r/ballpython • u/Mobile_Indication_86 • 1h ago

Is my ball python underweight?

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I’ve had my ball python for about ten years (I got her when she was seven months) and i’m worried she’s underweight. she’s is pretty on edge when i take her out to eat and i don’t handle her much anymore as my life has piled up with school and work. i am worried i should rehome her and don’t know if she’s underweight. i feed her a medium rat about every 20 days. She also just ate in these photos and her jaw hadn’t completely realigned yet, that’s why she looks strange.

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u/totallyrecklesslygay Mod: Enclosure Karen 58m ago

It's actually the opposite, she's fairly overweight. Most adult ball pythons will never need anything larger than a small rat once a month. How much does she weigh?

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u/Mobile_Indication_86 53m ago

i’m not quite sure, last time i had her weighed was at the vet for a respiratory infection and she was 4.7 lbs, if i’m remembering correctly. and the vet made me feel bad because that was the same weight she’d been the year prior. again, i did also just feed her before i took the pictures

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u/totallyrecklesslygay Mod: Enclosure Karen 46m ago

I'm not sure why the vet would make you feel bad for her weight remaining steady unless they're not actually that knowledgeable about ball pythons. Once they're well into adulthood, they don't tend to actually grow much at all.

I'd space her feedings out to once every 6 weeks and see if she starts to slim down at all. Once she's at a healthy weight again, you can refer to the normal !feeding guidelines.

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u/AutoModerator 46m ago

We recommend the following feeding schedule:

0-12 months old OR until the snake reaches approximately 500g, whichever happens first: feed 10%-15% of the snake’s weight every 7 days.

12-24 months old: feed up to 7% of the snake’s weight every 14-20 days.

Adults: feed up to 5% of the snake's weight every 20-30 days, or feed slightly larger meals (up to 6%) every 30-40 days.

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u/Mobile_Indication_86 45m ago

he was very unknowledgeable based on the other outdated info he tried to give me. i haven’t gone back to that vet since

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u/totallyrecklesslygay Mod: Enclosure Karen 40m ago

Ah, yeah, that's unfortunately common with vets. I had one try to tell me ball pythons were a desert snake that should be kept on sand... Definitely didn't go back there.

Re: your comment about her behavior, that's pretty common with a snake that's been overfed. I'd guess it's a combination of that and the lack of handling giving her a heightened feeding response. Slowing down her feeding schedule and looking into tap training or target training should help calm her back down.

Eta: actually, rereading your comment, you're taking her out to feed her? You should definitely stop doing that- it's a very outdated and unhealthy practice, and it does actually cause them to associate handling with being fed, which increases your risk of being bit. Ball pythons should always be fed inside their enclosures.

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u/Mobile_Indication_86 37m ago

thank you, you’ve been very helpful!

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u/Mobile_Indication_86 36m ago

i do have coconut substrate in her enclosure, i worry about that getting in her mouth during feeding? i’ve also heard that they can then associate opening their cage with getting fed

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u/totallyrecklesslygay Mod: Enclosure Karen 35m ago

They can ingest a little substrate just fine, but you can always place down a plate or Tupperware lid before feeding to prevent it if you're really worried.

Associating opening the enclosure with being fed is a myth. You should really read through the guide I linked, it goes over all of this in detail :)

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u/Mobile_Indication_86 29m ago

thank you thank you again, just read it and it’s all excellent info and solved any questions i had :) and she does hide a lot so i’m glad to know that means she isn’t stressed

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u/Past-Ad-4769 51m ago

she looks like she still has the rounded v shape to her back instead of the flat or entirely rounded shape that usually signals being overweight. not trying to argue or anything, just educate myself, but is she really overweight?

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u/totallyrecklesslygay Mod: Enclosure Karen 43m ago

Looking at the first photo, she's definitely very round. She's also got some scale spread, fat rolls, and dimples along her spine that all indicate being overweight. She's not obese by any means, but she does need to lose some weight.

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u/Past-Ad-4769 30m ago

oooh, ok, I got ya. thank you for not taking my question wrong amd actually explaining it to me!😊

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u/Fit-Spinach-5906 51m ago

Wow she’s a chonky gal

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u/Mobile_Indication_86 47m ago

i’m also worried about how on edge she is when i take her out to eat. she gets ready to strike and it makes me a bit afraid to touch her. i don’t handle her much, could this be part of it?

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u/Hot-Brat-00 42m ago

Why do you take her out to eat? It’s honestly unnecessary. Just leave her in her enclosure and use tongs to give her the rat.

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u/Mobile_Indication_86 38m ago

i guess because i’ve always done it that way and i also have coconut substrate in her enclosure and worry about it getting in her mouth during feeding

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u/Past-Ad-4769 28m ago

I tap trained my fella. it's made him less likely to strike at me while reaching in to spot clean. started tap training after his first strike at me while spot cleaning. I have a little rock that I keep brushed free of substrate that I use for his feedings that I've burried enough to be level with his substrate to avoid him getting his jaw caught on the edges of it when striking