How much do your ball pythons weight this year?

[Piebald Guy]

Hi All,

I got a ball (this year's hatch) and she was 341 grams 7 days ago. She ate mice but when I got her, the next night threw in a weaned rat pup (30g). She hit hard. Three days later, two rat pups (76g total) and last night (two night later) she hit a 50g live rat pup again. She also deficated two nights ago.

Today she is distictly larger so I weighed her. She's up to almost 500 grams. At this pace she'll be up to breeding size by october (I wish). What has everyone experienced with weight gain? Any input is appricated.

Thanks

[sapphire_moon]

You should only be feeding her once every 5-10 days!!! If you keep "power feeding " her she will have a big body........and a little head, and there are other problems that can come from that to! If you wanted a breeder you should have purchased an adult female!

[lilyskip]

It's really unhealthy to be feeding a snake that often. Her instinct to eat comes from the fact that, in the wild, snakes never know when their next meal will be, and eat when they get the chance. Ball pythons' metabolisms are way to slow to feed her more than once every 5-10 days, and 7-14 days when she's grown.

[Jeff_Favelle]

Ball Pythons have as fast of a metabolism as you let them have (almost). Feed it as much as it will eat. You'd be surprised how much they can eat. All the horror stories about overweight boids from decades ago was because they simply kept them too cold so they didn't digest properly. Its a python, feed it like one.

Male pastel that was 1100g at 8 months of age and sired 3 clutches of eggs at 10 months of age. Ooooooo....he's sooo unhealthy. Whatever.

[Piebald Guy]

Nice animal Jeff. Looks like one from Mark, nice and healthy. He gets his ball pythons up to the 1000gram mark within the first year on a regular basis. I don't feel its unhealthy as well. If the snake doesn't want to eat it won't. I would amagine if I fed at this pace, at some point it would start to refuse the odd meal.

Thx
Dave

[Piebald Guy]

I don't know what's going on with this one, but I bought a female as a "problem feeder" (live only) three weeks ago. Starting about 5 days after I got her, I have offered and she has taken a F/T rat (between 112 and 144 grams) every four days. She hits them right off the tongs. She's had five rats in about two weeks and is up to over 1700 grams from just under 1300. She deficated hair one day then bone the next or day after. (it's the one that escaped last week, she's ate twice since then, like you said with extra vigor and zest).

[Jeff_Favelle]

Its a Markus Jayne BP for sure. He's got crazy big BP's man!!

Feed her if she wants it man. She will digest (if she has access to 95F AND 75F in the same enclosure). Putting BP's in new cages is often a trick to get them to eat. We do it all the time.

You must be doing something right if she wants to eat so much in your care. Keep doing it and keep offering her food. She won't be breeding size next year (ha ha, I know you were joking), but she will most likely lay Spring 2005.

Good luck my man. You are doing excellent! Wish all my BP's ate like that! Lucky *******!

[BoidKeeper]

Here are some numbers for a female I’m hopping to be able to work with this year.
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. Currently she weighs about 1100g.

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 defecated 13 times.

She's never refused a meal.

I’ve observed that she has been demonstrating cool seeking behaviour for about a month now, which is a sign of follicular development. That’s an encouraging sign, I just hope she hits a healthy 1500g by the end of November.
Thanks,
Trevor

[Piebald Guy]

Jeff,

Is this true? See this is one of those nitty gritty questions that experience (or some nice people that will fill you in on the details) teaches. I spoke with Mark at the show last weekend. His pastels seem like they don't lose a bit of colour with age. Beautiful animals. He should produce alot of pastels for you. Good luck on your super project.

Dave

[BoidKeeper]

Jeff, roaming is folicle development?

Cool seeking behaviour 4-8 months prior to the breeding season is a sign of folliculare development. Also stronger then normal feeding response and some added aggression towards the end of the development.
Cheers,
Trevor

[Piebald Guy]

Good to hear one is going to turn out (maybe if I can get my two w/c's eating I will have three for this season).

So is there any apparent behavour for males that are entering sexual maturity?

[BoidKeeper]

Most of the literature I have is all-pertinent to the female because she is the key. Males will breed at 800g some say less. As long as they are kept in an environment that has a change in seasonal day light cycles and a seasonal change in ambient air temp you should be fine. Some people cool their bps others just let the change in day light cycles and ambient air temp do it.
One way to tell if a male is old enough is to check for sperm plugs. Role you thumb up the base of the tail towards the vent applying gentle pressure as you go and if is producing sperm they will pop out.

Cheers,
Trevor

[Jeff_Favelle]

Trev is right. Females seek cooler areas of the cage, they coil around objects (water dishes, hide boxes), they lay upside down, they roam, etc etc etc. They just act differently. Its easy to tell.

But sometimes they ovulate and lay eggs without you even noticing. Like in the late summe when you think that they weren't going to do anything! Its weird. There is no set formula, but they are pretty easy to breed.

Males will breed easily at 600-800g and females have a good chance at going at 1500g. Try it and find out man!!

Best of luck! Glad to chat with ya!

[mykee]

I realize that thre original topic has been buried in here, but I'm chiming in, once again, with an aggreement with Jeff, that old 5-7 days feeding rule, is an outdated rule of thumb. If your ball will eat, feed it. You'd only wish you had put all the food in them you could get when you start to pull your hair out at month three of an off-feed cycle.

[Serpent-King]

Awsome, you're power feeding your snake. Wise decision.