Last night I took in a blood python that I know is about 1.5 to 2 years old. He/she's not in the best of shape (very dry, seemingly underweight for a blood) and I know it couldn't have been fed as it should have. Despite the apparent lack of care, the snake does appear alert, "tame" and be all means, ready for a fresh start. I'm knowledgable in the care of bloods, and have no doubt that I'll be able to turn this guy around, but my question is this: This supposed two year old snake (that has to be at least one and a half) is about 16 inches long. If I put him on a feeding schedule a) to initially fatten him up and bring him up to a proper weight, and then b) get him on an appropriate maintnance diet to keep him where he should be, could he be expected to grow to a full sized adult, or should I expect his growth to be a bit stunted due to the lack of food in his first 2 years? Also, would it be a good idea to ease him into a heavier feeding schedule, or should he be ok with it from the start? I'm used to dealing with previously properly maintained animals for the most part, so turning this guy around is going to be a bit of a switch.
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1.0 8' albino burmese
1.0 14' normal burmese
1.0 4' normal retic
0.1 5' bcc
0.0.1 nile monitor
3.0 cats
and a breeder rat colony

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