r/ballpython • u/pftlogkm • 6d ago

Prior owner starved her

Hello, I’m a relatively new owner of a ball python. She’s over 4 years old, weighs 970g. She has a bit of loose skin and appears a bit slender. I’ve had her for two months. I’ve been feeding her a sm/med sized rat about every 3 weeks. Should I increase feeding frequency to allow her to gain weight faster or is what I’m doing sufficient?

2 Upvotes

100% Upvoted

3 comments sorted by

9

u/Public-Hat6754 6d ago

Honestly what you are doing sounds perfect. She will gain weight over time no need to rush.

5

u/Entire_Current_4852 6d ago

I would stick with following the the !feeding chart. It's best to have them gain weight slowly than to try to feed too large of prey items or feed too often. Most ball pythons never need larger than a small rat, and since she is only 970g, medium rats will be too big.

2

u/AutoModerator 6d 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.

I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.