How big will he get?

[zina10]

Definitely. My male will be 3 yrs in 06/18 and he's just now starting to push 900g. But he was a picky feeder in the breeder's care and has been doing some fasting unprovoked after months of weekly feedings (compared to the biweekly for the breeder) so I definitely think genetics play a part.

Genetics definitely do play a part !

I have mentioned that before, but I got 5 hatchlings in 2010 (3 females, 2 males) all were approx the same size/age.

Despite being on the same feeding schedule, Jag grew much faster and much bigger then the others, right from the start ! He has never, ever been power fed. Last year he took a 8 month fast and barely lost 160 gr or so. I was breeding the 3 females with the other male and even though Jag wasn't the one breeding, he stopped eating during that time I was showing off one of the females to a friend and then got Jag out afterward. He kept nosing and sniffing around my arm and I believe he figured out there were female BP's in "breeding mode" nearby...

No fat on that boy either, he is all muscle, and quite strong. For a Ball Python, anyway

As for feeding, he hasn't been on a "set" schedule. He now eats large rats, because that is what keeps him "satisfied" and from looking for more (they leave no lump in him, either...) After he eats I simply wait until he tells me he is ready for more. I know him so well by now, I can tell when he is cruising for food. Usually he waits about 2 weeks between meals, sometimes 3. He also skips feeding when in shed.

So he is definitely not being overfed, yet even now he continues to grow, albeit much slower then he used to..