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  1. #1
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    6 mos size for BP

    We are looking for a new BP - preferably a BEL - super Russo or super lesser.

    We found a really good one locally on Morphmarket with a local breeder that gets really good reviews and has a really pretty super lesser… But the snake is really small for six months actually seven months… It’s only 77 g… Should that be a cause for concern?

    It’s currently feeding on live that we are going to switch it immediately or try to switch it and transition to a frozen thawed diet so that’s even a little more concerning… There is a local reptile show coming up near us in a couple weeks but I did some research and haven’t seen a lot of breeders bringing what we’re looking for.

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    FYI, & not saying I like the idea either, but you should know that many breeders under-feed hatchling & neonate snakes, so they don't grow too fast before they're sold. Picture being a snake breeder of any size, & needing to separately house all those offspring- then needing to size up their containers when they out-grow them before they're sold. I've bred some snakes in the past- never commercial about it, & personally I couldn't purposely underfeed any snake in my care, but when people do this for a business, it's different.

    There may also be a preference by some buyers for a smaller (cute) "baby" snake too, plus their teeth are smaller, lol- but in terms of the snake's health & well-being, starting off with a well-started 6-12 month yearling is a safer prospect. As long as this BP is eating & healthy, he'll probably be fine.

    Another advantage for breeders to underfeed offspring may be so they arrive a bit hungrier & are more easily fed by their new owners. Nothing is more disappointing for new owner than to get a new snake that won't eat fairly soon after arrival, even though that's pretty normal- they need time to settle in. Does this breeder offer any sort of guarantee? Unfortunately there's no way to know if this one got off to a slow start or if it's current size was just a matter of not being fed so much.

    FYI: when you get a new snake- do NOT try to change it's eating habits until after you have fed it for at least 3 times, on the same food & offered the same way as the breeder did- so it's used to accepting food in it's new home before you try to throw it a curve with something new. New snakes of any age need time to settle in anyway, but especially young/small ones, because they don't have the fat reserves if they refuse food for a while, as they're more likely to do if you push a sudden change on them. Offer them what they already know as "dinner" for best results.
    Last edited by Bogertophis; 01-07-2023 at 04:19 PM.
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  4. #3
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    Re: 6 mos size for BP

    Quote Originally Posted by The Night King View Post
    It’s currently feeding on live that we are going to switch it immediately or try to switch it and transition to a frozen thawed diet so that’s even a little more concerning…
    I wonder if you could ask the breeder to transition it to frozen/thawed for you. The breeder probably has more experience with that than you do.
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  6. #4
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    Re: 6 mos size for BP

    Possibly...we fed ours 2+ years frozen/thawed and I think it came on a diet of live hoppers. We did research it a bunch prior but that BP came around 125-150g at 6 months I think

    I see some great BEL's (super lesser and super russon) on frozen diet but it would have to be shipped from fairly far away.

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    One of my 6 month olds is only 55 grams, but that's because she was a VERY small 27 grams hatchling that refused to eat on her own until month 4.

    Size can vary by so many things, as mentioned above, some breeders do feed smaller meals on a longer period as a maintenance meal. Weekly feedings of 10% are meant to keep the animal growing at a stead pace. One of the snakes I received was a year old and had only weighed 200 grams. One of my current 6 month olds, a sibling to the runty 55gr is 170 right now.

    Or the other issue could be this was a small or problematic hatchling who did not get a strong start. Maybe it took a while to get feeding regularly. As long as the snake is steadily eating and has had at least 5 meals, that's usually considered a good selling time

    A good breeder should be able to answer any concerns you have on the size.

    There really isn't a perfect size guide for the different ages. It just depends on the individual animal.

    Another thing is as mentioned, try to keep it on the same food the breeder is feeding... But keep in mind that sometimes even though you are feeding the same, the animal may still be stressed and refuse to eat. You won't want to handle them until they have eaten at least 3 good meals for you to help keep them on pointe with feeding

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