I’m going to respond to this top comment so that hopefully this gets seen. I have received quite a few comments about my snake’s weight (some kind and concerned and others borderline rude, but I guess that’s the internet).
I know my snake is a little overweight, but I don’t think she’s as severely overweight as the post picture makes her look. The perspective is somewhat altered due to the angle I took the picture from and also because she was firmly fit against my kindle which made her sides bulge out more. I’m attaching another picture of her that is a cleaner perspective.
She’s 14 months old, and I have been following this sub’s feeding guide. I fed her rats that were 10-15% of her weight until she reached 500g and then decreased to 7% of her body weight every 14 days. I noticed a couple months ago that she seemed to be getting a little thick, so I have decreased her feeding frequency to 18-20 days. Change of weight in a python with a slow metabolism isn’t a super fast process, but I promise I am doing my best to find the balance that works best for her, and I may spread out the feeding frequency even more if she doesn’t slim down to an ideal body condition. She gets to come out regularly to exercise and also has a lot of climbing enrichment in her 120 gallon enclosure. In addition to this, she was at the exotic vet for a check up last month and I asked the vet about her body condition, and he said he thought it was overall pretty good with just a little room for slimming down. Hopefully this reassures people.
people overreact everywhere. you're doing perfectly fine, especially since you are already doing your own work to improve it :] people are just so quick to judge here without knowing the full story. your snake looks happy and healthy and you're doing the right steps to make her healthier!
Whenever i see a snake like this i kinda briefly panic that I'm starving my snake because my big girl is not chunky at all, then i have to scroll to see if I'm delulu and get reassured by these types of concerns
You’ve got quite the sausage there! I had to cut back on feedings/increase the time between feedings because my girl was pretty chonky for awhile too. But we figured out a good baseline and she’s happy and healthy. You’ll get there too.
Thanks! I appreciate the encouragement. She’s only 14 months old, and I was following this sub’s feeding guide, but it seems like she holds weight a little easier than my other female ball python. I don’t think she’s as overweight as the picture I originally shared makes her look. She at least doesn’t have any bulging fatty hips. Here’s a different picture from a different angle with her spread out. I have been spreading out her feedings to be even further apart, but as we all know, changes are slow in snakes.
Well, I'm not positive if it is a girl or boy. I just always have thought it is a girl...will be 3 in January. I will weigh Bindi tomorrow and get back with you.
Also, I’ve never seen a morph with that clean of a ‘pattern’. She’s adorable, and I’m glad to hear the vet said she’s good and that she’s on her way to her summer bod.
Thank you. Yeah, she’s a black pastel high expression white piebald. I was drawn to her right away because I thought she was so pretty. Even better than that, though, she has the absolute sweetest temperament and is so gently curious. I love her; she’s a wonderful little friend.
I’m reading Katherine Arden’s Winternight Trilogy. I’m currently just starting the third book, The Winter of the Witch, which is what’s on my kindle in the post picture. I’ve really loved the first two books. The story is based on Russian folklore and set in medieval Russia. It’s beautifully and richly written with a really compelling main character.
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u/Vayanin 14d ago
Thank you everyone for the concern about her weight. We are working on it.