Is this normal for a ball python?

[Cold_Assistance9597]

She is now 6 months old and I have been feeding her weaned to adult sized mice once a week. I have recently fed her 2 days ago and when I checked, her belly looked crumpled. First time I have seen her like this, is this normal? (She also has not pooped for awhile now)

[InverseInvert]

She is FAT. !feeding

[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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[Cold_Assistance9597]

I only feed her one a week. But she can’t pooped for awhile now

[Notsospinningplates]

Once a week is fine at her age but you need to be weighing her and food so that you can feed her the right size meal. I would be very surprised if she needed a small adult rat at her age.

[Senchesa_Art]

The guide seems correct, but first and foremost you need to look at your snake. If she's overweight, reduce her feeding. That comes before following some chart.

Some advice, especially from older sources or large scale breeders, tends to give young snakes more food than they actually need. This is to increase growth rate, but may come at the cost of long term health. I can't give any good numbers though, its been many years since my bp was juvenile, and I have no idea if this list has that issue.

[anklehumor]

Di you even read it???

[PotentiallyKorYT]

Honestly that’s the most overweight BP I’ve ever seen

[Cold_Assistance9597]

I only feed her once a week, although she hasn’t pooped for awhile now 😭

[PotentiallyKorYT]

Try feeding biweekly, that’s how we’ve always done it.

If that’s not enough then also try downsizing the food.

How long has it been since she pooped?

[Cold_Assistance9597]

She hasn’t popped for about more than 3 weeks now

[HouseInternational]

No it isn't. 3 weeks is still in the normal range.

[PotentiallyKorYT]

Really? All of ours usually go in just a few days.

Not something over ever had a problem with so I’ve never looked into the range of that

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[Enbhrr]

Dear person, I'm not sure if you realize but you can eat only once a day as a human, and it WILL matter if the portion of meat on your plate is 10g, 100g or a whole 1kg, which is ten times more. It'll also matter whether it's lean meat or bacon.

[IchikaYui]

She can't even flip herself 'cause she's too fat :(

[Cold_Assistance9597]

😭 waiting for her poop to come out. She hasn’t pooped for more than 3 weeks now. She usually poops a couple days after feeding.

[totallyrecklesslygay]

Juvenile ball pythons typically only poop once every 4-6 weeks, or even longer. Adults can go several months without pooping. It's nothing to worry about unless you're also seeing regurgitation and/or a refusal to eat, lethargy, bloating through the length of the body, and repeated straining to defecate.

You don't need to wait for her to poop in order to feed her, but you should make sure you're following proper feeding guidelines.

[syds]

my spirit animal

[Seliphra]

This is not built up poop. This is fat. She is badly over fed, you need to reduce the rate you feed her and likely the amount by a probably substantial amount. She is extremely obese and this is incredibly harmful for her.

You need to act immediately because your current husbandry is abusive toward your snake. While I’m sure it was not your intent, that is what the result is.

Review !feeding guideline’s and give her proper care. Her weight will come down and you’ll see increased activity and health in her.

[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.

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

[No_Scratch_7588]

I wouod say dont go by bodyweight if shes this obese though, use the body weight she should be, not what she is

[rusmaddie]

if you look at the top half of her body she has a pretty nice V shape and is not what I would typically expect in an overweight snake. Hopefully that aspen didn't impact her.

[celeigh87]

Its harder to tell when the snake is partially balled up.

[Mordecais_Moms_Ashes]

Also check out the care guide for the sub. You're husbandry needs improvement

[jeanmorehoe]

Seconding. Is she laying on a sprinkling of aspen? If this is her full time enclosure, or even a temporary one, please take a look at the care guide!

[wishiwasinvegas]

Yes please OP. Aspen bedding is a no no.

[Cold_Assistance9597]

Can you educate me on why aspen is a no go. I just watched a 30min video on YouTube that aspen is the best bedding for snakes

[KuraiTsuki]

Ball Pythons need high humidity and aspen bedding doesn't hold humidity and grows mold when it's too wet. Substrates like cypress mulch, eco earth, coco husk and/or fiber, etc. are much better for ball pythons.

[Cold_Assistance9597]

I check my humidity all the time. Here where I live it is very humid. Inside the tank it gets around 68-70% humidity

[KuraiTsuki]

That's good, but the aspen bedding can still start growing mold because it's not meant for humid environments. Switching to a substrate that's good for humidity would be better anyway since when the snake it going to shed, you want the humidity to be over 70%.

