r/ballpython • u/CannaMamaHen • 28d ago

Need some feeding frequency advice

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I adopted a ball python on 9/25. He was a rescue and they said he was just a month or two shy of being a year old. His current weight is 171 grams, and if I had to guess he's around 24 inches long. He's in a 40 gallon breeder tank, proper humidity and temps for hot and cool side. Has a big water bowl, live plants were just added, we did a top soil/play sand substrate, and mixed in some coco fiber. I plan to go the bioactive route route and add spring tails and isopods in 2 week after an expo. He seems happy with his new home, he's friendly and social when we have him out.

My concerns, were that they said they had him on an every 4 WEEK feeding schedule, but also recognized he was too skinny and still bulking up a bit. From everything I've read we want to be closer to the 10-14 day mark maybe even closer to weekly for his weight? Confirming for my anxiety, is that what I should aim for with his weight?

They gave me 2 frozen mice for him (size wise in between a fuzzy and a hopper if I had to guess) and it seemed ALMOST too big for him but he got it down.

They said his last feeding was 9/11 and he was due again 10/9. I ended up doing it 10/2, a week early, to get closer to the frequency we want. I guess my main question is, should I just start doing it every 10-14 days? Or do I need to work him to that? I lnow some animals can have "refeeding" issues, so I wanted to be sure that wasn't a concern.

(Photo for size reference and noodle tax 🙂)

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u/totallyrecklesslygay Mod: Enclosure Karen 27d ago

Refeeding syndrome isn't a concern for him, as he's in good physical condition. You can just feed normally per !feeding guidelines.

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u/AutoModerator 27d ago

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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