how big will my Ball Pythons eventually get???

[EyeLashViper]

Hey everybody,
Well, my two BPs have grown quite a bit this past year although it appears that their growth has slowed down some as we are going into the winter months.My female Trinity is now at 32 inches and my male Cypher is now at 26 inches.They are both rather thick and heavy bodied (of course) for their length.I was wondering what am I looking at for an ultimate size for my snakes? I have read that most Ball Pythons top out at about six foot....how much will they weigh at this length?? I am really hoping for a good six feet for Trinity and perhaps 4 to 5 feet for Cypher.I really love these snakes now... I am very much into herpetology now and have become familiar with the other large types of Boas and Pythons but I have to admit that I would be in way over my head with something like a Burmese or Reticulated.These are nice snakes for me to admire but I would not want to own one ( at least not in my small apartment!!! ) I do have a yearning for a Green Tree Python but the high price ( I saw a pair for sale at about $700.00 ea. !!!! ) and the delicate conditions that they have to be maintained in are too much for me at this time.Something to aim for someday though...for now my Ball Pythons are my main hobby.I think they will be very impressive snakes someday if they hit that 6 foot mark...I am really looking forward to this...perhaps another years growth or so....

EyeLashViper :wink:

[RPlank]

Six feet is a BIG Ball Python. They are the exception. Most are between 4'-5'. My two adults that I have breeding are both right at 4'. The first year obviously yields the fastest growth, although they do continue to grow all their lives. I think most hit around 30"-40" by the end of the first year. 3 1/2' to 4' is normal for a two year old, of course, depending on the feeding schedule, rats vs. mice, health issues, etc. My snakes are all eating rats, so that is where my experience lies.

[BallKingdom]

3.5 feet would be the typical minimum for an adult. With 3 feet being a runt. 4 feet would be a normal, possibly above average slightyly, 4.5 is above average in size, 5 is a big boy or girl, 5.5 is massive, 6 feet is gigantic.

Then with weights, errr... I'd say anything over 2,000 grams is a big one.

[SheSkweezes]

Hi, we are fairly new ball python owners, but before we got our snake I did some homework to make sure it wouldn't out grow us. Most of what I've read says ave. adult size reached at about 3 yrs old and 3.5 to 4.5 ft. after that they grow ALOT slower and may reach 6 feet at the end of a 25 to 30 year lifespan.

[Hoomi]

hee hee... the beauty of this forum is that we can ask how big our balls will get, and everyone knows we're not being vulgar.

An acquaintance of my wife's was called by a friend of his this past week, complaining to him that she had seen a snake in their apartment building's laundry room. He went down expecting to find a little gopher snake or something similar, since this woman was phobic of snakes and tended to overreact to any. What he found was a 4 foot long albino Burmese Python. They're checking around the building to see if anyone lost the snake, but since he enjoys keeping snakes, and the Burmese seems to be a really friendly individual, he's kind of hoping whoever lost her doesn't claim her.

When my wife first told me that, my first thought was if he couldn't keep the snake, I'd take it in. Then I remembered just how big Burmese Pythons can get, and decided I'm glad HE found it and not me anyway. I think my wife's chihuahua would become even more nervous than he already is if I ever got a Burmese or other large snake species.

[BallKingdom]

Yeah, I've heard of burms eating dogs, there was a pretty big news story a while back about a guys free roaming burm eating his pit bull....

[Ironhead]

That must have been one BIG burm. I have been around and have owned a couple of pit's, and for the burm to get the upper hand.....WOW!!!!

[Hoomi]

I think we've probably all heard the stories of big snake owners who get tired of the cost of buying them feeders, so they start watching the "free pets" ads, and taking free dogs, cats, rabbits, etc. to feed to the snake.

I don't think I've ever seen proof of that happening, but I don't doubt that someone would do something like that.

[BallKingdom]

There is also burms in FL who have created populations because they've been set free. Kinda like iguanas. How cold does it get in southern FL?

[Ironhead]

Dont know how it is nowaday's since I moved from South Eastern Florida in 75, but the coldest that I can remember was around the freezing mark. But usually more in the low 50's during the winter.