Ball Python Age?

[AtlasDragons]

My new baby (named Atlas) has been settling in since Tuesday. He's been left alone with a towel covering his tub for the majority of the time I've had him (aside from me checking his temperatures and humidity). He poked his nose out of his hide yesterday but that's about the most I've seen from him over the past few days.

He's yet to veture out of his hide which is natural, but I was curious about his age as he is absolutely tiny. I took 1 picture of him on the date of his arrival, the tub he is in has a diameter of 4" and he's about 11" and hardly has any weight to him (he came in excellent packaging, his colors and everything are bright so I'm not too worried about him health-wise) I was curious about what age you guys on this forum would guess he is, as I don't have much to compare him too, being my first baby.

Unfortunately, I've not been able to get any information on his birthday, and I don't know what his weight is. It's probably hard to guess with the picture provided but I'd like to get him eating consistently before I take him out and get his proper measurements (I'll try to add more pictures if needed).

He easily fits in the palm of my hand without being balled up and with room to spare.

What do you guys think?

(Yes, he is a spider morph, I've done my research on the neurological condition associated with them, don't worry )

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[AtlasDragons]

I'm asking as he seems smaller then other newly hatched pythons that I've seen and I'm starting to grow worried that he has yet to have a meal. Not that I believe the people I got him from would sell me a snake that hasn't been eating, but it's always good to get more educated opinions.

[Bogertophis]

There is some size variance among hatchlings, & beyond "hatchling" no one can actually tell you a snake's age, because snakes grow according to "opportunity"-
that is, they have to be warm enough to digest & grow, & they have to find food, or be given food, in the case of c/b. Not all sellers establish a track record of
feeding (as they should, IMO, before selling) and not all sellers will tell you the truth either...sadly, some are more interested in just making a sale and will tell
you what you want to hear in order to make that happen. If you buy from a source that does not furnish such information (hatch date, feeding record, sheds)
then you're just out of luck, you're taking a chance.

The best thing you can do right now is not handle him, not at all, let him settle in for a week before offering food*, and do no handling until he has fed reliably
for you at least 3 times without refusals. *The other thing you should have been told is WHAT he was being fed. BPs are fussy enough without having to guess
whether they prefer mice or rats...rodents have very different scents (& presumably taste). You also want to know if he took live, pre-killed or f/t prey.

[AtlasDragons]

There is some size variance among hatchlings, & beyond "hatchling" no one can actually tell you a snake's age, because snakes grow according to "opportunity"-
that is, they have to be warm enough to digest & grow, & they have to find food, or be given food, in the case of c/b. Not all sellers establish a track record of
feeding (as they should, IMO, before selling) and not all sellers will tell you the truth either...sadly, some are more interested in just making a sale and will tell
you what you want to hear in order to make that happen. If you buy from a source that does not furnish such information (hatch date, feeding record, sheds)
then you're just out of luck, you're taking a chance.

See that's my primary concern, I know ball python sizes vary hugely. You can get chunky guys straight out the egg or good, consistent feeders who are just lighter and smaller than average that seem like they haven't had a decent meal.

Such unpredictable little guys, I suppose I'll just have to keep an eye on him and get him eating as soon as I can. Thanks for the help!

[Bogertophis]

He's a pretty fellow, let's hope he's also a hungry that's easy to please.

[Bogertophis]

He could have been fed mouse fuzzies or even rat pink/crews, which really don't put noticeable weight on a snake. You are correct that "measurements"
can wait...he needs all the TLC you can manage for now, until he's eating steady.

[Craiga 01453]

There's unfortunately no way of telling age without the breeder confirming the hatch date. There are just too many variables at play.