Brightening normal

Ive noticed that one of my bps has gotten lighter the last 2 sheds or so. Im pretty sure shes not a fire, Ive never seen a fire in person but from the pics I didnt see any of the markers on her and she doesnt have a completely clean looking belly. I was just wondering if its normal for a bp to brighten some before it dulls out. Shes an early 06 or late 05, not exactly sure. Anyone else has a normal thats brightened up a little bit? If so, did it actually stay semi bright or did it dull and brown out just as much as your other norms?

The only time I see them lighten up is the Glow before they Go! I have a few doing this right now!

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Originally Posted by JASBALLS

Glow before they Go!

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What exactly does this mean? Never heard the term before.

some bp females will lighten in color b4 they lay

Thats what I thought it meant but I didnt think she was old enough to lay. Shes about 2 years old and i thought she was kind of small still. Do bps lay eggs even when theyve never been around a male? I got her when she was maybe 100-200 grams, I dont have a scale so I dont know her weight but shes about 2-2.5 ft and as big around as a 50 cent piece maybe (sorry for the bad referrence but I cant really think of anything thats around her size). Ill take some pics and load em tomorrow or so to show size. My other bp is female as well and shes only an 07 so shes still really small.

This is my most recent pic of rajah (my older bp) but its at least about 6 months old (dont pay any attention to the time stamp its wrong) She is bigger now and shes alot lighter too. Im going to try to take some pics tonight if I can

https://ball-pythons.net/gallery/fil.../5/2/rajah.jpg

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Originally Posted by NateDogg13

Thats what I thought it meant but I didnt think she was old enough to lay. Shes about 2 years old and i thought she was kind of small still. Do bps lay eggs even when theyve never been around a male? I got her when she was maybe 100-200 grams, I dont have a scale so I dont know her weight but shes about 2-2.5 ft and as big around as a 50 cent piece maybe (sorry for the bad referrence but I cant really think of anything thats around her size). Ill take some pics and load em tomorrow or so to show size. My other bp is female as well and shes only an 07 so shes still really small.

This is my most recent pic of rajah (my older bp) but its at least about 6 months old (dont pay any attention to the time stamp its wrong) She is bigger now and shes alot lighter too. Im going to try to take some pics tonight if I can

https://ball-pythons.net/gallery/fil.../5/2/rajah.jpg

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I didnt say yours was going to lay. I said the only time I see it is before mine lay..

A thought came to mind... I switched rajah from mice to rats maybe 6-8 months ago. Could it be possible shes lightened up because she gets healthier food and just has better looking skin than before?

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Originally Posted by NateDogg13

A thought came to mind... I switched rajah from mice to rats maybe 6-8 months ago. Could it be possible shes lightened up because she gets healthier food and just has better looking skin than before?

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Rats are not any healthier for BP's than mice.

some snakes just lighten up. i have a pair of het albinos and my female lightens with every shed. its awesome. she is in her pre lay shed right now... cant wait! haha :D

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Originally Posted by pfan151

Rats are not any healthier for BP's than mice.

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Ive done my research and in my opinion rats are more healthy as adults than mice, only a significant difference but have a higher amount of protein and calcium, but also more fat.(% protein/fat roughly the same) Rat pups have higher percentages of needed nutrients but contain less as a whole. And mice have a much higher amount of vitamin A which is not needed in high amounts for bps, nearly 7x the amount. Mice also only contain very small amounts of vitamin E which is converted into antioxidants to help fight against diseases. Rats contain nearly 20x the amount as mice.

A 10g mouse is going to contain about 29-31% dry matter and in that contains 54-57% protein, 22-25% fat, 10-12% ash, 2-3% calcium, 1-2% phosphorus.

A 10g rat is going to contain about 23-25% dry matter and in that contains 58-61% protein, 24-27% fat, 10-12% ash, 2-3% calcium, 1-2% phosphorus.

Adult rats about 30-32% dry matter that contains 60-62% protein, 28-31% fat, 9-11% ash, 3-4% calcium, 1-2 % phosphorus.

Im sure most people dont bother to break down into detail but when you do you can see small difference in the two.

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Originally Posted by NateDogg13

Ive done my research and in my opinion rats are more healthy as adults than mice, only a significant difference but have a higher amount of protein and calcium, but also more fat.(% protein/fat roughly the same) Rat pups have higher percentages of needed nutrients but contain less as a whole. And mice have a much higher amount of vitamin A which is not needed in high amounts for bps, nearly 7x the amount. Mice also only contain very small amounts of vitamin E which is converted into antioxidants to help fight against diseases. Rats contain nearly 20x the amount as mice.

A 10g mouse is going to contain about 29-31% dry matter and in that contains 54-57% protein, 22-25% fat, 10-12% ash, 2-3% calcium, 1-2% phosphorus.

A 10g rat is going to contain about 23-25% dry matter and in that contains 58-61% protein, 24-27% fat, 10-12% ash, 2-3% calcium, 1-2% phosphorus.

