Obese snakes?

Kaetlinv · 08-16-12, 01:45 PM

i've wondered about this for a while, and I'm honestly just curious.

How would one be able to tell if a snake is obese? For me specifically, how would one tell if a Ball python is obese? i'd imagine that the snake would become increasingly sedentary and look fat in comparison to it's length.

Not sure if there's a thread for this already, if there is feel free to redirect me to it.

Wildside · 08-16-12, 01:48 PM

I don't think you could judge by them looking fat because different species are built so differently. Perfect example: Blood Pythons. Tell me they don't look like the Fat Albert of the snake world.

Kaetlinv · 08-16-12, 01:52 PM

Well I was thinking about that too - i meant from species to species as well. I know blood pythons are stout and fat, haha. But within species - how would you be able to tell? I know right now I'm not over feeding either of my snakes, but i'd like to know signs in case i some day do on accident.

Wildside · 08-16-12, 05:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kaetlinv

Well I was thinking about that too - i meant from species to species as well. I know blood pythons are stout and fat, haha. But within species - how would you be able to tell? I know right now I'm not over feeding either of my snakes, but i'd like to know signs in case i some day do on accident.

I think it's probably hard to overfeed a snake. Though I have had customers ask if you have to feed them a mouse everyday.

Kaetlinv · 08-16-12, 05:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wildside

I think it's probably hard to overfeed a snake. Though I have had customers ask if you have to feed them a mouse everyday.

Seriously...? they obviously didn't know much >XD

Wildside · 08-16-12, 05:45 PM

Darlin' I had some of the most ridiculous people you could ever imagine come in.

mykee · 08-16-12, 05:51 PM

I would imagine that it is damn near impossible to get a ball python fat. They'll stop eating eventually, they're not THAT stoopid...

snake man12 · 08-16-12, 05:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mykee

I would imagine that it is damn near impossible to get a ball python fat. They'll stop eating eventually, they're not THAT stoopid...

You'd be surprised at how stupid they are. Snakes are opportunistic feeders meaning if there needs are met they will eat when food is given.

Kaetlinv · 08-16-12, 05:50 PM

I believe you, haha.

Kaetlinv · 08-16-12, 05:52 PM

yeah i was just trying to be safe, haha. My girl is pretty big - just wanted to make sure i wasn't feeding her too much

KORBIN5895 · 08-16-12, 07:39 PM

Here is a picture of Leah, the female sunglow I got last month. She is bloody fat.

See the bulge by my ring that is a bunch of fat in front of her vent.

Here is the rolls when she is just sitting there.

Wildside · 08-17-12, 01:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KORBIN5895

Here is a picture of Leah, the female sunglow I got last month. She is bloody fat.

See the bulge by my ring that is a bunch of fat in front of her vent.

Here is the rolls when she is just sitting there.

LOLWTF? Hamster diet?

Kaetlinv · 08-16-12, 07:49 PM

Wow. She is pudgy. I know of a fat female breeder Cornsnake - absolute sweetheart snow named Nora. The owner offered her to my friend - completely free, if he had a 20 long or larger tank to put her in. Sadly, while he had the money to buy a tank, he's living with friends and has no space to put that size tank. He can barely house the 10gal I'd given him for his 18th birthday so he could get his Okeetee cornsnake girl, Shakespeare.

Here is the darling Nora;

She literally had marks from the fat rolls she had.

curious and friendly snake

Terranaut · 08-16-12, 08:02 PM

When a snake gets "fat" you can see scale seperation. Look at pics of gravid snakes on google and you will see obvious scale seperation. It looks a little different on every kind of snake and is harder to see on light or albino snakes. Typicaly its hard to make a young or sub adult snake fat but once full grown it's not to tough and many do it by accident. Also sometimes a snake will hold on to its fecal material for a long time and look fat. After a big crap they are back to normal. My female jcp did this. I thought she was getting fat but she had one massive dump (I mean it was bigger than my yearling Royal) after 4 months of not going and she was back to normal right after.

Kaetlinv · 08-16-12, 08:05 PM

well then that corn snake was as fat as they could get. There was a centimeter or two in between every scale past her 'neck' section. you can't see it in that picture - it's from a phone, but in person she definitely had spacing, haha.