weight questions

[Harleyx2]

I have a ball python i got about a month agao and it was supposed to be 2 months old when i got him. My question is i weighed about a wek after I fot him and he was 66 grams and two weeks later he was 88 grams. Then today I weighed him and he is 76 grams. Every week since I got him he has taken a live mouse hopper with no problem. Is it normal for the weight to be this low and also change up and down like that? The temps and husbandry are good and he shows no signs of being sick at all. Hes just skinny. lol

[llovelace]

Yes, it is. It is best to weigh after they poop (on empty) to get a more accurate weight.

[Alexandra V]

Yup, the weight will change depending on the amount of poop in the snake, crude as it may sound. The most accurate way to weigh a snake is, as was said, right after a poop.

[Harleyx2]

Does that weight sound really low then for a 3 or 4 month old snake.

[llovelace]

Feed it appropriate sized meals every 5 days. (rat pinkies to start)

[AK907]

Feed it appropriate sized meals every 5 days. (rat pinkies to start)

Yup, get that bad boy on rats ASAP! Feeding mice is pointless with balls. Get them started on rats as early as possible. Even the smallest baby balls will have no trouble eating rat pinks. As a general rule feed them a rat that is 1 to 1 1/2 times as big around as the fattest part of thier bodies. Another theory is 15% or so of thier body weight in rats (ie. 500 gram ball would eat a 75-100g rat).

As has been said, weights will fluctuate. The most accurate way to measure weight is after a nice big poo. You'll see people on here refer to thier balls/snakes as being "empty". This is what we refer to. Just pooped and no food in thier stomachs. Pure snake.