Adult rats about 30-32% dry matter that contains 60-62% protein, 28-31% fat, 9-11% ash, 3-4% calcium, 1-2 % phosphorus.

Im sure most people dont bother to break down into detail but when you do you can see small difference in the two.

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That is all nice, but do you know the nutritional requirements of ball pythons?

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Originally Posted by NateDogg13

Ive done my research and in my opinion rats are more healthy as adults than mice, only a significant difference but have a higher amount of protein and calcium, but also more fat.(% protein/fat roughly the same) Rat pups have higher percentages of needed nutrients but contain less as a whole. And mice have a much higher amount of vitamin A which is not needed in high amounts for bps, nearly 7x the amount. Mice also only contain very small amounts of vitamin E which is converted into antioxidants to help fight against diseases. Rats contain nearly 20x the amount as mice.

A 10g mouse is going to contain about 29-31% dry matter and in that contains 54-57% protein, 22-25% fat, 10-12% ash, 2-3% calcium, 1-2% phosphorus.

A 10g rat is going to contain about 23-25% dry matter and in that contains 58-61% protein, 24-27% fat, 10-12% ash, 2-3% calcium, 1-2% phosphorus.

Adult rats about 30-32% dry matter that contains 60-62% protein, 28-31% fat, 9-11% ash, 3-4% calcium, 1-2 % phosphorus.

Im sure most people dont bother to break down into detail but when you do you can see small difference in the two.

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Your research was a waste of time!

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Originally Posted by NateDogg13

Ive done my research and in my opinion rats are more healthy as adults than mice, only a significant difference but have a higher amount of protein and calcium, but also more fat.(% protein/fat roughly the same) Rat pups have higher percentages of needed nutrients but contain less as a whole. And mice have a much higher amount of vitamin A which is not needed in high amounts for bps, nearly 7x the amount. Mice also only contain very small amounts of vitamin E which is converted into antioxidants to help fight against diseases. Rats contain nearly 20x the amount as mice.

A 10g mouse is going to contain about 29-31% dry matter and in that contains 54-57% protein, 22-25% fat, 10-12% ash, 2-3% calcium, 1-2% phosphorus.

A 10g rat is going to contain about 23-25% dry matter and in that contains 58-61% protein, 24-27% fat, 10-12% ash, 2-3% calcium, 1-2% phosphorus.

Adult rats about 30-32% dry matter that contains 60-62% protein, 28-31% fat, 9-11% ash, 3-4% calcium, 1-2 % phosphorus.

Im sure most people dont bother to break down into detail but when you do you can see small difference in the two.

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But what if a ball python only requires 40% protein, 18% fat, 8% ash, 2% calcium and no phosphorus? Then a mouse would be the better choice, wouldn't it?

No one has ever done a study on the nutritional requirements of ball pythons, so the study you posted is meaningless, really.

There are a lot of mousers in people's collections that are thriving, and a lot of ratters in people's collections that are thriving. It has nothing to do with one being better than the other.

John....be nice. :rolleyes:

NateDogg....if you prefer to feed rats over mice....more power to you. If you feel they have some greater nutritional value...that's a fine opinion. Just be aware that no one knows the nutritional requirements of ball pythons, and therefore, it is impossible to say with any certainty that one rodent is "better" for them than another. It could be that the extra calcium or whatever just gets passed through as waste and never used...or too much protein is less healthy than slightly less amounts. I doubt we'll ever know for sure.

As for the snake getting lighter with sheds...it happens sometimes. I've never heard it attributed to a change in prey items, but who knows? And to press the previous point just a little more (not because I'm being snotty, but because such things genuinely interest me)...who's to say that an increase in lighter colors is a healthy thing? Just because it looks more appealing to the keeper does not indicate how healthy it may or may not be for the snake.

OH No!!! She's BACK!!! lol!! Hi Judy! Dont look at the past threads... Ok? Just a borinig week here nothing to look at.. Post some of Your Holiday stuff!! :oops:

Yesssss....I'm back. Does this mean you'll behave yourself now? :P

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Originally Posted by JLC

Yesssss....I'm back. Does this mean you'll behave yourself now? :P

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Yessumm!:(

Almost all females will get that nice glow to em when they start developing Follicles...it usually just gets better and better before htey lay tho...


And as far as rats vs Mice...not even worth tryin to talk to most of these folks here about such things...Just have to let them experience it for themselves

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Originally Posted by JASBALLS

Your research was a waste of time!

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Not quite, I didnt think about not knowing the nutrional needs of BPs but at least I know whats in the food I give them, whether it be mice or rats its always nice to know. Maybe, just maybe(if were lucky) one day someone will figure out what Bps need in there diet and then Ill be a step ahead ;) .


Almost all females will get that nice glow to em when they start developing Follicles...it usually just gets better and better before htey lay tho...

Do they start developing follicles around 1.5-2 years of age? If so you answered my question right on the dot

I just took my male bp out today after a complete shed and I could swear that he got lighter