Is my young ball python fat or sick? Photos

[lusciousdragon]

Before everyone jumps on me and says "take her to the vet", let me see if I actually need to take her to the vet or not. Maybe this is normal or a quick fix.

After a shed my young female ball python seems to have turned a lighter color and she appears to be swollen. Like her scales are farther spaced apart. She also feels more stiff. When I hold her she likes to lay more stretched out and doesn't bend as easily. Very hard to explain, her body just feels different and not as flexible. She is acting 100% like she always has. Curious, hides in her hidey hole, eats well, same temperament. I have been feeding them twice a week. They are 24 inches long. Is she maybe getting fat or possibly is constipated? She looks 100% perfect with everything except this. No bubbles, no breathing issues, no bulges, nothing. Just kinda fat looking and not as bendy. She has been like this for a few weeks now. Yesterday her sister was feeling a little bit like that too after a shed. Am I just over feeding her and she's fat?

The ambient heat is 82, warm end is around 94. Humidity is around 65%. They are handled once or twice a week.


This first photo shows her.





Second photo shows her on the left and her brother (which doesn't show these symptoms) on the right.





Third photo shows her brother on the left and her on the right.

[Sammy412]

Depending on age/size, they should only be eating every 5-7 days.

[stratus_020202]

Are you monitoring her weight? It's a good idea to go to walmart and grab a scale know how much she is growing.

She doens't look fat, but twice a week is probably a little much. I would cut it back to once a week.

I think she looks perfectly healthy. It's hard to get a Ball Python fat, as they can be picky eaters, but if they are you will see skin pushing out from under her scales.

You don't house them together, do you?

[lusciousdragon]

Are you monitoring her weight? It's a good idea to go to walmart and grab a scale know how much she is growing.

She doens't look fat, but twice a week is probably a little much. I would cut it back to once a week.

I think she looks perfectly healthy. It's hard to get a Ball Python fat, as they can be picky eaters, but if they are you will see skin pushing out from under her scales.

You don't house them together, do you?

They aren't housed together. They each have their own tub in the rack. I do need to start weighing them.

Mine aren't picky eaters at all. They always eat and always appear hungry to eat. They are each receiving a hopper mouse twice a week. I haven't had any of them refuse a meal even during shedding they still eat. I can see skin in between her scales. So maybe she is fat? I can't think of anything else it could be. My husband wanted them on the twice a week feedings so they would grow faster. Is that too often for younger balls?

[West Coast Jungle]

A hopper mouse is what you feed a ball python for its first few meals. Sounds like they should be getting bigger meals by now.

She looks fine in the pic, I get the feeling you have never seen a ball python with a full belly.

[stratus_020202]

They aren't housed together. They each have their own tub in the rack. I do need to start weighing them.

Mine aren't picky eaters at all. They always eat and always appear hungry to eat. They are each receiving a hopper mouse twice a week. I haven't had any of them refuse a meal even during shedding they still eat. I can see skin in between her scales. So maybe she is fat? I can't think of anything else it could be. My husband wanted them on the twice a week feedings so they would grow faster. Is that too often for younger balls?

Well, no wonder they are so hungry all the time. That is way small for your girl. Way small. A hatchling bp can handle an adult mouse. I would feed once a week a weanling rat. But, definately get a scale to see their growth. Feed someting as big around as the widest part of the snakes body.

I do not think they are fat at all. In the last pic the snake on the right has a slightly underfed triangle look.

Good luck!

[lusciousdragon]

Oooooh so you all think that maybe they are supposed to feel like how she does and I didn't know it? That might be it. I have only had one other ball python and it was a big full grown girl. These are my first little ones. I have about 100 of these hopper mice left frozen. So I should continue feeding those twice a week and then once they are gone to offer them a big mouse or weanling rat once a week after that?
Sorry for my questions, I thought I was feeding them correctly . They get a lot of love and attention here, so now I feel bad that I wasn't feeding them correctly. I thought maybe I was over feeding them if anything. If I weight her could you tell me if she is over or under weight for being 24 inches long?

[psychophobia]

it a sign that ur bp willlay egg.lolz!.just kidding.i never seen this before.

[Homegrownscales]

I personally would save the hoppers for future little ones or emergencies, and go buy some adult mice. Or weaned rats depending on their size. Feed 1x weekly and that will give her a good schedule.

[stratus_020202]

I personally would save the hoppers for future little ones or emergencies, and go buy some adult mice. Or weaned rats depending on their size. Feed 1x weekly and that will give her a good schedule.

Agreed. It's ok. I mean they are way small, but at least she was getting two a week. You weren't hurting them by any means. And, now we can get them on a steady food schedule.

You can continue to feed them, but you would need to feed a lot. I'm guessing your little ones are in the 300 g range. Just out of the blue guess, not educated or anything. That means they can eat 30-45 g's of food a week. I'm lucky to find an adult mouse at 20 grams. Lets say your mouse hoppers are around 5. Thats 6-9 hoppers a session. That's alot. And at under 5 grams your bp's would be good on a 5 day schedule. For 3 bp's that's over 100 hoppers.

Don't worry yourself though. I think they look fairly healthy. Just need to upgrade thier num nums. And then, they will start fasting for you. So, it's a roller coaster no matter what.