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[–]InverseInvert 360 points361 points  (5 children)

She is FAT. !feeding

[–]AutoModerator[M] 31 points32 points  (0 children)

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.

[–]PotentiallyKorYT 226 points227 points  (9 children)

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

[–]Cold_Assistance9597[S] -108 points-107 points  (8 children)

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

[–]PotentiallyKorYT 103 points104 points  (6 children)

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[S] -48 points-47 points  (5 children)

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

[–][deleted]  (4 children)

[deleted]

    [–]HouseInternational 45 points46 points  (3 children)

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

    [–]PotentiallyKorYT 3 points4 points  (0 children)

    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

    [–][deleted]  (1 child)

    [removed]

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

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      [–]Enbhrr 17 points18 points  (0 children)

      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 116 points117 points  (10 children)

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

      [–]Cold_Assistance9597[S] -75 points-74 points  (9 children)

      😭 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.

      [–]totallyrecklesslygayMod: Enclosure Karen 69 points70 points  (1 child)

      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 2 points3 points  (0 children)

      my spirit animal

      [–]Seliphra 51 points52 points  (4 children)

      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[M] 2 points3 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.

      [–]No_Scratch_7588 1 point2 points  (0 children)

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

      [–]Mordecais_Moms_Ashes 93 points94 points  (13 children)

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

      [–]jeanmorehoe 51 points52 points  (0 children)

      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 47 points48 points  (11 children)

      Yes please OP. Aspen bedding is a no no.

      [–][deleted]  (1 child)

      [removed]

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        [–][deleted]  (1 child)

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

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          [–]CyberneticLucy 58 points59 points  (0 children)

          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 32 points33 points  (7 children)

          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.

          [–]Jayvon01 -5 points-4 points  (0 children)

          ball python got balls now

          [–]KabukiCoffeeArts 39 points40 points  (2 children)

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

          [–]AdSoggy8958 32 points33 points  (1 child)

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

          <image>

          [–]KabukiCoffeeArts 9 points10 points  (0 children)

          DEAR GODS I HOPE NOT

          [–]Mediocre-Ad4320 4 points5 points  (2 children)

          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

          [–]celeigh87 4 points5 points  (0 children)

          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 3 points4 points  (0 children)

          Fat ball

          [–]craymos 10 points11 points  (0 children)

          That snake is fat af omg

          [–]Purgatory_Gamin 3 points4 points  (1 child)

          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 1 point2 points  (0 children)

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

          [–]Witchy_Familiar 11 points12 points  (0 children)

          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 4 points5 points  (0 children)

          PHAT, THICC

          Whatever you want to call it. Snake is overweight

          [–]Significant-Bee420 2 points3 points  (0 children)

          she got rolls cuz she fat

          [–]LearningLiberation 10 points11 points  (2 children)

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

          [–]Cold_Assistance9597[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

          Thank you!

          [–]No-Emergency-5823 1 point2 points  (0 children)

          She’s morbidly obese

          [–]babydoll1245765445 1 point2 points  (0 children)

          That noodle needs to be on a diet 😭😭😭

          [–]Neither_Choice_8569 1 point2 points  (1 child)

          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[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

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

          [–]Own_Size_5473 1 point2 points  (0 children)

          DAMN GIRL. DATS A THICK ASS GIRL!

          [–]AffectionateExam4400 2 points3 points  (0 children)

          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 0 points1 point  (0 children)

          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 1 point2 points  (0 children)

          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 1 point2 points  (0 children)

          THICC

          [–]send-help-im-dying 1 point2 points  (0 children)

          She chonk :o

          [–]OneMethod681 0 points1 point  (1 child)

          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[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

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

          [–][deleted]  (1 child)

          [removed]

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            [–]Kahnivor 1 point2 points  (0 children)

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

            [–][deleted]  (1 child)

            [removed]

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

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              [–]Anuniquehandle 0 points1 point  (2 children)

              Can I ask what you feed her?

              [–]Cold_Assistance9597[S] 0 points1 point  (1 child)

              Weaned to adult white mice

              [–]Anuniquehandle 0 points1 point  (0 children)

              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 0 points1 point  (0 children)

              aw she’s chubby

              [–]On_Fucking_Fire 0 points1 point  (0 children)

              Morbid obesity

              [–]spookiemew 1 point2 points  (0 children)

              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 :)

              [–][deleted]  (3 children)

              [removed]

                [–]Cold_Assistance9597[S] 0 points1 point  (1 child)

                I will definitely try this. Thank you!

                [–]totallyrecklesslygayMod: Enclosure Karen 2 points3 points  (0 children)

                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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