HELP! 3yr female 500g severely underweight and stunted growth.

[Mockingbird276]

I recently was asked if I wanted another snake because my friend's friend was getting rid of a few she had. I asked about information on the snakes and was told one of them was a 3 year old Candino (2019 clutch). She got this snake at about 1yr in 2020 from someone who was cohabitating 3 snakes in a 20g tank. Additionally, I was advised that the lady was getting rid of the snakes because she could no longer afford to feed all of them consistently and it had been that way for a year. Their last meal was sometime in January. When I went to see the snakes I took 1 look and was bewildered by the size of them. The Candino was tiny for 3yr, I weighed her and she was only 482g. Is this even possible for a 3yr adult female?? How stunted is her growth? Will she ever get to a normal size if I take her in and feed her the way she needs? I'm not sure if I want to take this snake in or not but at the same time almost feel morally obligated. But I would like to hear any suggestions or information people may have experience with stunted growth cases or anything else about dealing with this situation.

[Bogertophis]

When (or if) you take in a severely underfed snake, it will probably eventually catch up in growth if there's no other health issues negatively affecting the snake (things like illness or parasites) but be very careful to take it very slow & small on food. The worst thing you could do is feed this snake a normal-sized meal right off- you'll need to feed very small easily digested prey & more frequent for some time to come, & only increase gradually as the snake is able to digest.

A starved snake will not have enough digestive enzymes yet to properly digest- food is required to produce those enzymes- so be prepared to stay patient. It can be very rewarding to take in snakes that truly need better care & watch them progress, but only do so if you feel you can handle this better than the previous owner did- that may also mean vet bills as well as the extra food & housing costs, as well as your time.

[Lord Sorril]

You have a 3 year old ball python that is 482 grams, but, hasn't eaten since January. That is my understanding.

How does she look? Does she look OK? Do you see ribs? Weight is not the best indicator of health on a ball python.

Are you certain that it is actually a female? A male ball python going off food for months during the winter/breeding season is not unusual.

I have a 4 year old male ball python @643 grams fed on a regular schedule his entire life and he isn't even a problem eater...he is even slightly overweight.

[Homebody]

I have a 4 year old male ball python @643 grams fed on a regular schedule his entire life and he isn't even a problem eater...he is even slightly overweight.

Thanks for sharing this. I didn't realize that healthy BPs could very so much in size. I think my male BP was twice this size at 4 yrs.

[Caitlin]

You've gotten good advice. I just want to add that if you do adopt this snake, PLEASE be sure to quarantine (separate room, separate furnishings and tongs, etc.) it from your current snakes for at least 3 months. Longer would be better. Let us know if you have questions about quarantine procedures - but it is really important that you do this.