My Hatchling Is Finally Eating, But Is He Emaciated?

[Snoop_Dong]

I would definitely raise his basking temp.

In Benin, the reported temps being 75F doesn't mean that the snakes don't have higher temps to bask in, nor that they thrive at a lower temp.

For example, I have had days where I check the outdoor temps as about 90F but when I check the actual temp of the ground surface in the sun, it's well over 100F, up to 120F some days. So there can be many different gradients of temperatures in an area.

If he is eating the better quality rodents, then definitely keep him on those. Every 5 days should give him enough time to digest. If the prey is too large(makes a big lump instead of a small lump) then you run a risk of him vomiting it up later, which is really stressful. But if it's a small lump, you should be just right.

Definitely post some pictures. It sounds a bit strange to see ribs on a ball python. They fatten up really quickly though, so no worries!

Ye, i bought 25 of the quality rats and very glad i made that investment plus it was rather cheap . I do realize that the temperature in Benin isn't the basking temperature for all BP but i do know that their ideal home i.e the termite mound thermally regulates to a perfect 86 degrees ideal for bacteria growth (their food). I was just using some satire to go with why i have my temperature at around 80°F even though it's set to 85°F. I just took some photos (you'll see his egg looking bulge) but i know it isn't to huge for him because he's kept it under for 72 hours though i have no idea when the bulge will go away ahahaha. For the basking temperature he's fine almost every single credible source for BP's have different ideal temperatures for their enclosures but on almost all of their varieties they say that low 90°'s should be the highest and that high 70's should be the lowest. He seems to enjoy his living conditions at the moment and momma always said "What isn't broken don't change it" .