Confused About Weight

[Alilliaan]

I like to think I've been educating myself pretty well but I see a lot of posts about weight issues. However in the care sheets I've been looking at nothing I can find says definitely how much a ball python should weigh at different ages.

How important is it that I keep track of how much my ball python weighs? And what exactly is everyone using to get clear weights? Kitchen scales?

[Craiga 01453]

Weight isn't nearly as important as body structure.
You're having trouble finding anything that lists what a BP should weigh at certain ages because it doesn't really exist. There are just far too many variables. Hatchlings hatch at different weights, some start eating earlier than others, different size prey is offered in different situations, genetics are at play, etc...etc...etc...

Just like humans, some are just bigger than others, some grow faster. They're not cookie-cutter animals that are one-size-fits-all.

The main reason to track weight is being able to tell if the animal is losing weight when inevitable food strikes occur.

For example, if "snake A" weighs 1000 grams on Jan 1st and stops eating for 3 months, but only loses 50 grams it's no big deal, 5% weight loss is nothing. It can be attributed to a food strike and lack of caloric intake.
While if "snake B" weighs 1000 grams on Jan 1st and stops eating for 3 months, but loses 200 grams, which is 20% weight loss, then something may be wrong ineternally and it may be time for a vet visit. If we have accurate records it can help a vet reach a diagnosis more easily than if they're going in blind.

As for a scale, yes a kitchen scale will be fine. I g8t mine for about $20 at Wal-Mart.

[Stewart_Reptiles]

It is not about number, different snakes will grow at different rate, depends on how big they are when hatching (one might be 40 grams one might be 90 grams), now fast they start eating (some might a day after their first shed, some might 8 weeks later), prey size (obviously the 40 grams hatchling and the 90 grams one will eat different sizes for a while), feeding frequency, skip meals, fasts, genetics (not all are meant to be 3500/5000 grams, etc

The important is being healthy, fed appropriately, and have good body proportions.

90% of the time I do not keep track of weight only proportions that tells me a lot more, when I do take weight it's mainly for photo comparison of certain mutations I will do a hatchling 200 grams/500 grams/1000 grams and 1500 grams pic for example to see the evolution.