Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I remember seeing a post about the size of a ball python, if I remember correctly...I thought someone said that his year and a half being 24 inches long was a bad thing...

Is this true? My curiosity peaks, simply to the fact I own two BP's, both of which are approximatly a year and a half, and probably 20-24 inches long, maybe a little more... No weights as of yet, currently don't own the correct scale. I feed them every week, either a full mouse, or two fuzzies...all are F/T. Is these two possibly under the average, or am I reading to much into the situation. Any and all advice or comments are appreciated.

Thank you in advance.

I think you are not feeding them enough. If you could get a weight and maybe post a pic it would be much easier to tell you if they are a healthy weight and size. I feed my hatchlings Fuzzies/adult mice. By a year and a half of age they should be able to take small rats IMO.
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John Vandegrift

My six month old ball python is 24 inches, maybe more, and eating small rats.

You want your snake to be well rounded, with the backbone not being particularly prominent. When the snake is laying straight on the ground, its diameter at its widest point should be close to a circle/oval.

Prey item size is also measured by the largest part of the snake - you should aim for something that is at least as big around as the biggest part, but not more than 1.5 times bigger.

~jenny
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1.2 normal ball pythons (Cindy, Darwin, and Periscope)
0.2 rescue chinese water dragons (Yoni and Linga)
0.0.1 Mountain Horned Lizard
1.0 rex rat (Scurvy)
1.0 gerbil (Yerbul)
0.1 mice (Cute Girl Mousy)
0.1 bunny (Spazz)
1.1 betta fishes (Vicious and Killer)
2.2 great danes (Shasta, Odysseus, Merlot, and Watson)
1.0 fat fuzzy mutt (Smokey)
1.1 cats (Thidwick and Turtle)
3.0 horses (Buddy, Sam, and Scout)
1.0 goat (Billy Jack)
1.25 chickens (Ugly the rooster and his harem)

jenny.thegreenes.org

I don't have a proper weight, but I can describe them pretty well, I know one is slightly over weight. I can see a little bit of skin between the scales, they are both perfectly rounded. More circle than a triangle. The head on each are approx. Inch and a half, to two inches long, possibly 1/2 to 3/4 in wide. I have been feeding once a week, no more, no less. Both are somewhat active, possibly more nosy than anything. I am worried about over feeding them. I realize most are feeding new borns full mice, but aren't they for breeding? I have rat pups, slightly bigger than an adult mouse. I don't know if I am feeding them to little due to my fear of over weight snakes, or if I am feeding them well enough.
I hope this helps describe them. Unfortuantly for the weight, I lack the scale. I am hoping to buy one in a few weeks...

Pictures would really help. I have pics of my female that says female and she is about 6 months so if they are close to her then your good. Def. get a scale, measuring weight is a great way to see if they are over or under weight. I feed a full size mouse to mine everyweek. They both eat one, one eats f/t the other live, tried to get her to switch, no success. I will be switching them to small rats probably in about 1month or so. Good luck! I thik you might be a little over worried,relax and take a breathe! haha I'm sure they will be ok.

I love your advice, and I greatly appreciate it...Just a few more questions though...If i'm not mistaken, what is a sure sign they are over weight by sight...Am I correct in saying, that if you are able to see skin between the scales, then they are slightly over weight? Also, what is a good weight size for an year and a half to two year old ball?

When you say "I know one is slightly over weight. I can see a little bit of skin between the scales, they are both perfectly rounded. More circle than a triangle..." it makes me wonder why you're asking this question in the first place.

As far as the size of the prey, there is no magical formula: the snake doesn't have to have the largest prey item it can manage to swallow in order to do well.

From your descriptions, I am confused about the age of your Ball Pythons... and I am also getting the sneaking suspicion that they are housed together. Regardless of what they are eating, their age, or their gender, it is best for your snakes if they are housed separately.

Every snake is an individual so pictures are really the only thing that will help anyone else determine whether your snakes are under weight, over weight, or ideal. In some individual animals, it is perfectly normal to see skin between scales at the widest point of the body... in other individuals, that IS a dead-giveaway that the animal is overweight, but no one here can tell you for certain which applies to your animal without seeing a picture, because it is the snake's overall proportions that determine that.

By feeding 1 or 2 prey items every week, your snakes could very well be an ideal weight. People who "power feed" usually are the ones who will advocate feeding the largest prey items possible, as often as possible - and that is usually because they don't just want to get the animal to breeding size, but they want to do it in record time to try to make a quick buck out of its first breeding. Unfortunately, those guys are also noisy enough about their successes that other people think that is the only way to keep these snakes successfully.

Breeders who care about the health of their animals strive for an ideal weight, just as pet owners should - that means they don't want to either over or under feed.

Other than this, your estimates of your snakes' sizes and proportions are a bit too loose for me to tell you anything more specific. Your feeding regimen sounds pretty good, but nobody can tell you anything one way or the other without pictures.

