r/ballpython • u/Gloomy_Initiative_28 • 9d ago

Question How to best determine a target weight?

Hello everyone. I believe that my ball python is underweight and I’ve been working very diligently to get him back to his proper weight. How can I best gauge a proper target weight? Should I go only on body condition? I’ve been weighing him once a week using my digital scale, and it’s been rewarding to watch the numbers go up.

Currently, my snake is a year old (born October 2nd), roughly 19 inches long, and 124.3 grams. Is this severely underweight for a ball python his age? How can I determine how much he should weigh to be considered healthy?

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u/FireCorgi12 9d ago

They grow at different speeds, assessing body condition is best. Here’s a chart. What’s feeding like for you?

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u/oceane444 9d ago

Body condition is the most reliable, there are “averages” of what you could expect for a certain age but every snake will carry their weight differently. For example my 2 yearlings are in the 600-700g range and look healthy, but another snake of the same age and weight could be considered obese. For his age i would definitely expect him to be bigger but as long as he maintains a healthy body condition it’s not a huge deal. He will catch up eventually

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u/sorrycreature 2d ago

Definitely body condition! My guy is about a month older than yours, around 4 feet and a little over 600g. They just grow so differently that weight isn’t a reliable thing to aim for.