Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Can someone please explain how the difference between:

hatchling
yearling
subadult
adult

Thank you!

hatchling (AKA neonate) - just out of the egg.

yearling - 1 year old.

subadult - Older than a yearling but not sexually mature. Roughly 1.5-3 years.

I sometimes use juvenile for a snake between 6 months of age and adulthood.

adult - Sexually mature. At least 2 years old, and possibly over 40 years old.

Depending on various husbandry factors such as amount of food, sexual maturity can come at various ages.

Paul Hollander

I'm not sure if you have a scale or if these weights would mean much to you but here is roughly what weights of ball pythons I would describe with each term. I'm sure others might shift these around a little and there probably isn't any universally excepted answer:

hatchling
50 - 300 grams (actual hatch weight maybe 50 - 100 grams)

yearling
300 - 1,000 grams (more or less depending on how well fed)

subadult
Male: 400 - 600 grams
Female: 800 - 1,500 grams

adult
Male: 600 grams
Female: 1,500 grams

I have 2 little psyco BPs, who are almost 3 years old. They are fantastic eaters. One weighs in at 116 grams, the other at 128.
-----
GratefulFred

Those sound like moderate 3 month old weights but I sure hope you don't have 3 year olds still that small. My runt 2 year old is 700 grams.

yes, they are '00 born babies. They just never grew. They are some of the best eaters I've got. They were quite unhealthy as babies, and the only 2 survivors of the clutch. They are quite healthy today. But they just never grew.
-----
GratefulFred

What would my 2 monthl old BP be considered?

Thanks for your help!