Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I just picked up two female ball pythons, they will be 3 years old this July. They are between 2.5-3' in length, but only weigh 300 grams! One weighs 316, the other 373. The owners got them when they were 3 mos old, and have only been feeding them 2 mice every 3 weeks for over 2 years! Does this sound right to you guys? They do look like they need to put some weight on. They ate on Monday (2 mice each), how well do snakes adapt to getting food more often after being on a schedule like this for so long? I about fell over when I saw them, she explained to me they were adults and they were big...I took them anyway, because it was a good deal (came with nice tank and all heat accessories). I was wondering how fast are they going to fatten up? Thanks!

Melody

First off.....asap get a fecal done...not saying that parasites could be the cause but it would be nice to know if they exist or not............and as far as "upping" the feeding...there should be no problems and continue like you're doing.....a couple small items per feeding once a week for a few weeks, then move up to larger prey and/or a couple feedings per week.......the main thing to be of concern is regurgitation......if that were to happen...let her/s settle for a couple weeks and then go back to the "smaller" regimen again for a lil while.

Yeah, I'd say they are really small...extremely underfed...but they can be "changed" for the better....give it time...don't rush it............best of luck

Thanks...thats the main reason I got them...wanted to get them out of that situation. The people were more than nice, awesome awesome couple, they just dont know much about the animals. I think people need to take a course on reptile husbandry before being allowed to buy one! They said they pooped yesterday, so I am going to try and feed them tomorrow, just one mouse each, I dont want them to regurgitate! And then take the next stool sample for testing. I need to get my own microscope and learn how to test it myself...with 8 snakes, 6 beardies, and a leo...I have definately spent my share on fecals! (not to mention the dogs, the cat, and ALL my rescue dogs/puppies I get!). I have also realized their heat pad sucks, so they are getting a new one tomorrow. The people said they came with one, so I didnt buy one, and by the time I got them home and had the thing plugged in a couple hours, it was too late to go buy one. So hopefully they will be ok tonight. I have a small small heat pad I am going to put under them tonight for just a little warmth, but its nowhere near the size it needs to be (its like 5" by 5". Thanks again for the response! Hopefully these girls are hungry and respond well to the extra food!

Melody

Good decision bringing them into a more knowledgeable home.....and now that the poor heating pad has been mentioned....definitely want a fecal done. It's unfortunate for the animals when keepers don't do their homework beforehand and thus don't realize how important proper temps are......and because of this...not only is regurgitating a main concern, but overall health is more so. You know what to "look for" and base decisions accordingly.....so they're in better hands now........they'll turn around.......again, just give them time.

Actually the smaller one just took an adult mouse for me! I forgot I had one left from this week. I put one of the heat pads from another snakes tank under theirs for the night (all my snakes have pads plus infrared heat lights, so I think they will be ok without the heat pad for one night, its about 80 in the snake room, so they will be fine until morning, I will just keep their light on as I normally shut off lights and just leave the pads on at night). I asked the owners about regurgition or if anyone has ever gone of feed, and they said they have never missed a meal in the 2 plus years they have owned them. I dont think I will have a problem with these girls. I think it was just a matter of being very underfed, but fed enough to keep them alive.

Melody

Melody - just wondering if you've sexed these snakes? I'm thinking you might just have two males that didn't grow very fast because they didn't have the food to do so? I recently aquired a male about 2 1/2 years old and barely 400 grams, he was also fed one mouse once a week. Just a thought, aside from being smaller than what we see here he is quite healthy.
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Tosha

8.13.0 Ball Python (Harry and Fluffy and currently un-named)
0.2.0 Feline (Pippen and Pandora)
0.0.1 Dessert Tortoise (Pope)
7.9.5 Fish (1,2,3,4...)
0.0.1 Frog rescued from pool skimmer
0.0.2 Lizards rescued from pool skimmer

I just got a girl that is 560gm and she is small for her alleged age of 3
She is smaller than my Daughters 2yo (Length and girth, we do not have a weight on Smo'ore recently, her well kid checkup is in May) so I am trying to get her to eat, have had her over a week, and she shows no inclination as of yet
Good Luck with your girls
Keep me apraised if you can
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Elizabeth (ecb)

Make this world a better and more beautiful place that You have been in it
*Edward W Bok*

Since it sounds like they weren't fed often enough not that they are just picky eaters they will most likely eat well and start to gain quickly. I have a male that is going on 3 years this fall and only weighs 392g but simply won't eat unless he deems On the other hand I adopted two males last May that were 10yr old and 12 yrs old and only weighed 916g and 1016g respectively. They had been housed in one 33Gal enclosure and were fed 2 - 4 live mice just tossed in and whoever got them got to eat on biweekly basis if the owner remembered!! They now are both just over 2000g and doing fine. I would also recomend splitting them into their own enclosures since it sounds like they were also housed together and that can cause stress and lower their feeding response. Good Luck, I think they are lucky to have you!
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Nita Hamilton
4.13 Normal BP's, 1.0 Het Orange Ghost BP, 1.0 Het Pied 1.0 50% poss Het Orange Ghost BP's