How big will he get?

[hollowlaughter]

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

Do you know how long he is, out of curiosity?

[zina10]

Do you know how long he is, out of curiosity?

Its hard to measure his length correctly but last year he could stretch from one side of my queen size bed to another (from side to side) so at least 60 inches.

Here is a older picture that "kind of" shows how long he really is.



and a couple close ups, cause I think he's cute

[Dutti]

Its hard to measure his length correctly but last year he could stretch from one side of my queen size bed to another (from side to side) so at least 60 inches.

Here is a older picture that "kind of" shows how long he really is.



and a couple close ups, cause I think he's cute

I have adopted my male when he was 3 years old and he was 3 feet. What surprises me is that it’s written on his identification paper which was issued when he was born that he would reach a maximum length of 4 feet. And it’s true. He is now 5 years old and 3,6 feet. How did the breeder at the time of his birth know that he would reach only a maximum length of 4 feet? By the way, I’m happy with his size, it fits his new enclosure very good. I’m just not happy with his feeding habits

[zina10]

I have adopted my male when he was 3 years old and he was 3 feet. What surprises me is that it’s written on his identification paper which was issued when he was born that he would reach a maximum length of 4 feet. And it’s true. He is now 5 years old and 3,6 feet. How did the breeder at the time of his birth know that he would reach only a maximum length of 4 feet? By the way, I’m happy with his size, it fits his new enclosure very good. I’m just not happy with his feeding habits

I would say the breeder put "general" information on the papers. Males "usually" reach a maximum of 4 feet long.
Anything between 800 and 1600 gr is considered normal for a male. There are exceptions, as with everything.

[CALM Pythons]

I have adopted my male when he was 3 years old and he was 3 feet. What surprises me is that it’s written on his identification paper which was issued when he was born that he would reach a maximum length of 4 feet. And it’s true. He is now 5 years old and 3,6 feet. How did the breeder at the time of his birth know that he would reach only a maximum length of 4 feet? By the way, I’m happy with his size, it fits his new enclosure very good. I’m just not happy with his feeding habits

The size he is now at 5 years may not be his Max size... He will grow throughout his life. All though Males are smaller & grow slower than females, i don't know of any (personally) that are less than 4 feet at 10 years old.


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[rufretic]

A lot of good comments in here I wanted to touch on.

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..

I agree, genetics are 100% responsible for potential growth. Then comes feeding habits. A snake that has the genetics to get 7' over it's life span should eventually get there if it is not restricted from food, a lot of food will result in reaching it earlier but will also potentially shorten its life span. On the other hand, a snake with the genetic potential to get to 4', will never get to even 5', no matter how much you feed it, extra food will only increase how quickly it gets to it's genetic potential. I have a pastel desert ghost that I received at about 2 years old and was 700g. She quickly showed me she wanted more food so I gave it to her. She has grown longer than any of my other bp including ones that are well into adulthood and she is only a little over 3 and is now 2700g. There is no question in my mind that this is an example of large bp genetics. I have a few other females that eat just as much as her and they honestly have not grown half as much as she did this past year. She is just a genetically larger snake, you can even see it in her head, it's larger than all my other females including the ones that are much older than her and some are even stockier but she still has a lot of filling out to do.

I’ve come to the conclusion, I’m ok with them being smSll and regulating their weight themselves. I offer plenty of food. If they want to eat and grow, they do. If they want to refuse and stay small, that’s cool too.
Mine are all plenty bulky, so a fast wouldn’t bother me in the slightest at this point.


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Honestly, this is the way to do things. Feeding more with some and less with others is ok. No need to push for extra growth or get stressed because your bp skips a meal. Let them eat how much they want, ones with faster growing potential will may want to eat more and imo it's ok to feed your bp until they are satisfied within reason. But if they eat more, don't try to feed them at their normal weekly schedule if they don't show interest. Basically, let them decide to eat how much they want as long as they are healthy, no reason to restrict or push food. With that said, I guess there is the odd case of having a bottomless pit feeder, my personal favorite, and if your lucky enough to have one of them, you will need to stick with a schedule. Just feed them maybe a little larger than average prey size and weekly. They are also the ones that can get that extra rat when one of your others refuse as long as the first rat wasn't too large.

I have adopted my male when he was 3 years old and he was 3 feet. What surprises me is that it’s written on his identification paper which was issued when he was born that he would reach a maximum length of 4 feet. And it’s true. He is now 5 years old and 3,6 feet. How did the breeder at the time of his birth know that he would reach only a maximum length of 4 feet? By the way, I’m happy with his size, it fits his new enclosure very good. I’m just not happy with his feeding habits

The breeder didn't know, he just went with the average which is fine. If someone is interested in how big their bp will get, nobody can say for sure so it's best to just go with the average.

The size he is now at 5 years may not be his Max size... He will grow throughout his life. All though Males are smaller & grow slower than females, i don't know of any (personally) that are less than 4 feet at 10 years old.


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This is another good point, they never stop growing, just slow down. So you never really can say when they are maxed until close to their death. If a snake with the genetic potential to get huge is on a restricted for its first 5 years, you better believe if it starts getting fed more, it's still gonna get huge.

[zina10]

A lot of good comments in here I wanted to touch on.