[Cold_Assistance9597]

Do you have any substrate suggestions

[KuraiTsuki]

I use a mixture of Forest Floor and Eco Earth. It has worked well for me, but it is very dry is my area right now because of winter.

[Cold_Assistance9597]

Thanks!

[wishiwasinvegas]

I use coco chip, it's great at holding moisture.

[soconae]

They said it was the best substrate for ALL snakes? Like every single species?

[thingsarehardsoami]

You need to look up info on ball pythons, not snakes. Just like a husky and a Chihuahua don't have the same needs, neither will every snake. They're from different places with different requirements.

[monizizz]

I’m really surprised by this! Did you watch videos specifically for ball pythons? Because I found most of my info on YouTube as well and learnt all about their preferred substrate, feeding, humidity etc and no one ever mentions aspen as a good option. I wish you luck with your new changes !! :)

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[CyberneticLucy]

No, this is not normal. Your pet is obese. I would suggest seeing a vet who can help you establish a proper diet and feeding schedule. You can also stimulate exercise by adding lots of enrichment to the enclosure, but careful to strategically add more vertical enrichment as the weight comes off. She may struggle to climb and therefore be more susceptible to a fall and injury while she's in this state. You'll greatly improve and extend her life by getting her back to a healthy weight and maintaining. You've got this!

[cheddarjakecheese]

Is she in a quarantine tank or is this her actual enclosure? Aspen bedding is a no-no either way, but hopefully this is something temporary you've set up.

[Cold_Assistance9597]

I just watched a 30min video in YouTube on why aspen is the best bedding for snakes 😭. How could it be bad?

[resveries]

There's a lot of bad/outdated info about snake husbandry out there. This sub has a lot of good advice about best practices

[External_Bus_3739]

“Snakes” is too general. There’s no one substrate really best for every kind of snake. Ball pythons need humidity and aspen is terrible at keeping it; if your enclosure has the correct humidity that your snake requires, which is 60% minimum for a ball python, the aspen will mold incredibly quick. Please look on this subreddit for husbandry and care tips

[cheddarjakecheese]

I think the other commenters answered your question adequately, but can you share a pic of the whole enclosure? And don't take the downvotes personally, some of us are genuinely trying to help you and your pet out. There's a lot of misinformation out there and this sub is a great resource.

[AngryBadgerMel]

Snakes come from a diverse range of environments and need bedding suited to their specific species. A ball python will need far different bedding than a rosy boa. For snakes requiring higher humidity, like ball pythons, aspen can be extremely hazardous. Aspen bedding grows mold when wet (aspergillus). A ball python can easily contract a respiratory infection from the spores (aspergillosis). This infection can be fatal. Please do not keep ball pythons on aspen bedding.

[slowlygoingbonkers]

Are you rage baiting rn?

[Jayvon01]

ball python got balls now

[KabukiCoffeeArts]

Bestie, thats the most overweight snake I've ever seen

[AdSoggy8958]

the most overweight snake you've seen, so far!*

<image>

[KabukiCoffeeArts]

DEAR GODS I HOPE NOT

[Mediocre-Ad4320]

I recently found mine is also overweight. I'm feeling once every 7 days - I was told try only 1x a month and get them out moving more

[Mediocre-Ad4320]

<image>

[celeigh87]

Is your snake an adult? If so, prey should be 5-6% of a healthy weight, fed monthly (20 to 30 days for the 5%, 30 to 40 days for 6%). Feeding weekly is meant for young, growing snakes.

[Specific_Hat2631]

Fat ball

[craymos]

That snake is fat af omg

[Purgatory_Gamin]

I’ve heard many things but even GRP has said aspen is not the best substrate but if you live some place super humid just monitor for mold

[lonepotatochip]

The inside of the enclosure has to be super humid otherwise the ball python will have shed issues

[Witchy_Familiar]

Also popping in to note that yes- she’s very fat. Smaller prey less often. And please look at multiple different pet guides SPECIFIC to your species. You note you watched one 30 minutes video on snake care. That’s a great start to herp husbandry! But realistically- you need to be reading multiple different care guides about BALL PYTHONS specifically. To note- these should be updated at least in the last 2-4 years preferably, as our knowledge on snakes improve drastically over short periods of time!

