To answer both of your questions at once, if you are feeding your snake a propper sized meal, on regular schedual you shouldnt have issues.

If you look at your snake and it has a moderatly "boxy" build to it, it should be in good shape. If you see ribs, spine, and loose skin; its too thin. If its round, and looks like a blood python; its time for a diet.

A general rule is to match the with of the prey item to the largest point of the snake. If its too big for a mouse but you think its too small for a rat go to two mice... most people feed their snakes once a week on the same day. its a real good way to regulate its diet, especally for a beginer. If you are looking for signs that (s)he is hungry, you should see him/her roaming around the cage with "intent". It looks alot like every other time that its just trying to escape though...

Please excuse typos and flow issues; 80 proof fingers....
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- Mike Fourquet

Cloaca Herpetoculture
www.CloacaHerps.com

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