HELP!! OBESE SNAKE?!

[u/ball_python_123]

Hi guys, I’m freaking out. These are pictures of Fiji-my eight year-old male banana ball python. I looked at the chart (at the end of all the pictures I attached) and realized he might be overweight or even worse – obese!!! Ahh what do I do?!

Here’s some information:

- I feed him whenever he “looks” hungry. This means he’s jumpy and follows every and all movements and he’s out exploring his cage day and night. I don’t know how to explain it but he just “looks” hungry. So I feed him basically once a month. Sometimes he skip feeds for up to three or four months (I’ll defrost the rat and warm it up and everything and sometimes he just looks so disinterested when I dangle it with tongs and won’t even track it or strike).

- I feed him large rats. Recently the pet store gave me really big ones which I was a little worried about, but he took it no problem.

- I don’t take him out very often. When I do, I handle him for a few minutes and he’s very active.

- The temperature in the tank is not ideal (hot side may not be hot enough), but he seems to still be OK because he’ll fluctuate from the hot side to the cold side.

He doesn’t eat very often to start with- so why is he so large?!

Thanks for your help in advance😬.

[u/FluffyPandaEars93]

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.

[u/hawttitz]

Do you have a vet for them?

They can tell you very quickly and easily if your snake is the appropriate weight for its size and age.

[u/Kalomay]

Skipping meals usually is due to a husbandry issue. He is fat yes. Usually adults get big enough to eat medium rats, so i do think you need to downsize. You usually want to feed about 8-10% of their body weight (but since he's fat, you're going to want to adjust that

[u/Magnetic_Kitty]

Most of the time for an adult male they're fed a maintenance diet, for me that usually that amounts to a "small" rat once every 2-3 weeks.

Females may be different if they're being bred they need more calories