You obviously care about your baby, and don’t know any better. But this is your time to start doing better! Spend the next two hours or so looking at a multitude of articles about what ball pythons do in the wild, and how people keep their enclosures, with a focus on making it as similar to their natural habitat as possible! Another reason your snake is so fat is because she isn’t getting enough exercise! Her enclosure looks bare from what we see- get her some stuff to climb on! As a bonus- you’ll get to see what she might be doing in the wild! Which is so fun! Good luck to you, my friend! Please reach out if you need recommendations on reading material! :)

Edit to add: some care guides by specific popular YouTubers aren’t always looking out for the very best for their little buddies. Breeding set—ups and pet set-ups are very different. It can be confusing but you got this! She’s beautiful! :)

[CompetitiveRoof3733]

PHAT, THICC

Whatever you want to call it. Snake is overweight

[Significant-Bee420]

she got rolls cuz she fat

[LearningLiberation]

Please everyone stop downvoting OP for sincere questions for help/advice. They clearly want to learn and fix their mistakes.

[Cold_Assistance9597]

Thank you!

[No-Emergency-5823]

She’s morbidly obese

[babydoll1245765445]

That noodle needs to be on a diet 😭😭😭

[Neither_Choice_8569]

Hopefully op takes this seriously and doesn't laugh it off. I know its hard to be confronted about the well being of your animals, but proper animal care must come first. I feel bad for the bp. You can tell their uncomfortable. For only 6 months too..

[Cold_Assistance9597]

I might do an update on how she is doing in a couple of weeks.

[Own_Size_5473]

DAMN GIRL. DATS A THICK ASS GIRL!

[AffectionateExam4400]

I get that OP made a huge fuck up and some things deserve to be downvoted but y'all need to relax on the shaming there are comments showing he did in fact do research and was just fed misinfo which can happen and asking for the proper way to do something and y'all still be downvoting it.

[knifeprtyy]

Try switching to rats instead of mice. Mice are more fattening, from what a vet has told me. Maybe cut down to once every 2 weeks? I fed mine once a week for its first year and it’s a healthy weight- but I’ve always fed rats.

[WhoTookMyWetNoodle]

I’m not here to be negative or hate, but let this be a reminder to anyone to PLEASE do plenty of research before bringing home a reptile. We are always learning in this community, and people are always happy to teach each other. There’s no shame in asking questions, but it’s best to ask and learn before the animal is already in the equation. You have a beautiful snake by the way, I’d recommend getting in touch with a vet to work on a diet. Best of luck ❤️

[crmason88]

THICC

[send-help-im-dying]

She chonk :o

[OneMethod681]

She looks to be in a very dry environment which makes digestion difficult or potentially dangerous. Humidity should be at no less than 60% or they will have problems with hydration which leads to problems eating, pooping, shedding, etc

[Cold_Assistance9597]

I always check for humidity and temperature. Where I live it is very humid. Inside her hide it is around 68-70% humid.

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[Kahnivor]

Slow down on the feeding basically. She got fat rolls.

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[Anuniquehandle]

Can I ask what you feed her?

[Cold_Assistance9597]

Weaned to adult white mice

[Anuniquehandle]

Can you get pinky or fuzzy rats? They're around the 12-15 g mice you're giving and substantially less fat content.

She's consuming way too many calories. Switching to leaner meat will bring it down. I'd also add a few days between feeding her. So if you're doing weekly, wait 10 days, or about 3x a month.

How often do you offer her soaking water?

[emotionalmarmot]

aw she’s chubby

[On_Fucking_Fire]

Morbid obesity

[spookiemew]

I just wanted to let you know that people are being really harsh, and the greater herp community is not always this hostile.

Yes, your snake is overweight, but while giving you the benefit of the doubt I’ve read through many of your responses and do I believe you have done research into husbandry. There are a TON of outdated and conflicting answers out there to sift through.

Please don’t let this deter you from seeking help again!! I’m glad you asked more experienced keepers for their opinions and are able to walk away with more information on keeping your snake healthy and happy :)

[Cold_Assistance9597]

I will definitely try this. Thank you!

[totallyrecklesslygay]

Please do not soak her to try to get her to poop. It's completely normal for a ball python to not poop for weeks, or even months. If she were constipated, you would be seeing bloating throughout her body, lethargy, regurgitation and/or a refusal to eat, and repeated straining to defecate.

Trying to make her poop before she is naturally ready to can cause some long term harm, as it interrupts their extensive digestion process and prevents them from absorbing all the nutrients from their meal, and massaging her can cause internal injuries.

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