Vote for BP.Net for the 2013 Forum of the Year! Click here for more info.

» Site Navigation

» Home
 > FAQ

» Online Users: 2,816

1 members and 2,815 guests
Most users ever online was 6,337, 01-24-2020 at 04:30 AM.

» Today's Birthdays

None

» Stats

Members: 75,031
Threads: 248,489
Posts: 2,568,439
Top Poster: JLC (31,651)
Welcome to our newest member, isismomma
Page 1 of 2 12 LastLast
Results 1 to 10 of 11

Thread: Weight

  1. #1
    BPnet Senior Member GoingPostal's Avatar
    Join Date
    08-09-2009
    Location
    MN
    Posts
    1,343
    Thanks
    3,865
    Thanked 1,666 Times in 723 Posts

    Weight

    How often do you weigh your adult snakes, out of curiosity? I took down my big deli scale and weighed my crew while cleaning today, looking through my extensive records (permanent marker on calendars lol) to compare I last checked weights in Dec 2020. Most of my snakes have gained about half a pound from that time. I'd like to see my older ball Python lose some but otherwise happy with how everyone looks.


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

    2.0 Python brongersmai
    1.1 Python breitensteini
    1.0 Python curtus
    1.0.1 Python regius
    1.0 Acrantophis dumerili
    1.0 Boa constrictor
    0.1 Heterodon nasiscus nasiscus
    0.0.1 Pantherophis guttatus

  2. #2
    BPnet Lifer EL-Ziggy's Avatar
    Join Date
    11-05-2014
    Location
    GA
    Posts
    4,190
    Thanks
    5,014
    Thanked 5,484 Times in 2,683 Posts

    Re: Weight

    I never weigh my snakes. I measure their growth by the frequency of their sheds and their body condition.
    3.0 Carpet Pythons, 1.1 Bullsnakes
    1.0 Olive Python 1.0 Scrub Python,
    1.0 BI, 0.1 BCO

  3. The Following 2 Users Say Thank You to EL-Ziggy For This Useful Post:

    Bogertophis (10-03-2021),GoingPostal (10-04-2021)

  4. #3
    BPnet Veteran
    Join Date
    07-07-2019
    Posts
    537
    Thanks
    19
    Thanked 434 Times in 278 Posts
    Images: 9
    When the "problem" BPs go off prey for longer then three months. Juvenile snakes every two months "if" I remember. The kids run spread sheets on the noodles.

    It's no different then your Doc taking your weight an height.

    The fun part is measuring the big girls. Takes me an two kids running 550 cord along the snake. Sometimes it's easy, sometimes not so much. Then take the cord used an measure it. Your as close as you can get with a live snake.

    Some keepers I know weigh once a year. Others never have. But they are the minority.

    Scales are cheap. It's not like you'll hurt anything by getting the weight. Well, maybe you'd hurt their feelings by calling them fat. If snakes could hear

  5. The Following User Says Thank You to 303_enfield For This Useful Post:

    GoingPostal (10-04-2021)

  6. #4
    Bogertophis's Avatar
    Join Date
    04-28-2018
    Location
    USA
    Posts
    20,182
    Thanks
    28,081
    Thanked 19,739 Times in 11,797 Posts
    I don't weigh mine either. Only if I had to dose a medication, but I haven't had to do that in many years. To be honest, the first thing I thought when I came to this forum was how "obsessed" everyone is with weighing their snakes & their prey items, lol. No offense, y'all.
    Rudeness is the weak man's imitation of strength.
    Eric Hoffer (1902 - 1983)

  7. The Following 2 Users Say Thank You to Bogertophis For This Useful Post:

    EL-Ziggy (10-03-2021),GoingPostal (10-04-2021)

  8. #5
    BPnet Royalty KMG's Avatar
    Join Date
    06-09-2012
    Location
    Tx
    Posts
    5,633
    Thanks
    1,032
    Thanked 2,944 Times in 1,958 Posts
    Images: 55
    I don't weigh my adults often. My big Blood hasn't been weighed in a long time. Usually I'll weigh a snake when I first get them to know where I started with it but after that it may be months to years before I do it again..... As long as they appear healthy.
    KMG
    0.1 BP 1.1 Blood Python 1.0 Brazilian Rainbow Boa 1.0 Aru Green Tree Python
    0.1 Emerald Tree Boa 0.1 Dumeril Boa 0.1 Carpet Python 0.1 Central American Boa
    0.1 Brooks Kingsnake 0.1 Speckled Kingsnake 1.0 Western Hognose
    0.1 Blonde Madagascar Hognose 1.0 Columbian Boa

    1.1 Olde English Bulldogge 1.0 Pit Bull

  9. The Following User Says Thank You to KMG For This Useful Post:

    GoingPostal (10-04-2021)

  10. #6
    BPnet Lifer dakski's Avatar
    Join Date
    02-08-2014
    Location
    Connecticut
    Posts
    4,802
    Thanks
    8,109
    Thanked 9,691 Times in 3,863 Posts
    Images: 134

    Re: Weight

    Pretty often for my growing animals. I weigh them dry after every 2nd - 3rd waste usually and especially if I am considering upping food size.

