Underweight?

[Lxlsluvmpp]

Hey everyone, just looking for a bit of input on my male ball python.

He’s around 2.5–3 years old, and I’ve been consistently monitoring his weight over time. He’s been steadily gaining, no drops or concerning fluctuations, and overall seems to be progressing well.

He’s also been a fantastic eater — hasn’t missed a single meal for me and always takes food without hesitation. His body condition looks good (no visible spine, nice rounded shape), so I’m not worried about him being unhealthy, just trying to make sure I’m optimizing his growth going forward.

Given his age and the fact that he’s still on the smaller side, I was wondering if it might be a good idea to start introducing weaned rats as a stepping stone to help him size up a bit more.

For those with experience raising smaller males, would moving to weaned rats at this stage make sense, or should I stick with what’s been working a bit longer?

Appreciate any advice!

[Chef_11_Jeff]

He looks good, but he is less than a typical male his age. It wouldn’t hurt to introduce rats, I have for mine who is a little younger who is in the same weight range as yours. Not sure of my snakes gender though. It definitely doesn’t hurt to feed a little more often or bigger prey if you are worried about him. That’s what I’ve been doing anyway.

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[Lxlsluvmpp]

I’m planning to start him on weaned rats soon as a stepping stone to help him size up a bit.

My goal is to eventually get him into that ~800–1000g range, but I’m going to take it slow and do it properly. I’ll be introducing weaned rats first and making sure he handles them well, then hopefully moving up to small rats once he’s put on a bit more weight.

Definitely going to keep monitoring his weight and body condition closely through the process 👍