Weight

How often do you weigh your adult snakes, out of curiosity? I took down my big deli scale and weighed my crew while cleaning today, looking through my extensive records (permanent marker on calendars lol) to compare I last checked weights in Dec 2020. Most of my snakes have gained about half a pound from that time. I'd like to see my older ball Python lose some but otherwise happy with how everyone looks.


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I never weigh my snakes. I measure their growth by the frequency of their sheds and their body condition.

When the "problem" BPs go off prey for longer then three months. Juvenile snakes every two months "if" I remember. The kids run spread sheets on the noodles.

It's no different then your Doc taking your weight an height.

The fun part is measuring the big girls. Takes me an two kids running 550 cord along the snake. Sometimes it's easy, sometimes not so much. Then take the cord used an measure it. Your as close as you can get with a live snake.

Some keepers I know weigh once a year. Others never have. But they are the minority.

Scales are cheap. It's not like you'll hurt anything by getting the weight. Well, maybe you'd hurt their feelings by calling them fat. If snakes could hear :rofl:

I don't weigh mine either. Only if I had to dose a medication, but I haven't had to do that in many years. To be honest, the first thing I thought when I came to this forum was how "obsessed" everyone is with weighing their snakes & their prey items, lol. No offense, y'all. :D

I don't weigh my adults often. My big Blood hasn't been weighed in a long time. Usually I'll weigh a snake when I first get them to know where I started with it but after that it may be months to years before I do it again..... As long as they appear healthy.

Pretty often for my growing animals. I weigh them dry after every 2nd - 3rd waste usually and especially if I am considering upping food size.

Also, Shayna my BP every 2-3 months when in winter fast.

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Originally Posted by Bogertophis

I don't weigh mine either. Only if I had to dose a medication, but I haven't had to do that in many years. To be honest, the first thing I thought when I came to this forum was how "obsessed" everyone is with weighing their snakes & their prey items, lol. No offense, y'all. :D

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Ha! I do find it silly on very young animals when people weigh frequently, if it's eating, it's probably fine. I only have one younger growing snake these days but hadn't weighed the two new corns I took on and figured I might as well get a weight on everyone. A big swing in weight up or down would be a cause for concern or food adjustment or a vet trip. I also throw my cats and ferret in the tote and weigh them as long as the scale is out.

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Originally Posted by GoingPostal

Ha! I do find it silly on very young animals when people weigh frequently, if it's eating, it's probably fine. I only have one younger growing snake these days but hadn't weighed the two new corns I took on and figured I might as well get a weight on everyone. A big swing in weight up or down would be a cause for concern or food adjustment or a vet trip. I also throw my cats and ferret in the tote and weigh them as long as the scale is out.

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For one thing, I'm used to raising tiny colubrids- it's unacceptably stressful to them for me to weigh such things. Especially if they're eating (as you noted). I can see weighing any snake if it's NOT eating- if it's known to be sick in some way, or recovering- then the weight would be relevant. But just to weigh a snake on a regular basis when it's eating & appears well, I find pointless.

I can somewhat excuse those keeping BPs though, only because they're rather prone to fasting- so in that case, sure, the weight is relevant- but not if it puts a new snake off-feed, lol. Whenever I've taken in a new snake, my FIRST concern is reducing stress, because stress makes them prone to illness, & you have to remember that a new snake has probably been exposed to pathogens a-plenty on it's way to your home, so you want their immune system functioning as well as possible. That to me is the first concern- & then getting them to eat. I'd rather pass on the "initial weight" & get to having the snake take it's first meal with me, than to do any more handling than is necessary that could impair their "settling in & eating".

Obviously, if a long time pet snake is eating but appears to be either gaining (too much) or losing weight, you want to start weighing & charting the changes. Cancer & parasites are a couple things that can cause weight loss, as can others.

When I used to take in rattlesnakes, I noticed they often appeared well-fed at first, because when stressed they tended to keep their lungs inflated, making them appear more well-fed than they actually were. But you'll forgive me for not weighing them either? :rofl:

I weigh mine after every shed. I weigh my smaller males who are almost to breeding size more frequently, same thing for my females who are about to hit the breeding mark as well. I also weigh often whenever my bigger females go off food, just to make sure they aren't losing a substantial amount of weight

I weigh my KSB when he starts his "mating fast" so I have a benchmark as to how much weight he loses in the two months that he doesn't eat. He hasn't hit 200 grams yet but I was told that his parents were small.