Obeseity and breeding question

[pythonmdk]

I am getting a female ball python that is what I am told to be a bit less then 3 feet and around 3 pounds. I haven't seen her yet but have been told she is obese. I was just wondering if I correct her diet and get her down to an appropriate size is it possible to get her to breed or will it be to hard on her. Just wondering if anyone knows, I know when obese they are poor breeders just wanted to know what they are like when the problem is corrected. I've been told she is around 2 years old.
Thanks,
~John

[Jeff_Favelle]

1300+g for 2 years old and 3 feet long isn't really obese. These aren't corn snakes. They are designed to be STOCKY. The question is whether or not she's muscular and HEALTHY. Those are factors that we here know EVEN LESS than YOU do. Can't say until you post pics. Everything would speculative at this point.

[pythonmdk]

I haven't seen her yet, but I was told she is closer to the 30 inch mark and about 3 pounds, maybe over, not to sure. It might be one of those big fish stories is reverse. Once I get her I'll let you know for sure and post some pics. Just wondering if obesity affects their breeding long term or if it is only when they are obese that breeding is affected.
Thanks for the responce though.
~John

[mykee]

Two years old and 1350g isn't obese, but like Jeff said, you'll have to look at her body to tell. Is she strong, tight and healthy looking, or does she look like a giant Vienna sausage and flabby.

[pythonmdk]

I'll let you know when I see her and I'll post some pics, I was just thinking for her length to weight she sounded fat, and was told she was obese but haven't seen her. Thanks for the info though. Oh and do you guys know if obesity will have a long term to breeding potential or only a short term effect?
John

[mykee]

Both. Both shorten life span, and affect breeding.

[Jeff_Favelle]

EXACTLY what Mykee said. But unfortunately, most novice keepers of Ball Pythons don't have a clue what an obese Ball Python actually looks like.

Post pics and Mykee or I should be able to tell you. But again, it'll be hard as its also a "feel" thing. Being muscular can increase their weight as well. Muscle is 6x the weight of fat. Think about it..... ;)

[nita]

If anyone has had an obese BP I would like to see a pic. I have never seen one, I have had the misfortune of seeing many undersized, skinny ones but never a fat as in unhealthy one. Like mykee and Jeff said it will all depend on what she actually looks like in person and what her mustle tone is. Getting a length can be difficult, I have an '04 that is over 34" long and weighs 800g and she looks nice, not skinny not fat.

[pythonmdk]

Well lets hope that she isn't obese like I have been lead to believe, but I won't know till I see her, I too have a big 04, she's 900 grams and just shy of 37 inches, I am hoping she turns out to be a big girl. I've never seen an obese ball befor either, but I have heard it is possible. I've seen an obese burm though, it was too bad the big girl ended up getting a respiratory problem and due to her lower immune system couldn't cope and died. If Obesity is corrected soon enough will any negative health problems be corrected, as with humans? I'm guessing as long as her fatness (if she is obese) is corrected soon enough there shouldn't be too much of an impact on her over all health, what do you guys think? Oh and thanks for all the info too, you made me double think if she is as she has be described after all.
~John

[pythonmdk]

My friend had some time to go out and see the snake, it was much smaller then we were origionally told, but around the same length around 30 inches. And he said due to the size of its spurs, he thinks it may be a male, I am going to wait until after the show when I have some free time and go and prob him/her to see what it really is. But it is definalty not obese from what my friend said. He said it may even be a bit slender, another reason why he thinks it may be a male. I don't know what they owner was talking about.

[mykee]

Spur size is NO way to tell sex of a ball. Neither is "slenderness". There are only two ways, those being; probing and popping. That's it. Good luck.

[pythonmdk]

Ya I know its not a definate but I figure when I get a chance I'll go and prob it, since everything else was told to me wrong about this guy/girl I want to confirm its sex for sure.