ball python growth

[remsin76]

does anyone have or know where i can find information on how large an average ball python will get over the first 3 years of his life? i'm looking for a chart type thing where it'll tell me 10th month = 2 feet or something like that. i just wnt something to compare to. if anyone monitors their balls growth i'd like to see their information. thanks

[fateamber]

There is something like that in the ball python manual.

[BoidKeeper]

I've been tracking the growth rates of all my ball pythons now for about a year. All meals are weighed and recorded. That way I can get an avarage of how much food it takes to raise a bp to adult hood. I also weigh each snake after every shed and deffication as a means of tracking growth. Everybody gets the same, one appropriate size prey item every 7 days. I get one shed a month like clockwork. In 18-24 months the snakes will be between 1000g and 1500g. In 3 years you can expect a 4' 2000g snake for sure.
Here is are pics of the same snake taken amost one year apart. She just turned one this year. She now weighs some where over 1100g.

This is her in Jul 03. She weighed about 900g then.
http://www.ssnakess.com/photopost/data/507/289ghana_08_07_03-med.jpg
Hope that helped,
Trevor

[Tim_Cranwill]

Nice idea Trevor. Be sure to sum it all up for us when your research is done.

I've thought about weighing food items and charting growth/gram of food eaten. But I think you'd have to weigh the waste as well to get the full picture. Keep up the good work! :D

[BoidKeeper]

God help me I was for a while but with 20+ snakes I do this for it got to be too much.
Thanks,
Trevor

[Pia]

I have read they will grow approximatley one foot each year for the first three years. This seems accurate since mine has gone from about 18-20 inches to 33 inches in just under a year and a half. She is much thicker around now too, at least double what she was when I got her. I just measured her for the first time a couple of weeks ago. I wish now I had kept records from when I first got her. Oh well, I can still monitor the next couple of years. Hope this helps.

[BoidKeeper]

They can reach 4' in two years.
Trevor

[remsin76]

someone named snowkitten posted this at bob clark's forum. this was waht i was looking for, maybe this might help some of u

Alani Hatched 5/8/02
08/05/02 RP x 1 - L Weighed 98g
08/09/02 RP x 1 - L, Probed: Female
08/17/02 Shed, Measured 17'
08/18/02 Mf x 2 - FT - Refused
08/20/02 RP x 1 - L
08/26/02 RP x 2 - L
09/01/02 RP x 2 - L
09/06/02 RP x 2 - L
09/12/02 Shed
09/16/02 RP x 2 - L
09/17/02 Measured: 20' weighed 200g
09/23/02 RP x 2 - L
09/30/02 RP x 2 - L
10/07/02 RP x 2 - L
10/15/02 RP x 1 - L Refused(in shed)
10/18/02 Shed
10/20/02 RP x 2 - L
10/27/02 RP x 2 - L
11/03/02 RP x 2 - L
11/13/02 RP x 2 - L, SR x 1 - L
11/24/02 Shed
11/30/02 SR x 1 - L
01/02/03 Shed
01/03/03 SR x 2 - L
01/16/03 Shed, Measured: 24'
02/01/03 SR x 1 - PK, SR x 1 - L
02/12/03 SR x 1 - L
02/13/03 SR x 1 - PK, RP x 1 - PK
02/23/03 SR x 1 - PK, SR x 1 - L
03/05/03 Shed
03/09/03 SR x 2 - PK
03/28/03 SR x 1 - PK
03/29/03 Weighed: 504g
04/07/03 SR x 2 - PK
04/10/03 Weighed: 578g
04/15/03 SR x 1 - PK
04/18/03 Measured : approx. 31'
05/15/03 Shed
05/16/03 S/MR x 1 - FT
05/26/03 S/MR x 1 - FT
06/01/03 Weighed: 613g
06/01/03 S/MR x 1 - FT
06/11/03 S/MR x 1 - FT
06/22/03 S/MR x 1 - FT
06/27/03 In Shed

Frodo Hatched 5/8/02
08/05/02 RP x 1 - L Weighed 94g
08/09/02 RP x 1 - L, Probed: Male
08/14/02 RP x 1 - L
08/17/02 Shed, Measured: 17'
08/18/02 Mf x 1 - FT - Refused
08/20/02 RP x 1 - L
08/26/02 RP x 2 - L
08/30/02 Shed
09/01/02 RP x 2 - L
09/06/02 RP x 2 - L
09/16/02 RP x 1 - L, Refused 2nd
09/17/02 Measured: 20.5'
09/23/02 RP x 1 - L
09/30/02 RP x 2 - L
10/07/02 RP x 2 - L
10/15/02 RP x 2 - L
10/18/02 Shed
10/20/02 RP x 1 - L, Refused 2nd (in Shed
10/27/02 RP x 2 - L
11/03/02 RP x 2 - L
11/13/02 RP x 1 - L - Refused, SR x 1 - L - Refused
11/27/02 Shed
11/30/02 SR x 1 - L
01/03/03 SR x 1 - L - Refused
01/20/03 Shed
02/01/03 SR x 1 - L - Refused, SR x 1 - PK - Refused
02/04/03 Vet - Thermal burns, not feeding. Flagyl shot to stimulate appetite & Silvadine Cream to treat burns
02/06/03 SR x 1 L - Refused
02/10/03 SR x 1 - L - Refused
02/13/03 SR x 1 - L - Refused (in shed)
02/17/03 Shed, SR x 1 - L
02/23/03 SR x 1 - L
02/24/03 SR x 1 - PK - Refused
03/09/03 SR x 1 - L - Refused
03/25/03 Shed
03/29/03 SR x 1 - L - Refused
04/07/03 RP x 1 - L
04/10/03 Weighed: 266g
05/16/03 RP x 2 - L
06/01/03 Weighed: 242g
06/01/03 S/MR x 1 - FT - Refused
06/08/03 RP x 1 - FT - Refused
06/11/03 RP x 1 - FT - Refused
06/12/03 Moved to bin #11
06/14/03 RP x 2 - L
06/22/03 RP x 1 - L
No Name Hatched approx. late 00/early 01
02/13/03 RP x 1 - L
02/15/03 Shed
02/23/03 SR x 2 - PK
02/27/03 Measured approx. 34'
03/09/03 MR x 1 - PK - constricted, drowned, refused to eat
03/12/03 MR - 1 - FT (left O/N - ate)
03/25/03 MR x 1 - FT - Refused
03/29/03 Weighed: 825g

[BoidKeeper]

Here are some numbers for Ghana. She can be seen in another post.

D.O.B. Spring 02

From July 26, 02 to July 6, 03 she's had 8 sheds.

From August 8, 02 to July 06, 03 she's gained 915g.

From July 23, 02 to July 9, 03 she's had 45 meals.

From November 23, 02 to July 9, 03 she has eaten 1452g of rat meat.

From July 02 to July 03 she has defficated 13 times.
She's never refused a meal.
Thanks,
Trevor