I agree, genetics are 100% responsible for potential growth. Then comes feeding habits. A snake that has the genetics to get 7' over it's life span should eventually get there if it is not restricted from food, a lot of food will result in reaching it earlier but will also potentially shorten its life span. On the other hand, a snake with the genetic potential to get to 4', will never get to even 5', no matter how much you feed it, extra food will only increase how quickly it gets to it's genetic potential. I have a pastel desert ghost that I received at about 2 years old and was 700g. She quickly showed me she wanted more food so I gave it to her. She has grown longer than any of my other bp including ones that are well into adulthood and she is only a little over 3 and is now 2700g. There is no question in my mind that this is an example of large bp genetics. I have a few other females that eat just as much as her and they honestly have not grown half as much as she did this past year. She is just a genetically larger snake, you can even see it in her head, it's larger than all my other females including the ones that are much older than her and some are even stockier but she still has a lot of filling out to do.



Honestly, this is the way to do things. Feeding more with some and less with others is ok. No need to push for extra growth or get stressed because your bp skips a meal. Let them eat how much they want, ones with faster growing potential will may want to eat more and imo it's ok to feed your bp until they are satisfied within reason. But if they eat more, don't try to feed them at their normal weekly schedule if they don't show interest. Basically, let them decide to eat how much they want as long as they are healthy, no reason to restrict or push food. With that said, I guess there is the odd case of having a bottomless pit feeder, my personal favorite, and if your lucky enough to have one of them, you will need to stick with a schedule. Just feed them maybe a little larger than average prey size and weekly. They are also the ones that can get that extra rat when one of your others refuse as long as the first rat wasn't too large.



The breeder didn't know, he just went with the average which is fine. If someone is interested in how big their bp will get, nobody can say for sure so it's best to just go with the average.



This is another good point, they never stop growing, just slow down. So you never really can say when they are maxed until close to their death. If a snake with the genetic potential to get huge is on a restricted for its first 5 years, you better believe if it starts getting fed more, it's still gonna get huge.

Hi Mr. Sully! Long time no see...

Good to see you back!


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[rufretic]

Hi Mr. Sully! Long time no see...

Good to see you back!


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You miss quoted me lol. But I here ya, have not seen Mr. Sully around here in a while. Welcome back 😊

[zina10]

A lot of good comments in here I wanted to touch on.



I agree, genetics are 100% responsible for potential growth. Then comes feeding habits. A snake that has the genetics to get 7' over it's life span should eventually get there if it is not restricted from food, a lot of food will result in reaching it earlier but will also potentially shorten its life span. On the other hand, a snake with the genetic potential to get to 4', will never get to even 5', no matter how much you feed it, extra food will only increase how quickly it gets to it's genetic potential. I have a pastel desert ghost that I received at about 2 years old and was 700g. She quickly showed me she wanted more food so I gave it to her. She has grown longer than any of my other bp including ones that are well into adulthood and she is only a little over 3 and is now 2700g. There is no question in my mind that this is an example of large bp genetics. I have a few other females that eat just as much as her and they honestly have not grown half as much as she did this past year. She is just a genetically larger snake, you can even see it in her head, it's larger than all my other females including the ones that are much older than her and some are even stockier but she still has a lot of filling out to do.



Honestly, this is the way to do things. Feeding more with some and less with others is ok. No need to push for extra growth or get stressed because your bp skips a meal. Let them eat how much they want, ones with faster growing potential will may want to eat more and imo it's ok to feed your bp until they are satisfied within reason. But if they eat more, don't try to feed them at their normal weekly schedule if they don't show interest. Basically, let them decide to eat how much they want as long as they are healthy, no reason to restrict or push food. With that said, I guess there is the odd case of having a bottomless pit feeder, my personal favorite, and if your lucky enough to have one of them, you will need to stick with a schedule. Just feed them maybe a little larger than average prey size and weekly. They are also the ones that can get that extra rat when one of your others refuse as long as the first rat wasn't too large.



The breeder didn't know, he just went with the average which is fine. If someone is interested in how big their bp will get, nobody can say for sure so it's best to just go with the average.



This is another good point, they never stop growing, just slow down. So you never really can say when they are maxed until close to their death. If a snake with the genetic potential to get huge is on a restricted for its first 5 years, you better believe if it starts getting fed more, it's still gonna get huge.

That is a EXCELLENT post !!!

Explains this wonderfully. Many people seem to think how much (and how fast) they feed their animal will result in a "monster".

I see that a lot in large breed dog breeds, too. Always bragging about the "4 mos. old/90 pound monster pup" that will be a "monster" adult. No, that pup will still only get as big as it was supposed to, only a lot faster. Which results in skeletal growth problems, tendons and ligament issues, etc. Not good at all.

Just thought I'd "bump" this once again, Something like this (explanation of growth/vs food/vs time/vs maturity) should be a sticky!

[CALM Pythons]

That is a EXCELLENT post !!!

Explains this wonderfully. Many people seem to think how much (and how fast) they feed their animal will result in a "monster".

I see that a lot in large breed dog breeds, too. Always bragging about the "4 mos. old/90 pound monster pup" that will be a "monster" adult. No, that pup will still only get as big as it was supposed to, only a lot faster. Which results in skeletal growth problems, tendons and ligament issues, etc. Not good at all.

Just thought I'd "bump" this once again, Something like this (explanation of growth/vs food/vs time/vs maturity) should be a sticky!

Great point Lucy.. My male Pit had 1.5 years of tendon issues from 6 months to 3 yrs because of what i think was the high protein diet i fed him. My female were fine on the same diet. Maybe a genetic problem for him. After 3 years and all the vets telling me $5000 surgeries "MIGHT" help him he healed all by himself. I think it was fast growth and the tissue and tendons ect.. couldn't keep up.


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