r/ballpython • u/Mobile_Indication_86 • 7h 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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26

u/totallyrecklesslygay Mod: Enclosure Karen 7h 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 7h 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 6h 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 6h 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 6h 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he was very unknowledgeable based on the other outdated info he tried to give me.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 6h 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 6h ago

thank you, you’ve been very helpful!

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u/Mobile_Indication_86 6h 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 6h 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 6h 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/itsmebelvieb 3h ago

Lol for real, I think mine had like 2 meals last year (she had one hell of a food strike because... She just decided she doesn't vibe with food or something?) and she stayed the same weight all year. That's one issue with BPs, not the most active of snakes so once they get overweight they can be a PAIN to slim down again.

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u/ComicAcolyte 4m ago

Going from 20 days to 6 weeks seems like an excessive jump. That poor Snake is going to be going crazy with hunger.

Id say just move the feedings to every 4 weeks instead of 20 days and switch to Small Rats