I just took in a juvenile ball python earlier this week. This is my first snake (although I have a 2 yr old iguana who I practically worship, so I'm not totally new to the reptile game This snake used to be a middle school classroom pet (the school just changed their rules - no snakes allowed anymore). The man who gave him to me was the science teacher there, said he purchased him as a hatchling in January at Repticon and had been feeding him a F/T small mouse only twice a month because he "didn't want him to get big".

I, however, am not interested in restricting his growth - I just want him to be healthy and THRIVE. I have almost zero experience with snakes but from what I've read about ball pythons, it seems like this one is probably underweight, possibly severely so. He is about 24 inches long, 218 grams (with two mice in him, see below). Is that a normal weight for his age/size? I am mostly alarmed by how pronounced his spine seems, if you took a cross-section of him his body would be more like a triangle than a circle.

Moving forward, how much and often would you recommend that I feed him? The man I got him from fed him on Monday, and I just gave him another mouse last night (Arctic Mouse brand "small") - he snatched it up right away, I feel like he could happily eat again right now if I were to offer him another one, but not sure how much/often is TOO much. Any insight would be much appreciated.