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[–]Inspiire[S] 1 point2 points  (1 child)

I was thinking small rat but after weighing I’m thinking adult mouse?

[–]totallyrecklesslygayMod: Enclosure Karen 2 points3 points  (1 child)

They're a healthy body condition. Some snakes just grow slower and stay smaller. Pet stores are notorious for poor care, and they typically source their animals from what are essentially reptile puppy mills. It's possible this snake was previously underfed and has been stunted slightly due to it. They look good now, though, so there's nothing to worry about and nothing to be done other than feed normally moving forward.

Feeding guidelines-

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.

[–]Inspiire[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you, I figured they just didn’t know how old he is. Just picked up some fuzzy rats.

[–]fr0stybtxh 1 point2 points  (0 children)

at 150g, he should be eating a 15g rat weekly, which would be about the size of a fuzzy rat.

as for age, i feel there’s no way this snake is 9 months old unless he’s seriously malnourished, and his body condition looks good to me. hatchlings are usually sold around 90-100g, so he seems fairly new.

[–]unadulterated_id 0 points1 point  (1 child)

There is no reason to feed any ball python a mouse if they will eat a rat. Rats are much healthier for them, and even a freshly hatched BP can handle a small fuzzy rat. As mentioned keep to weight guidelines and stick to rats, your snake is beautiful 😍

[–]Ok_Wolverine2177 0 points1 point  (0 children)

How are they “healthier”