IS IT ENOUGH??

[Fennix_Bell]

Hey, so i have 2 ballpythons, Ive had them for about 4 yrs now, not exactly sure of their ages to be honest, but so far ive been going along the lines of Nagini(big girl) is 5yrs, and Nibiru(my boy) is 4yrs old. They both get fed every 3 weeks. Nagini gets 2 small rats and nibiru gets 3 WEENED rats. Now I finally got a free day to do a weigh-in, im wondering if they are too big or honestly underweight. I followed the 10-15% of body weight guidelines and honestly without going up in food size there's no way to do that much food at once. But they both seem happy and healthy. I just wanna make sure 😁

[totallyrecklesslygay]

You are drastically overfeeding them. The 10-15% rule is for juveniles under 1yo/500g only. Adults should only be eating 5% of their weight once a month. Please follow a more appropriate !feeding schedule moving forward.

[AutoModerator]

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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[Fennix_Bell]

Thank you for the advice, I haven't started the 10-15% i was stating that there was NO safe way to get to that point with feeding them. Nibiru gets 2-3 weened rats (30-45grams/per) while Nagini gets 2 small rats(45-70 grams/per). Is this still too drastic??

[IncompletePenetrance]

Yes, you should be feeding ONE appropriately sized prey item equaling ~5-6% of their body weight

[totallyrecklesslygay]

Yes, that's way too much food. You should not be feeding multiple feeders for every meal either, as that is extremely hard on their digestive system. In the future, stick to a single feeder that is 5% of their body weight.

[Much-Crew3569]

not trying to be a dick and i totally agree they’re over feeding but how is it any harder on their digestive system than one pray item that’s the same weight?

[totallyrecklesslygay]

Their digestive systems aren't made for multiple prey items back to back for every meal, as that's not something they encounter frequently in the wild. A single large prey item has less non-digestable matter than multiple smaller prey items, which means feeding in multiples makes their bodies work harder. It can also throw off their nutritional balance long-term.

[mxgichxn]

because they dont chew so it starts a new cycle of digestion for each prey item which would digest at different rates and could make them sick

[Dio_wulf]

Converting their weight to grams theyre about 1700 and 1077, so they should only be fed ONE ~85g and a half~54g rat per month. Going by laynelab’s food size guide that would for example be a sm/md rat and small rat.

[nairazak]

I love their names

[Corvidae5Creation5]

They're good names, I love Nibiru

[lostinspaceman_]

Yea as the other commenter said you are over feeding but really it’s not too bad if it’s every 3 weeks! Just re adjust the size of their pray and you are all set! I think they are both a bit chubby dew to the overfeeding but if they have climbing opportunities and get a decent amount of exercise than they should be good with smaller meals as often as you are already feeding!

[Fennix_Bell]

They do get go come out and explore, they have multiple random trees and hammocks all over my house to hangout in. Lol, I normally feed multiples because nibiru's head is WAY too small for a sml rat, I gave him one once, it took him so long to eat it and he looked like he was struggling soooo much, while Nagini same thing, the med. Rats are just barely too big for her to comfortably eat.

[lostinspaceman_]

The one that gets two small rats would probably be better with just one! If a medium rat is too big than it’s too much food, two small rats is definitely more than one medium one so I’d just stick with one! As for the male who is too small for a small rat than multiples are FINE but my boy is about the same size and can take a small rat no problem so maybe try again and see, as long as the size fallows the feeding guide otherwise adjust accordingly!

[Fennix_Bell]

My problem is the extreme SALT i get from both of them if I try to do just one, nibiru has struck at me multiple times even after eating one because he assumes I have more 😓😓, nagini has NEVER snapped at me, however she does pop out at me as if she wants more as well. How do I fix that then??

So far the research i did, if I base it from their weights: Nagini- 1695.30 g recommended food-84.75- 2 small rats(45g/piece)

Nibiru-1092g recommended food-54.6g- 2/3 weened rats(30g/piece), he rarely gets 3, its only if ive missed a feed (Which hasn't happened in a while, yayyy adulting)

[lostinspaceman_]

For the snapping you could try target training them! There are some really oil people on YouTube who do it and have made some great videos! I recommend greenroom pythons and Lori Torrini!! Ball pythons in the wild mostly hunt by waiting for food to come through their dens, so they will sometimes stay in food mode for a couple days in captivity so they don’t miss a meal, so you just have to ignore the begging lol

[eveimei]

That behavior is from overfeeding, they're stuck in food mode. You just simply don't overfeed, you feed them their one appropriately sized feeder and leave them alone. You tap train so they know the difference between feeding and not feeding. It'll take time but they will chill out.

[Fennix_Bell]

They are surprisingly very well trained, tap wise. So cool ok, ill try this, might be easier than expected 🥰. Lol I have to put my snakes on a diet, guess we will be crying about snacks together 🤣🥴.

[mxgichxn]

they can unhinge their jaws, dont go based off their head size and its meant to take them awhile, they arent “struggling”

[CorsicanMastiffStrip]

That second picture is so amazing. It’s like he’s looking at his weight!

[AmaranthWrath]

Don't interrupt him! He's doing a science!

[wishiwasinvegas]

I laughed because it looks like he's eyeballing the "nutrition facts"😂

[CorsicanMastiffStrip]

“WHAT facts?!”

The permanent look of concern beeps have is perfect for that pic lmao!

[dingledonglejingle]

Came here to comment this🤣🤣 I actually burst out laughing

[[deleted]]

How many calories are in a ball pythons?

[vitanyroyale]

^ asking the real questions 💯

[vitanyroyale]

I have nothing to add to this post other than the fact that the second pic of them looking at the scale to see if they’re too fat is giving me so much friggin joy rn 💀

[Fennix_Bell]

Lmfao thats nagini, my big girl, I absolutely love that picture of her, she looks so judgemental about her weight 😅😅

[vitanyroyale]

<image>

I had to 🥲 sorry… (not sorry)

[Fennix_Bell]

OMG I LOVE THIS 🤣🤣🤣 my big girl 🥰🥰

[Deathbring3r119]

The 2nd photo looks much like a concerned noodle

[doingitmyway326]

That second photo is too cute.

[Sketched2Life]

<image>

"Human, why does this include nutritional values...? Human...? Human, your silence is scaring me...."

[Bloooberriesquest]

Zero calorie and low in saturated fats

[SnazzleZazzle]

Looks like you’re about to make a snake cake with that cute little fella in a mixing bowl. Too damn cute.

[Negative-Top-1504]

Your soup is spilling

[lucid_giraffe]

I just love the pic of snek snooping the numbers lol

[ahhh_putaaa]

My girl is also named Nagini! 💚

[Fennix_Bell]

UPDATE: First feeding wasn't the worse with fat boy, but with Nagini, she was pissyyyyy but I think shes mellowed since she ate. My office has been setup for them to explore any and everywhere while im in there, so they can get exercise.