r/ballpython • u/CChimerical • 1d ago

Question - Health Is my BP overweight?

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Im worried about the possibility of him being overweight. Hes just under 2 years old and eats a small rat every week and a half to two weeks, but hes slightly squishy and he has creases/rolls when he bends. Idk if those are just regular skin rolls or if hes getting chunky (because Ive seen other bps his age and he looks rounder than them)

Not sure if hes just a big snake or maybe im feeding him too often?

He hasnt eaten in about 2 and a half weeks (he refused his last feeding because he just moved to where I am in another state not too long ago and hes settling in)

These are the best photos I could get of him since hes really active and wouldn't sit still for a photoshoot lol

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u/FluffyPandaEars93 1d ago

Yes.. you're feeding far too often !feeding

1

u/AutoModerator 1d ago

We recommend the following feeding schedule:

0-12 months old OR until the snake reaches approximately 500g, whichever happens first: feed 10%-15% of the snake’s weight every 7 days.

12-24 months old: feed up to 7% of the snake’s weight every 14-20 days.

Adults: feed up to 5% of the snake's weight every 20-30 days, or feed slightly larger meals (up to 6%) every 30-40 days.

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1

u/CChimerical 1d ago

Oh, thank you very much! I dont have a scale to weigh him but ill definitely get one. So he should be eating every about 2½-3 weeks then, good to know. Do you think small rats are the right food for him at this age? It seemed right since I just gradually upped the food size as he grew but if I was overfeeding on accident now im worried hes eating food that might be too much for him.

1

u/FluffyPandaEars93 11h ago

I believe the advice I've seen here about fat snakes is to feed less often than the bot suggests. Your baby has to lose a fairly significant amount of weight and they have slow metabolisms. A small rat is where most male beeps tend to top out, but feed based on grams not vibes, please.

A simple digital kitchen scale will be just fine for weighing him and the rats.

Good luck on his weight loss journey!

1

u/CChimerical 11h ago

Thank you so much for the advice. I hate the fact that ive been accidentally overfeeding him :( Hes my first snake so I wanna do good by him. Hopefully he can lose the weight as time goes on. I want him to live as healthily as possible :>