Is my ball python a normal?

[alan12013]

Good question but in my limited experience I've always been able to feed 2 days after a shed. In the picture where you are holding her it looks like she can handle eating a rat so if you are buying them at a pet store I think they call the mediums. The rats that my petco call small are actually larger than the medium frozen ones and do seem large but I think yours could handle it. I have one that has been fixed to associate mice with food and nothing else but I will work on that. The problem with mice is you have to offer several and then you have to wait for them to get the previous one down and you also risk over feeding and a regurge. I would just give her a medium or "small" rat a couple days after she sheds.

[Crispy757]

[Crispy757]

Good question but in my limited experience I've always been able to feed 2 days after a shed. In the picture where you are holding her it looks like she can handle eating a rat so if you are buying them at a pet store I think they call the mediums. The rats that my petco call small are actually larger than the medium frozen ones and do seem large but I think yours could handle it. I have one that has been fixed to associate mice with food and nothing else but I will work on that. The problem with mice is you have to offer several and then you have to wait for them to get the previous one down and you also risk over feeding and a regurge. I would just give her a medium or "small" rat a couple days after she sheds.

She finished her shed 3 days ago, and I tried feeding her a f/t medium rat and she still wouldnt go for it. I've had her for about a month now and I have yet to see her eat. My fire eats just fine. But I'm worried about this one

[Crispy757]

See if you can see that green color I'm talking about Alan I just posted a picture of it.

[alan12013]

I see a greenish faded speckling but I can't tell if it's the actual color from the picture, sorry. It might be one of those things that after you see it in person and know what to look for you can see it in the picture. It would help more if I saw her in real life. I don't know what's possible with BPs and the color green or if anything has ever been attempted through line breeding but if it was something that I had the time and means to do then I wouldn't hesitate.

Are you sure she is a she? I think she could use a few extra meals but doesn't look like you should worry too much. I will tell you what I've been told... let her chill out for 5-7 days if she refuses to eat and then offer it to her. I would like some one with more experience to chime in but I personally would offer that meal as live and at first I would put a LSR in the cage with her and if she didn't strike and constrict within a minute then I would put a live adult mouse in there for an additional minute and my guess is that she would eat the mouse if she didn't pick up on the rat. From my understanding they can grow serious associations on what is their food. You could try frozen but if you're worried I'd say live. If she didn't eat the mouse or the rat then I would try it again every 5 days give or take.

What can you tell us about her living conditions? Age? Can you weigh her? I don't think you should be too worried but just in case it becomes a problem I would monitor her weight and check her after every or every other feeding attempt. Depending on what she weighs now will determine the percent drop that she can handle before it's a serious problem but I'd start checking now. I've lucked out with all good eaters except one and he's being left alone and I'm doing the trick mentioned above so I hope it works.

[alan12013]

Also if you tried feeding her from the time she knew she was going into shed and during the process she might have got shook up and will take a bit before she eats. From the videos I've seen of people offering food to snakes in shed they basically just hold the food there and if they don't strike AND constrict withing 20 seconds they leave the animal alone again.

[Bluebonnet Herp]

Damaged scales can also result from a bad shed, which I see evidence of. Next time she sheds, see what you can do about raising the humidity. If you keep her in a tank, you can try covering a majority of the screen lid with something such as foil to trap humidity. You can also use moisture inducing substrate such as cypress, and try leaving some sphagnum moss within one of her hides. Just don't make it too humid or sopping wet so as to avoid causing an RI or blistered scales.

Anyway, nice normal and just as beautiful as every other classic ball python.

[Crispy757]

Her living conditions are good. Hot side of her rank stays at about 86 degrees Fahrenheit and cool side stays at around 79-80 degrees Fahrenheit. Humidity stays between 50-60%. 3 sides of the tank are covered so she can feel more secure. She has a hide, water dish and some branches, fake plants and vines. She's very sweet and gentle.

I have no idea how old she is, the pet store couldn't tell. I'll have to get a scale to weigh her as I do not have one.