    Also, Shayna my BP every 2-3 months when in winter fast.

  11. The Following User Says Thank You to dakski For This Useful Post:

    GoingPostal (10-04-2021)

  12. #7
    BPnet Senior Member GoingPostal's Avatar
    Join Date
    08-09-2009
    Location
    MN
    Posts
    1,343
    Thanks
    3,865
    Thanked 1,666 Times in 723 Posts

    Re: Weight

    Quote Originally Posted by Bogertophis View Post
    I don't weigh mine either. Only if I had to dose a medication, but I haven't had to do that in many years. To be honest, the first thing I thought when I came to this forum was how "obsessed" everyone is with weighing their snakes & their prey items, lol. No offense, y'all.
    Ha! I do find it silly on very young animals when people weigh frequently, if it's eating, it's probably fine. I only have one younger growing snake these days but hadn't weighed the two new corns I took on and figured I might as well get a weight on everyone. A big swing in weight up or down would be a cause for concern or food adjustment or a vet trip. I also throw my cats and ferret in the tote and weigh them as long as the scale is out.

    2.0 Python brongersmai
    1.1 Python breitensteini
    1.0 Python curtus
    1.0.1 Python regius
    1.0 Acrantophis dumerili
    1.0 Boa constrictor
    0.1 Heterodon nasiscus nasiscus
    0.0.1 Pantherophis guttatus

  13. The Following User Says Thank You to GoingPostal For This Useful Post:

    Bogertophis (10-04-2021)

  14. #8
    Bogertophis's Avatar
    Join Date
    04-28-2018
    Location
    USA
    Posts
    20,182
    Thanks
    28,081
    Thanked 19,739 Times in 11,797 Posts

    Re: Weight

    Quote Originally Posted by GoingPostal View Post
    Ha! I do find it silly on very young animals when people weigh frequently, if it's eating, it's probably fine. I only have one younger growing snake these days but hadn't weighed the two new corns I took on and figured I might as well get a weight on everyone. A big swing in weight up or down would be a cause for concern or food adjustment or a vet trip. I also throw my cats and ferret in the tote and weigh them as long as the scale is out.
    For one thing, I'm used to raising tiny colubrids- it's unacceptably stressful to them for me to weigh such things. Especially if they're eating (as you noted). I can see weighing any snake if it's NOT eating- if it's known to be sick in some way, or recovering- then the weight would be relevant. But just to weigh a snake on a regular basis when it's eating & appears well, I find pointless.

    I can somewhat excuse those keeping BPs though, only because they're rather prone to fasting- so in that case, sure, the weight is relevant- but not if it puts a new snake off-feed, lol. Whenever I've taken in a new snake, my FIRST concern is reducing stress, because stress makes them prone to illness, & you have to remember that a new snake has probably been exposed to pathogens a-plenty on it's way to your home, so you want their immune system functioning as well as possible. That to me is the first concern- & then getting them to eat. I'd rather pass on the "initial weight" & get to having the snake take it's first meal with me, than to do any more handling than is necessary that could impair their "settling in & eating".

    Obviously, if a long time pet snake is eating but appears to be either gaining (too much) or losing weight, you want to start weighing & charting the changes. Cancer & parasites are a couple things that can cause weight loss, as can others.

    When I used to take in rattlesnakes, I noticed they often appeared well-fed at first, because when stressed they tended to keep their lungs inflated, making them appear more well-fed than they actually were. But you'll forgive me for not weighing them either?
    Rudeness is the weak man's imitation of strength.
    Eric Hoffer (1902 - 1983)

  15. The Following 2 Users Say Thank You to Bogertophis For This Useful Post:

    GoingPostal (10-04-2021),Homebody (11-05-2021)

  16. #9
    BPnet Veteran Snow Balls's Avatar
    Join Date
    03-03-2020
    Location
    Murrieta, CA
    Posts
    321
    Thanks
    145
    Thanked 316 Times in 174 Posts
    I weigh mine after every shed. I weigh my smaller males who are almost to breeding size more frequently, same thing for my females who are about to hit the breeding mark as well. I also weigh often whenever my bigger females go off food, just to make sure they aren't losing a substantial amount of weight
    "I'd rather be hated for who I am, than loved for who I am not" -Kurt Cobain

  17. The Following User Says Thank You to Snow Balls For This Useful Post:

    GoingPostal (10-04-2021)

  18. #10
    BPnet Veteran Spicey's Avatar
    Join Date
    11-07-2019
    Location
    St. Louis, Missouri
    Posts
    284
    Thanks
    619
    Thanked 273 Times in 163 Posts
    Images: 10
    I weigh my KSB when he starts his "mating fast" so I have a benchmark as to how much weight he loses in the two months that he doesn't eat. He hasn't hit 200 grams yet but I was told that his parents were small.
    "Something Clever"

    1.0 Paradox Albino KSB - Spotticus
    0.1 Dutch Rabbit - Wendy

  19. The Following 3 Users Say Thank You to Spicey For This Useful Post:

    Bogertophis (10-04-2021),Erie_herps (10-05-2021),Team Slytherin (12-01-2021)

Page 1 of 2 12 LastLast

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •  
Powered by vBadvanced CMPS v4.2.1