Ball python weight - Page 2

Jenn_06 · 07-09-10, 09:07 AM

you guys need to start CO2ing these guy and freeze them and send them my way lol.

citysnakes · 07-09-10, 09:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cherry4812

I've had my ball python, Tulio, for almost eleven months now. He's about a year old, 24 inches (give or take), and weighs 10 ounces. I got a scale specifically to weigh him and I was just wondering if that sounded like an appropriate weight for a ball python of his age. My friend has an older one that looks skinnier (you can see it's backbone protruding a lot) and she says mine looks overweight. I feed him one adult mouse once a week.

ten ounces is what, around 300 grams? so as long as your one year old, 300 gram snake is feeding regularly and doesnt look underweight then his weight should be fine.

i've had 12 month old ball pythons anywhere from over 400 grams to 1100 grams on a weekly feeding schedule with week or two breaks here and there.

so it seems that their growth rate depends on various factors and no single weight is standard for a given age. so any healthy ball feeding regularly and looking plump is most likely the weight that it is supposed to be.

Nafun · 07-09-10, 09:42 AM

Well, we started with 3 pair. Most of the first set of litters ended up becoming breeders. Generation 2 just got pulled from its parents, and generation 3 was just born. Right now, we've got two large tubs, one of males, and one of females.

I'm hoping I can get my tegu to accept gerbils, if I start him on gerbils.
My wife is hoping to sell them to a pet store distributor.
In the mean time, I'm offering everyone I know free gerbils.

The thing is, they really do make outstanding pets. The 2nd and 3rd generations are very very tame, because they've had human interaction their whole lives, unlike pet store animals that come from farms and see humans for 30 seconds on cleaning day. They're fearless, almost never bite, and don't smell nearly as bad as rats or mice.

citysnakes · 07-09-10, 10:14 AM

people, the OP is not to blame here. blame yourselves for not asking the proper questions and jumping to conclusions.

too many threads in this forum are hijacked and become pointless to the OP and others that may want to discuss the topic of the thread. if you want to discuss feeders, is there not a proper forum for that?

threads will go off topic at times but when hijacked, i think moderation is necessary.

Cherry4812 · 07-10-10, 12:09 PM

Yes the the thread did seem to go VERY off topic lol. A lot of people on here mentioned that I should switch to rats but my ball python refuses to eat anything dead so I'm a little concerned that the rats might hurt him. Yes I have tried everything, every trick that people have suggested, to get him to eat frozen/thawed but he refused for three months and started to get very skinny. It was odd because I got him when he was a baby and the person i bought him from said he had only ever eaten frozen/thawed. So I guess my question is should I feed every ten days now? (instead of once a week like I always have) because he's getting older. Also, do you think it's any less safe to feed him live rats than live mice? He's never been hurt before but I'm just afraid that a rat could hurt him worse...

Jenn_06 · 07-10-10, 12:27 PM

i would still feed every 7 days, i dont like feeding live but if you have too you have too.feeding a rat is not less safe than a mouse they both have teeth, but i would stay close by until the snake kills it, so if it did start hurting your snake you can get it off.

infernalis · 07-10-10, 12:59 PM

My BP kills rats very effectivly.... every 7-10 days a small rat would be fine.

citysnakes · 07-10-10, 01:08 PM

feeding injuries are usually the result of irresponsible feeding practices such as leaving rodents within the snakes enclosure unattended. just make sure youre there to supervise the process.

infernalis · 07-10-10, 02:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by citysnakes.com

feeding injuries are usually the result of irresponsible feeding practices such as leaving rodents within the snakes enclosure unattended. just make sure youre there to supervise the process.

Agreed, I watch mine go for the kill, not that I like watching the rat die, and certainly not because I like the sounds they make when getting constricted, but to ensure my snake does his job without getting chewed up.

If he shows no interest in taking the rat after about 10 minutes, I remove the rat from his cage and try again another day.

Cherry4812 · 07-10-10, 08:06 PM

Oh yes I always watch him kill the mouse. I would never feel comfortable just leaving a live mouse in there with him. Hopefully the pet store I currently go to carries rats. Thank you for your answers everyone.

Nafun · 07-10-10, 08:32 PM

If you have difficulty procuring live rats, I highly recommend breeding. Pet stores around here generally charge $4-6 bucks for small rats, but a single buck and doe can produce enough small rats to support one snake indefinitely, for just a couple of dollars per month.

infernalis · 07-11-10, 02:23 AM

Not to mention, they are great disposals for those dtale crackers and breakfast ceral the many of us throw away when it's been open a while.

Rats also seem fond of dollar store dog food, the dry crunchy kind.

Nafun · 07-11-10, 04:34 AM

My wife and I recently made "rat food", went to the feed store (yeah, we live in farming country). 2 parts barley/oat mix, 4 parts wild bird food, 2 parts dog food, 1 part fruit and nut bird food = 40 cents/pound. Each rat colony (1 male, 4 females) might go through a pound per week. The only down side is that the room we keep the feed in now smells like beer from all the barley.

But wayne's right, they'll eat almost anything, they're rats after all. But if you're breeding them, it's important to make sure they have a good source of protein (like dollar store dog food), otherwise babies look like a good source of protein.

emseeKAY · 07-11-10, 03:17 PM

good call, its always fun to watch them behead each other, either way i'd switch to rats, much better IMO

Paradise · 07-12-10, 01:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nafun

The only down side is that the room we keep the feed in now smells like beer from all the barley.

does not sound like a down side. sounds like the makings of a party. lol