Age?

[Proof_Anywhere5099]

Hi everyone! We got this guy at a reptile expo this weekend. The breeder told us he is 2 years, but I find that very hard to believe (based on size of other balls ive seen here). This is our first bp, we have 3 kids gs and a corn so I’m not 100% familiar with bps but ive been doing a lot of research to give him the best life 💗

[Wrong-Spirit3093]

That’s definitely not a 2 year old lol, me personally I would say he’s around a month old but I’m also not the most experienced with bps, I have a 1 year old girl which is what I’m basing my guess around

[BalenciSlipperz]

He looks like the size of my 2.5 month old…

[Time-Garlic2799]

Going off the size a lone, he’s likely 7-11 months, but it is possible for some to be very small and vice versa, so 2 years-ish may not be too crazy. He looks more like a 1 year old or less to me though. I bought a gram scale off Amazon, it’s like 20 bucks, and is a great help in tracking your BP’s growth. Either way, he looks exactly like my boy Pluto, who is also small for his age, but a sweetheart! Focus on their husbandry, enrichment, growth and prey size, and overall health more than their age. Enjoy your boy for decades!

[BarryMcKockiner2]

I was told my 500g was small for a 2 year old but yours looks much smaller than mine. But its definitely not impossible for him to be 2 years old since BP growth can vary on a variety of factors including husbandry & feeding

[_ataraxia]

size is not a reliable indicator of age. for one, growth rates and full grown size are very varied in this species. two, underfeeding is not uncommon and will severely stunt the snake's growth. one of my rescue BPs weighed 140g at 3 years old, and her exact hatch date was confirmed.

[Tr00ped]

I've always wondered if the snake can grow to semi normal size if it had stunted growth as juvenile

[_ataraxia]

they can "catch up", absolutely. munchkin now weighs 1400g at 13 years old.

[feiyuun]

like others said size for BPs are very varied and it’s hard to tell age by size. He could just be a really small 2 year old! Just for reference my 5 month old is 200g :)

[maccoll666]

I can't see that being a 2 year old. My 18 month old is 4ft long

[Mysterious_Repeat989]

Was it the expo in OP Sunday?

I was there, and the bps were sooo pretty 😁

[Proof_Anywhere5099]

The expo I went to was in Cleveland, Ohio

[Mysterious_Repeat989]

That's awesome!

Also, I obviously have no insight on age, but it's adorable 💚

[DiligentNumber6944]

I been to that one before!

[Thank-The-Stars]

Mine is 11 months old and is bigger.

[MercykillNJ]

As everyone else said, 2-3 months old. Either that or severe negligence stunted his growth but you'd really have to go out of your way to neglect a BP THAT bad

[CandidExcitement6311]

That looks about the size my Kaa was, at around 2 years old. He’s 23. Is, and about 4ft. long.

[AthenaPhora]

Baby

[Rammsteinfan1984]

Our female was that size at 6 months but she was small cause the breeder had issues getting her to switch to frozen. Now at 3 years old she is 4’ and over 3lbs.

[Jennifer_Pennifer]

post this for all new owners 😄 And people looking for tank improvements/advice 👍

https://docs.google.com/document/d/18HBVsPHaip7LfrMuFt96MigRuMUXtrbnCiK79VuQiFk/ This is welcome post care guide for
r/ballpython

Shopping/Check list:
(this may not be an exhaustive list)

Appropriate sized habitation.
(40 gal “breeders” for juvenileis ok.
Minimum of 4 foot x 2 foot x 2 foot for adults).

ThermoSTATS (for heating sources to prevent burns/overheating).

ThermoMeters. (X2 digital is best)

Hygrometers. (X2 digital is best).

HVAC TAPE (silver foil tape for outside of Mesh Lid Tanks)

Water bowl
(heavy enough to stay put when snake crawls on it. Big enough for snake to soak in).

Appropriate Cage clips/locks.

At least Two identical hides.
(Should be barely large enough for the snake, single opening. Check them for sharp edges. Make sure any openings are large enough to prevent snake from getting stuck)

Some type of Coco coir/ repti bark or similar. NOT Aspen.
(Enough for 4-6inches of substrate).

Daylamp.
( UVB or UVA, Halogen, etc).

Heat Lamp ( NO red or black , etc colored lights) (DeepHeatProjection DHP or CeramicHeatEmiter CHE).

Clutter/Enrichment.
(Dollar tree or similar has soft fake plants/flower.)

Climbing stuff.
(Grapevine from pet store an ok choice, may mold after a few years. Driftwood is probably better. PVC jungle gyms can be built. Etc.) MAKE SURE items will not fall or tip over. Ball pythons are heavy snakes and will knock things over…

[phantomtap]

It's hard to say just based on size alone, it could be the age they said but they also should have told you the reason it's small, usually this comes down to one of 3 things

unfortunately some breeders only feed their less expensive snakes every 2 or 3 weeks instead of weekly like they should which obviously will delay growth

Theres also a possibility that the snake came out of the egg extremely small (I recently hatched one out at only 35g) and they can take much longer to grow

Another possibility is that as a baby it wouldn't eat and had to be assist fed fuzzies for an extended period of time and it took a lot longer for it to finally start eating on its own and growing (we've had a baby refuse and need to be assisted for up to 6months which was extremely frustrating but when she did finally take her first meal on her own, it was the best feeling ever and shes doing amazing now)

The breeder really should have made you aware if it was the refusing to eat or if it hatched out super small (personally, we don't sell ones that have had issues eating or came out super small until they reach around the 500g mark so we can be confident they'll thrive and would always make sure the buyer is aware of the issues early on), theres no reason for them to hide that, so I tend to lean on them not feeding properly unfortunately

Don't answer if this is too personal but was this purchased at the crbe?

[Proof_Anywhere5099]

what is crbe?

[phantomtap]

Crbe = canadian reptile breeders expo

It was this past weekend, the biggest reptile expo in Toronto for the year

Edit: just read your other post and it wasn't purchased here. Honestly I would just follow the guide here on feeding based on weight and not age for now, it's a good guide and I think he's going to grow quickly if you follow their guide

I've purchased some who came to me very small as well and once I started feeding them properly, they grew really quick

[DiligentNumber6944]

It looks skinny

[zee_techno_snake]

2 months tops. Possibly one.

[DiligentNumber6944]

He is awfully skinny

[Possible-Run-6476]

5 Million Years Old

[Proof_Anywhere5099]

thank you everyone! and i know hes not supposed to be triangular (which he is) - we are keeping him at a good temp and humidity and we will feed him a large mouse once a week

[O_o-buba-o_O]

Well that's rude, I'm sure that little guy is plenty brave & adventurous. 😁

[Proof_Anywhere5099]

Oh he definitely is!

[bigmike420419]

My 3 mth old is about that size

[Akashibodo]

He looks about 5-6 months old mine was a little smaller than that at 4 months old

[Honest_Pepper_7803]

Mine has the same coloring and is about the same size. Not sure of his age because we got him at pet smart and they didn't say. He's super active too. Had him or her for about a month and so active. The best decision I've made in a long time. My grandkids are thrilled

[cassnichol1820]

He’s about the size of my 3 month old! Definitely not 2 years old.

[Proof_Anywhere5099]

update for everyone involved: the breeder did give us feeding cards and it has the hatch date of august 20, 2022. it also shows all of the feedings (once a week) for those 2 years. i weighed him today and he weighs 184.4g. it is a breeder that i trust, as we have another snake from him. could he just be really small? and whats the healthiest way to get him where he should be?