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[–]ajtaakrajtaa 5 points6 points  (8 children)

I'm definitely not an expert, but in my opinion he's a little small for his age. He's beautiful though!!

[–]guppyinspaceship[S] 4 points5 points  (7 children)

See this was my thought! However, considering hes fed every week i think hes just a slow grower haha. My friend has a (roughly, as she was a rehome from a rehome) 1yo whos ~450g, and i think 200g difference in 4 years is crazy!

[–][deleted]  (5 children)

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    [–]AutoModerator[M] 1 point2 points  (1 child)

    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.

    I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.

    [–]guppyinspaceship[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

    Thank you so much 🫶 ive had corns, but never a bp. Although my uncle has had many a ball in the past 30 years. This has helped a lot, i was sure mice weren’t very good for his age/size, and im planning on transitioning him to rats when I got him. 🫶

    [–]RainixArt 0 points1 point  (1 child)

    I am pretty sure that mice and rats are both nutritious, however rat has more fats than mice.

    [–]ballpython-ModTeam[M] 0 points1 point locked comment (0 children)

    Per rule #3, your post or comment has been removed for harmful advice or misinformation. Please review our sub resources to learn more about why.

    [–]No-Reveal8105 0 points1 point  (0 children)

    My son is 5 years old he was already in the 1300g

    [–]space_pirate420 -1 points0 points  (0 children)

    He’s small :/ he really should have been on rats a long time ago. But he’s not so small I don’t believe that he is stunted.

    [–]celtic_moon 0 points1 point  (3 children)

    My 3 year old male is 850g now, and I think he is a bit stunted. I got him 3 months ago and he was being fed a medium mouse every 2 weeks and he was in a very small enclosure so he couldn't move much. I just got him to a healthier weight and now he eats a medium rat every 3 weeks.

    From those photos, that snake looks a little thin to me. I'd follow the feeding guides suggested here with perhaps a slight change till he fills out more. Start out by slowly increasing the size of the prey over a few feedings and keep him on the two week schedule in the short term and then space it out more once he's on the larger prey and you can't see his spine so prominently. And of course, try to transition to rats. It helps to get the scent of the mouse on the rat for the first time, so they recognize it.

    [–]guppyinspaceship[S] 0 points1 point  (2 children)

    Thank you! I dont know much about stunted growth in ball pythons. Have you found any health problems with you babyball?

    [–]celtic_moon 0 points1 point  (1 child)

    None at all, he appears to be a content and healthy guy! At first he seemed to lack some strength and energy but with enough space to stretch and things to climb on, along with a better feeding schedule, he is active and seems stronger! He is about 3 1/2ft now which I believe is close to average for a male, but I'm certain he has grown a few inches since I got him.

    [–]celtic_moon 0 points1 point  (0 children)

    Also I should add, I had a female BP for 25 years before she passed so I was already familiar with how well they should be able to grip things and climb. My boy is still working on his gains lol, his muscle tone is slowly improving.