Hey, don't know much about snakes but curious. How large is an average BP and whats a typical growth rate? I was told you can stop growth putting them in a too small tank....were they serious?
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BP size
shelby514
Oct 18, 2003 06:28 PM
Replies (4)
mykee
Oct 18, 2003 08:50 PM
No, it's not true that you can stunt the growth of a BP by putting them in a smaller enclosure. You can stunt them by underfeeding them though. The average size for a male BP is roughly 3.5-4.5 feet, and between 2000-3000g. The average size for a female is 4-5 feet and between 2500-4000g. Give or take. A well-fed female BP can reach 1500g by the first year, and BP's continue to grow until they die.
shelby514
Oct 18, 2003 10:44 PM
Thankz. I was talking to someone about buying one of theirs, he had told me it would prob reach about 6 ft (an inch a month) (but I could stunt it with a small tank) And its enclosure space needs would prob start now at a 25 gallon and eventually need about a 125 gallon. I'm just starting out and am up for as many opinions as possible. Does this sound ballpark?
mykee
Oct 19, 2003 01:10 AM
Not really. The inch a month thing I've never heard. You can't really guage the growth of a ball, here's an example, two fo my females, both around 1800g, one is 4 feet and the other is just a tad over 3 feet. I cannot give you advice on tank size, because I keep all of my BP's in rubbermaids, in a rack system. BP's do not require a lot of room as opposed to other snakes their size, so a 125 gallon tank would be way too big for any size BP. I keep my 3000g females in a rubbermaid that measures 6" tall by 16" wide and 34" long. Good luck.
bloodycats
Oct 19, 2003 01:23 AM
6 feet is pretty big for a ball. I wouldn't worry about them getting that big, especially if you're getting a male. The BP Manual says 3-5 feet is average for an adult.
You can easily start babies in a small enclosure- if you want cheap and effective, rubbermaid or sterilite containers with holes drilled in them for air are great. I also use velcro on the tops of mine to stop escapes. When the BPs become larger you can move them into a large aquarium or a nice big cage designed for herps. Many people do not reccomend aquariums due to heating and humidity troubles, but you can find nice snake caging on the net for under a couple hundred bucks. I had my first ball in an aquarium and switched to a Vision cage which works very well.
