Is my snake underweight?

[daydream]

My 3 year old ball python is about 3-3 1/2 feet long and weighs 1070g. I was reading that 1500g is more a normal weight for her age and size but also that it’s normal for different ball pythons to have different weights. I’ve fed her regularly since I got her at about probably a few months old but within the past year she has started to periodically fast for about a month at a time and now during this fast it’s been almost two months. Is the fasting the reason for her not being a normal weight or could something else be going on? I’m really concerned because I feel this fast may last up to a few months and it’s still crucial for her to be eating, but also not so much because she is nowhere near skinny enough to see her bones etc... I just don’t know how to get her weight up if she keeps up fasting like this. Btw I only feed live rats because there is no way I can get her to eat something that’s not moving, even if it’s a frozen one because she doesn’t like me handling her food and she needs the movement of a live rat to be interested in striking.

I am going to the vet tomorrow for a mild respiratory infection and will ask for some tips then but in the meantime any feedback or experience with a picky eater would be greatly appreciated.

[daydream]

Now that I think about it she may not even be 3 years old, I didn’t get a hatch date or age when I got her.. Any idea how old she may be by her weight?

[threadgoode]

It is true that BPs grow at different rates and a 1070g female at 3ft long doesn't sound worryingly underweight to me. My BP is the same way. Right now she's 3 1/2 years old too and 1391g at her last weight-in. She's always been on the smaller side, but has always been proportionate. In fact, lately I've even started to worry that she's getting a bit chubby! Now I've also seen power-fed breeders coming in at 2000g+ so as you can see, 1500g is less a rule than it is an average. What's important is that she's not losing a significant amount of weight over a period of time and has good body definition (no protruding spine, wrinkly skin, etc.)

As for your picky eater situation, how long has she had an RI? A lot of times illnesses, even very minor ones, put them off feed. The monthly fasts on their own aren't usually too concerning. My BP goes through periods of disinterest for about a month, once even two, right around this time of year (late fall/winter). But as always, there's a strong emphasis on correct husbandry here. Knowing more about your temps/humidity/enclosure could help pinpoint a bigger problem if there is one.

And were you looking to switch her over to F/T? Just speaking from experience, my girl came to me a live feeder as well. She took F/T right away, but it took quite a bit of rat-wiggling, holding it at eye-level with her, and making sure it was warmed up very very well. That and I guess I just got lucky. There's a bunch of tips around to help transitioning prey, and I think more experienced keepers would be better sources for that than me right now.

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[daydream]

Thank you for your reply, her build seems just fine and I’m thinking she’s not eating because of the respiratory infection. I’m not sure how long it’s been going on, at first I thought she was just hissing at me when I would pick her up but now it’s more persistent and almost has a gurgling noise in her lungs. I took her the the vet last week for a burn and mild scale rot which I actually think it was just a burn (my bad) and the vet decided to do a nasal flush which I think got some liquid in her lungs which I’m sort of ticked off about.

And my father suggested feeding frozen/thawed to see if she’ll show interest and if not I can just put it back in the freezer and wait another week.

Is there an amount of time where she fasts so long I should get worried? I’ll be asking the vet today so if you don’t know I still appreciate the reply.