Snakes and Stones

[Homebody]

Photo #495

BP = Enchi/Het Clown, I see she is a little overweight at the moment, but that will wear off rapidly as she grows.
Stones are two (maybe three) types of Jasper/Agate collected in Oregon, USA.

What in this photo leads you to believe she's overweight? I'm not good at judging weight, and I'd like to be better at it since it's an issue that comes up on the forum from time to time. Thanks.

[Lord Sorril]

What in this photo leads you to believe she's overweight? I'm not good at judging weight, and I'd like to be better at it since it's an issue that comes up on the forum from time to time. Thanks.

Sure, you bet. The easiest way to tell on a ball python is to look at the scales and see if there are gaps or separation between them.
If they are in perfect body condition then the scales should be fully interlocked and you should not see the skin below.
In the photo shown below you can see the scales are slightly separated.

This is not really an issue with sub-adult ball-pythons as they will use the extra reserves to accelerate their growth.
If this was an established adult male or a female outside of 'laying season'-I would scale back the amount of food I provide at regular intervals.

[Bogertophis]

I would consider the "scale separation" relevant where the snake's body is straight...they separate more easily when the snake's body is curved, but should definitely overlap when straight.

[Lord Sorril]

Photo #496

GHI/Fire/Lesser with some more assorted odds and ends. I did a quick count and can spot over 30 types of stones in the photo above.

Breeders Note: I had a handful of breeder females commit to attacking me while performing maintenance on their enclosures today. This is completely normal for the season.
I also noticed a lot of females with full-size follicles, but follicles do not guarantee eggs...so I can't get excited just yet.