male ball python

[stevo-d]

Just wanted to know how big everybody's male ball pythons are if there's any monster males age weight etc. Mines is 48 inches 5 years old and is 1388 grams. And he is just back on feed

[Aaron_S]

I've had a couple males that size. Mine are mostly 3 feet I guess or around there and roughly 600 grams to 800 grams. I don't weigh them though so they could be bigger.

[bigsnakegirl785]

I have absolutely no clue what sex mine is. I assume male, but I don't really know. He's 3.5' (3'7" if you want to get exact), and weighs 1380 grams, almost 9 years old.

[stevo-d]

Its 99per cent a male. I seen online a male 56 inches and 2020grams the guy said it was 10 years old and never missed a feed. Seen a female by Brian Grundy 5000grams things a monster

[reptiledude987]

A friend of mine has a 15 year old male thats damn near 5' and not sure of exact weight but is an easy 5lbs

[Albert Clark]

Two male ball pythons both at the 1000gm mark.

[lady_bug87]

I had a 4.5ft 2000g male. He laid 9 eggs last year!

It's funny because I bought her as a male for $40 dollars.

[KyleKennedy]

Lol deal of a lifetime, ladybug

[KyleKennedy]

stevo-d - I had a male fire bp that was nearly 5 feet and around 6 years old. He was eating jumbo rats every week since he was around 3 feet long. He was thick as hell, looked like a blood python.

[Aaron_S]

stevo-d - I had a male fire bp that was nearly 5 feet and around 6 years old. He was eating jumbo rats every week since he was around 3 feet long. He was thick as hell, looked like a blood python.

Sounds like an obese snake.

[lady_bug87]

Lol deal of a lifetime, ladybug

It was indeed!

[bigsnakegirl785]

stevo-d - I had a male fire bp that was nearly 5 feet and around 6 years old. He was eating jumbo rats every week since he was around 3 feet long. He was thick as hell, looked like a blood python.

No wonder! You were stuffing that poor thing like a pig, a ball python should not be as stocky as blood python. At 3' I'm sure surprised he could even physically get that thing down it must have been as big as he was....Very few ball pythons should even be eating anything larger than a medium rat. Large rats are only for the largest of ball pythons.

[millertime89]

Large rats are only for the largest of ball pythons.

I dunno about that... I've got a 2200 gram female that's easily over 4ft and larges don't leave a lump.

[bigsnakegirl785]

I dunno about that... I've got a 2200 gram female that's easily over 4ft and larges don't leave a lump.

I was thinking more of the 2000+ gram range. Guess sometimes I forget ball pythons can be a bit heavier. Still, I don't really think a 3' bp should be eating a jumbo rat and I've never heard of anyone feeding a bp anything larger than a large rat in any circumstance. Not even my 6' boa eats jumbos, he's still on large mediums, or small larges depending on the source. The 3'7" bp gets smalls, although mediums are closer to his width and doesn't leave a bulge he only eats once every 2 months on mediums so I bumped him down since it seemed to be too much for him to eat.

[lady_bug87]

I dunno about that... I've got a 2200 gram female that's easily over 4ft and larges don't leave a lump.

I can eat a whole large pizza but i shouldn't.

Just because it can doesn't mean it should. The lump thing is old news

[millertime89]

A 1000 gram BP should be on mediums at the minimum IMO. The switch to larges should take place no later than 1500 grams IMO unless other factors are at play (what that would be, I'm not sure). Anything over 2000 grams should be taking jumbos (XL or larger based on RodentPro sizes)

[millertime89]

I can eat a whole large pizza but i shouldn't.

Just because it can doesn't mean it should. The lump thing is old news

That's just based on weight. Jumbos usually are what's considered XL or bigger in my book. XL starts around 250 grams for most people. At 2000 that's 12.5% body mass...

[bigsnakegirl785]

Well as I said, my ball python willingly chose to eat only every 2 months eating mediums. He eats every 2 weeks (most of the time) on smalls, he's 1380 grams. He's at a heavier weight, and much more muscular, on smalls than he was when he was eating mediums.

[lady_bug87]

That's just based on weight. Jumbos usually are what's considered XL or bigger in my book. XL starts around 250 grams for most people. At 2000 that's 12.5% body mass...

Yea I guess. It depends on the keeper and the animal

[millertime89]

Like I said, other factors can change it, but that's kind of a rule of thumb.

[lady_bug87]

It's true.

[millertime89]

And you should eat a whole large pizza, just to say you did. :)

(ok, that's a terrible reason)

[lady_bug87]

Ummm i have and it was not a good idea. so never again

[millertime89]

http://www.usnews.com/dims4/USNEWS/77d61f6/2147483647/resize/652x%3E/quality/85/?url=%2Fcmsmedia%2Ff3%2F3ddd9e5755522332b96e7b0244 a978%2F41158FE_DA130430bush.jpg

[stevo-d]

George bush illuminati. My ball only takes small rats every 10 to 14 days he will shy away if its any bigger. As much as I love snakes today is all about AGE OF ULTRON

[millertime89]

That was a "mission accomplished" joke... lol.

[Aaron_S]

A 1000 gram BP should be on mediums at the minimum IMO. The switch to larges should take place no later than 1500 grams IMO unless other factors are at play (what that would be, I'm not sure). Anything over 2000 grams should be taking jumbos (XL or larger based on RodentPro sizes)

This is why I use the Reptile Enterprises feeding regime (copyright pending). I use weight instead of sizes because there's a huge difference between suppliers on what they call a "medium" and a "small" or even their "jumbos".

I agree there's many factors when it comes to feeding. Are the snakes male or female? Are they breeding? How old are they?
On a personal level, the males here don't get anything bigger than an 80ish gram rat. My females are in the 200 gram range. Even my big ones. I have found that the smaller meals keep them consistent in eating and have healthy, steady, bounce back weight gain after laying eggs.

[millertime89]

Fair enough. When I post about sizes I try to make sure I mention that I use RP sizes as a base point. Link to the RE feeding regime?

[Aaron_S]

Fair enough. When I post about sizes I try to make sure I mention that I use RP sizes as a base point. Link to the RE feeding regime?

It's my own feeding regime.... What link do you want?