Good luck!
~Rebecca
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0.1 Dumeril's Boa '04 (Courtney)
1.2 Ball Pythons
[1.0 '05 Orange Hypo (Specter)]
[0.1 '05 Het Orange Hypo (Sylvia)]
[0.1 '03 Normal (Sue)]
0.2 American Pit Bull Terriers (40lb darling lap dogs:Brandy&Mara)

Like amarilrose said, it doesn't really matter how big the prey item is, AS LONG AS YOUR ANIMAL IS DOING WELL. That's the important part. My big female is only eating a medium or large rat a week, even though she could definately fit a jumbo or larger. She's gaining weight at a comfortable pace on just that, so I know she's doing fine.

My advice on overweight snakes: Don't worry about it for another year or two. It is pretty damn hard to make overweight young snakes, since they're putting a lot of their energy towards growing. Just feed them what they'll take, and then if/when they go on a hunger strike...you have nothing to worry about!

Here's a couple pictures of my baby, for comparison. She just ate yesterday, so that's what she looks like totally full. Even full, she doesn't look particularly obese.

Good luck!

~jenny
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1.2 normal ball pythons (Cindy, Darwin, and Periscope)
0.2 rescue chinese water dragons (Yoni and Linga)
0.0.1 Mountain Horned Lizard
1.0 rex rat (Scurvy)
1.0 gerbil (Yerbul)
0.1 mice (Cute Girl Mousy)
0.1 bunny (Spazz)
1.1 betta fishes (Vicious and Killer)
2.2 great danes (Shasta, Odysseus, Merlot, and Watson)
1.0 fat fuzzy mutt (Smokey)
1.1 cats (Thidwick and Turtle)
3.0 horses (Buddy, Sam, and Scout)
1.0 goat (Billy Jack)
1.25 chickens (Ugly the rooster and his harem)

jenny.thegreenes.org

Don’t worry about over feeding them they know when to stop and they may take a pray animal that is to big but they won’t be able to get it down . From what I have read you need to feed them large adult mice or XL.A.M. or small rats . Trust your Snakes they know what they are doing !! Good luck David Of DS Reptile Rescue .

Thank you greatly...I have just now, bored a scale from a trusting friend, this weekend I shall get a correct weight from each of the two. Unfortuantly, I still have no pictures, sadly, this day and age I am the only one with no camera.

Indeed you were correct in assuming I am keeping both of them together, I have heard many, many, MANY arguments on both sides of that issue, so I chose what has worked plenty well. I still feed them in seperate containers, so no accidents while feeding may happen. I hope you understand, I am trying hard not to sound completely new to this area, but I am still trying to learn as much as possible. Everyday, they teach me something new. Fortuantly I have had several help from everyone here. Just in the past year everyone here has given me plenty of expierence, wheather they know it or not.

But as I said, this weekend I shall try to post my weights for each of them. So if you don't mind giving a last helping hand, keep an eye out. Thank you ever so much...everyone.

yes too small....

I have year and half olds that I am breeding...1400 grams and more........some 1000 maybe........4 foot?.....

......I fed hoppers for a few meals then mice then big mice.......then a mouse like 3 times a week or two mice at a time...rats even........

I feed often........

even with one mouse a week........they can grow to 4 foot in 18 months........

........we grow them big and fast if possible..yet we don't feed them like alot of people and push them with meals 3 times what they should be........

.........hope this helps......don't use fuzzies with balls at all.........
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...........you would think so huh?...........

My female BP is between 3 and4 years old. I adopted her a year ago went she was around 3 feet, now she's about 3 and 1/2. I don't know how well she was kept befor I had her, but she has alot of scars. She's a great feeder though, I feed her an extra large mouse once a week.
Any ideas as to why she is so small?

Sure she's a she? That's a pretty average size for a male BP.

Try feeding her rats instead. When I bumped my baby up to rats the growth spurt seemed almost overnight.

And last but not least...she could just be a small female due to her genetics, and that combined with what were probably less than ideal conditions when she was young could lead to a small female.

If she's got good weight on her then probably her genes are just little genes

~jenny
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1.2 normal ball pythons (Cindy, Darwin, and Periscope)
0.2 rescue chinese water dragons (Yoni and Linga)
0.0.1 Mountain Horned Lizard
1.0 rex rat (Scurvy)
1.0 gerbil (Yerbul)
0.1 mice (Cute Girl Mousy)
0.1 bunny (Spazz)
1.1 betta fishes (Vicious and Killer)
2.2 great danes (Shasta, Odysseus, Merlot, and Watson)
1.0 fat fuzzy mutt (Smokey)
1.1 cats (Thidwick and Turtle)
3.0 horses (Buddy, Sam, and Scout)
1.0 goat (Billy Jack)
1.25 chickens (Ugly the rooster and his harem)

jenny.thegreenes.org

I'm pretty sure that she's a she, she's been locked up alot recently with my male. She is a bit small to be breeding right now though, but she is old enough.
As for rats, I just bought 200 frozen mice, so I have to use up those first.

Try 2 mice instead or feed every 3-5 days. May help.