Reptile & Amphibian Forums

hey just wondering what a healthy weight for a 3 yr old BP is, mine currently weighs 445g and is roughly 2 maybe 2.5 ft long ive had him for about 8 months and when i bought him i was told that he was 3 im feeding a small rats or a couple adult mice (when he decides he wants food) he hasnt eaten for 7 weeks but i was told that winters in Calgary result in triggering breeding cycles

thanks for any help

That... sounds rather small. My 18 month ball is 1500 grams.

If it's really 3 years old, it should be large enough to take medium rats. It's either not that large/old, or very, very skinny.

A good weight on a ball python means that the snake is thick and heavy bodied, with a fat oval cross section. The backbone should not be easily visible as sticking up and above the rest of the body; it should be seen as just a slightly flat part of the top of the body.

This is a picture of a 1 y/o snake that's a healthy weight:

Hope that helps!

~jenny
-----
"Polysyllabism in no way insures that what you're saying is actually worth being heard." - Blake (an e-friend of mine)

"I have never made but one prayer to god, a very short one: "O lord, make my enemies ridiculous." And he granted it." - Voltaire

that gives me a good idea of how small he is but what can i do to increase his weight?

Feed him rats that are big enough to leave a bit of a noticeable lump in him when he eats. Nutritionally, rats > mice - you get more good stuff with less bad stuff (protein, etc vs hair and bones) when you feed one small rat compared to three mice.
If he's not eating now, double check your husbandry. Warm side 90, cool side 80, good sheds, water available, lots of tight hidey holes...I wouldn't handle him either, not until he starts eating, just in case it's stress that's causing it and not the season. He seems small to willingly stop eating for breeding season.
While he's refusing food, offer it every other week (go back to once a week when he starts eating again) and don't leave live prey in for more than 1/2 an hour.

Hope that helps!

~jenny
-----
"Polysyllabism in no way insures that what you're saying is actually worth being heard." - Blake (an e-friend of mine)

"I have never made but one prayer to god, a very short one: "O lord, make my enemies ridiculous." And he granted it." - Voltaire

husbandry is all fine the cold side is 80 and the warm side was a bit colder than it should be but he has spent the last little while in the cold hide. He is also very active, he will sleep all day then climb around his cage all night long and i haven't overly handled him,only when i weigh him and check on him which is maybe once a week for 5 min. I'm prepared to feed live prey only i live in a province where it is illegal to keep live rats so the only thing i can feed him would be mice or gerbils but not rats....while im here i should probably ask about all the things i can feed him cause i know about mice and rats but in terms of live prey what would be something i could feed him?

Start with whatever he's currently eating, and then try to switch him to F/T rats. Gerbils might be a good option to scent the F/T rats so that he takes them.

Other than that, I don't know what to tell you. You might be stuck just feeding him lots of mice and/or gerbils!

~jenny
-----
"Polysyllabism in no way insures that what you're saying is actually worth being heard." - Blake (an e-friend of mine)

"I have never made but one prayer to god, a very short one: "O lord, make my enemies ridiculous." And he granted it." - Voltaire

well i just had a look at him and im pretty sure they lied about his age cause he has a nice roundness to him if that makes any sense, you cant see his spine and i couldn't even feel it when i had my finger on him but i will keep an eye on his weight and i think ill pick him up a live mouse tomorrow to see what happens

Thanks So Much For All Your Help!

Hey there,

If you scroll down to my last post, that is a 3yr old girl at roughly 400 grams. Super skinny! If that's what your snake looks like you've got a ways to go. If not, you may have gotten improper info about age. Also, with gentle pressure on his sides does he feel "squishy" or solid? Can you feel his ribs?

If he's underweight I agree with Jenny about feeding. But chances are if he's out cruising around all the time, & your husbandry is correct, he's probably hungry. A fat happy python won't do a heck of a lot. Excessive hunting/searching for something usually indicates hunger, improper temps, or other discomfort. My little girl is CONSTANTLY looking for something to eat.

Good luck!

-Tami*

Yeah, sounds like he's just not that large of a snake yet. Since that sounds like the case, just keep an eye on him, keep the husbandry right, and when he eats, he eats! A fat snake that's not eating is nothing to worry about.

Good luck!

~jenny
-----
"Polysyllabism in no way insures that what you're saying is actually worth being heard." - Blake (an e-friend of mine)

"I have never made but one prayer to god, a very short one: "O lord, make my enemies ridiculous." And he granted it." - Voltaire

What are you keeping it in? Privacy may be an issue. If you have it in a glass tank then you may need to cover the tank with a towel when you feed. I have several balls that wont eat is conditions are just right, including dark and private.
Link

-----
www.fbballpythons.com

the last time he ate he was in a plastic container for feeding and he has eaten in that container dozens of times and just one day he decided not to eat. I tried feeding him in his cage a couple times and that didn't work, I tried last night and held the rat 2 inches in front of his head and he kinda checked it out but once he got close he just slithered off and i have tried every kind of scent that you can try and nothing works he just keeps on ignoring them

Try isolating him, leaving him alone for a week or so, give him a lot of privacy, then try giving him a adult mouse or weaned rat. Cover his enclosure so he has complete privacy and see what happens. Keep us posted. I also have some balls that require a lot of crumpled up newspaper in their enclosures to eat. Remember balls like cramped, small places. The newspaper actually makes their enclosures seem much smaller and gives them a sence of securing, taking away some stress.
Link

-----
www.fbballpythons.com

ok ill cover up his cage right away and ill let you all know what happens....i tried feeding last night so when would be a good time to try again? ill probably be offering a couple live mice and he does have alot of little places to hide