Could he be a she??

[kiiarah]

Hi guys, been a while since I posted but I need some input from some more experienced keepers if possible. Shesha is just over a year old now. When I got him the breeder told me he was about 6-8 weeks old and I will have had him a year on September 17th. I didn't receive anything with his hatch date, but he was 92 grams when I got him. I am not sure if that is an expected size for a month and a half old bp but I have no reason to doubt the breeder.

Anyway, my question is regarding weight vs gender. I have been looking up what little information I can find online on average weights for male vs female ball pythons at 1 year old. I came across a post where someone had said their yearling male weighed around 450 grams, which everyone who replied seemed to deem normal. Shesha at his last weight was 843 grams. Is it just me or is that alarmingly heavy for his age? The weight seems to line up more closely with what one would expect from a female snake. Is it possible for a male to be that large at 12 months?

I should clarify that I don't breed and am not concerned with his gender, I am more concerned that if he is in fact male this could indicate too much weight gain. I did already test the scale and it seems dead on, so I have no reason to believe the reading is incorrect. I have stuck to feeding at least 10% of his body weight and never more than 15%. For the last three months or so it has been much closer to 10% than 15% just due to him outgrowing his rats rather quickly (I have to buy multiples since the source is an hour drive away).

He has a very good feeding record. I saw it suggested that since some snakes fast more than others it is possible for a snake that rarely refuses meals to be quite a bit larger. In the 11 months I have had him he has refused five meals and has been fed every week. He does not look overweight, especially when stretched out. In fact, the other day I was just worrying a bit about what seemed like a more prominent spine than usual and a slight weight loss after a refused meal.

I just felt like I had better check in and see if it sounds like anything with his husbandry should be changed. Is he at an age where weekly feedings are excessive now, is it possible he is actually a she, or is this still a normal weight for a male of his age? Thanks a ton for any insight you guys can offer. I started getting concerned when I could find no references to a male snake his size and age.

[Stewart_Reptiles]

Yes it is possible to have 1 year old males tipping the scale at 800 grams or more.

Only sexing a snake will tell you if your snake is a male or a female.

Keep in mind that while sexing mistake can happen it's generally the opposite way around females turning out to be males and rarely males turning out to be females.

[bmack]

Pics would definitely help when it comes to weight questions. You probably don't have anything to worry about unless he looks like a big round sausage. If that's the case he may be overweight. But it sounds like you just have a snake with a good feeding response who hasn't gone on fast.

[aLittleLessButter]

Definitely possible to be that size as a male. My males just hit a year old and they were in the 700s and not at all overweight.