Determining Age

[L.West]

Hello, I purchased my Female Ball from a local Reptile Show. I purchased her on August 9th, 2008 - I was told at that time she was an '07 Hatchling.

How do I determine how old she is??? Maybe a dumb question but I am totally new to this hobby - my first thought was that she was a year old but that would depend on what month she was actually born in '07.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks.

[anendeloflorien]

The only way to tell for sure how old she is is to contact the breeder and see if he/she can pull up the information on the clutch. Most breeders and sellers will list by year however. I can't say for sure but I believe it is just because most breeding occurs during the winter months with clutches hatching in the late spring-summer. So if someone was selling an 08 hatchling in September it would be pretty safe to assume that it was 2-3 months old.

As far as figuring out age without talking to the breeder you could get an idea by weighing her and comparing that weight to other 07 snakes you know the birthdate on. But that's a very imperfect method as the snake will grow according to how it eats.

Maybe one of the more experienced members here will have more insight into this.

[xdeus]

Congratulations on your new snake! To answer your question... there is no reliable method to determine the age of your snake. Balls grow at different rates depending on genetics and diet. If the breeder fed her once every two to three weeks instead of every week, the snake would probably be half the size.

As long as your snake is healthy and eating, age really isn't much of an issue. Unless you wanted to celebrate her birthday.

[L.West]

Thanks for the replys. I was just curious is all. I assume she is about a year old.

I have to get a scale to see how much she weighs.

Thanks.