Are we feeding too much?

[Bundu Boy]

Oh, I don't think it really applies to hatchlings--honestly, I see no reason not to feed them as much as they will eat. If you overfeed them, they'll go off feed for a while, then start again. You will learn to cut back the frequency. Some animals are happy to eat as much as they can cram in, and their growth rates are extraordinary--but then, perhaps it is those animals that are destined to be 3000 gram rather than 1500 gram adults.

Too much attention is probably focused on a 'breeding weight' without regard for the age and feeding habits of the animal. An animal that reaches 1500 grams in its first year can lay eggs, but it's probably not a mature adult. Likewise, the animal that barely makes 1500 by age 3 but eats regularly is probably mature. The one that is finicky--perhaps it should wait a bit extra.

The reality is that we don't know for sure, and those records are crucial to our and other peoples' future understanding.
We DO know that some ball pythons never get more than 4 feet, while others get up to 6. What's a healthy weight gain for a 4 footer as opposed to a 6 footer? Obviously not the same!
If you don't know what size your ball python is aiming for, how could you know whether it's gaining too much or too little weight? Remember, ball pythons will grow fastest in their first 3 years.

My tactic is to let the animal decide--and so far, they all SEEM healthy. Until that's proven to be wrong, I'll continue it. Baby ball pythons do not appear to get fat beyond a certain point (power-feeding isn't factored into this--I assume the snakes eat as much as they want to, and no more). Instead, they grow larger overall. Because of this, I'm not sure that growing too quickly is any cause for concern. There's just no evidence to suggest it--speculating that it may be harmful is just as much of a guess as speculating that it's harmless.

Yep, my thinking generally moves towards age as an appropriate indicator for when to breed. There are some female balls out there that are 5yrs plus but not over 2000g, and they are good breeders. Each snake is different.

We discussed at length that sub-adult balls need the food as they are growing quickly. Once adulthood is reached (IMO +-3 yrs for females and 2 yrs or so for males) is where I feel we need to take more care over feeding schedules.