in your gallery, I think your snake looks fine. No apparent loose skin, no boney back. The side looking view shows s/he's pretty chunky.


Just like peeps, snakes are individuals. Like said, if the mouse is small, as compared to the GIRTH of your snake, then you'd probably want to feed more often, but if the mouse leaves more than just a little lump, then the prey is bigger than the girth, and once every 10 days is probably good.

Just keep reading and learning, then U can decide what is best for your snake.

BTW, I was feeding Baby 2 mice every week, because that's all she'd eat, but I couldn't breed 'em and they got too expensive. Now except for Felix who eats SMALL mice, and CeCe & Oreo who are still on mouse pinks, every one else is on some size of rat. They're easier for me to get.

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Originally Posted by frankykeno

Well to be fair Adam, I know Robin feeds multiple mice. I've feed multiple mice before all the BP's went over to rats (not because rats are better I just refuse to breed mice and besides when I tried I sucked at it LOL). I've feed 2 rat pinkies or fuzzies to the occasional snake that wasn't quite ready to go up to the next size yet but wasn't satisfied with one. I'm just confused now as to whether multiples is wrong if done correctly (as in not trying to powerfeed or push too much prey on a snake too fast sort of thing).

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Well to be fair right back Jo, I wasn't talking about Robin or you or even feeding multiples in general. I never said a thing about multiples being "wrong" and have no idea where you got that from?

All I asked was "Why would that snake need multiples?" ... pretty simple question I thought? :O

-adam

Ahhh missed that slight wording difference there Adam. Didn't mean to come off as confrontational bud...just wondering if multiples were a poor idea and perhaps Robin and I both had been doing something not generally recommended. Thanks for clearing it up.

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Originally Posted by frankykeno

Ahhh missed that slight wording difference there Adam. Didn't mean to come off as confrontational bud...just wondering if multiples were a poor idea and perhaps Robin and I both had been doing something not generally recommended. Thanks for clearing it up.

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Snakes are individuals ... I don't think it's possible to make statements like "one prey item is better than multiples" or "rats are better than mice" or "all snakes should be fed every 7 days" ... each keeper has to figure out what works for them and their snake or snakes. There's really no one size fits all.

That said, I do feel that most ball pythons in captivity are way over fed. Aside from husbandry issues, the most common reason for complaints about picky eaters and fasting are probably the result of a snake that has been given way too much food.

-adam