My Ball python is a fatass! pics inside.

[xnitromethx]

Alright so I had this guy for about 2 and a half weeks he is a 100% het for orange ghost. Everything is setup nicely.. I have him set up in a 20 long on aspen bedding, with a water bowl In the middle, a cold side log to hide in and a warm side bowl to hide in. The warm side averages about 92 degree, cool side about 76. Humidity is around 50. The snake seems very happy and very playful. Not aggresive at all and very calm. He is in shed right now. Well coming down to my question... In this 2 and a half weeks That I have had him... he already ate 6 mice! Every body is saying feed him a mouse a week, but I dont want to starve him especially in this important stage in his life that is most crucial to his growth. He is about 8 months now the breeder said. I fed him a mouse yesterday and offered him another today and he dint hesitate for more than a second to snap at it. Would feeding him every 3-4 days instead of every week be acceptable as well, or should I offer him mice in shorter times and see if he takes em? I was under the impression ball pythons are finicky eaters... I guess this is not the case with mine!

[kavmon]

try to bump up the cool side temp to 80 deg. watch it closer in the winter too! just because the snake will eat daily, doesn't mean you should do it. imo, snakes need time to digest their meals fully and live without a constant full belly. you could try to feed multiple rodents once a week? and give the rest of the week to digest. i've had good successs and growth using this method.


vaughn

[bchapman]

where are the pics??

[xnitromethx]

[SarahMB]

Wow, you're right, he is a fat one! And very pretty
I really like the pattern on his head a LOT.

[xnitromethx]

yea the pattern on his head is pretty sweet, I will take and post a pic of a better shot of him, sorry guys he is in shed right now so he doesnt look so great, but for a ghost het non-morph snake I think his color is pretty nice. I picked him up at a reptile swap for $120 bux.

[Ginevive]

Ah; I would work on getting that shed off of him! It really is not that hard; I had a female who came to me with worsely retained shed than yours has; I shut her in a Rubbermaid container for an hour or so with wet sphagnum moss and I had misted the inside of it with warm water; when I took her out, the skin peeled off in my hands. Since you did just feed him, I would wait at least 48 hours before attempting that thouhg; ideally you should have removed it after a settling-in period but before a feeding. I am sorry if it seems like I am jumping down your throat; just offering advice
Nice snake though; I too love the spot on his head.

[xnitromethx]

Ah; I would work on getting that shed off of him! It really is not that hard; I had a female who came to me with worsely retained shed than yours has; I shut her in a Rubbermaid container for an hour or so with wet sphagnum moss and I had misted the inside of it with warm water; when I took her out, the skin peeled off in my hands. Since you did just feed him, I would wait at least 48 hours before attempting that thouhg; ideally you should have removed it after a settling-in period but before a feeding. I am sorry if it seems like I am jumping down your throat; just offering advice
Nice snake though; I too love the spot on his head.

I put moist paper towels in his hot side hide for the past 3 days and I have been giving him warm baths every day for 3 days for 5 min at time. It got most of it off but just some on his neck and top front. Im going to go to the petstore and buy that shed aid stuff if it doesnt come off within a few days....

[bigballs]

try filling the sink with water and let him swim around for a few mins. then let him squirm through your fingers and it should easily peel off on its own.

see if that works for you. thats what i do.
just trying to help!

julian

[xnitromethx]

I will try to do that... Here are some more pix and btw his name is Jigsaw: