BP questions

[alphafem]

I recently acquired a 3 1/2ft ball. She was given to me by a man who rescued her from a home where she got out and found her way into their hot water heater. She has some burn but they are healing well and I still love her even though she isn't gonna win any beauty pageants. I do have a few questions and what better place then here to get some answers.

1. can anyone give me an approximation on her age? (I had her probed and she is female)

2. How often should she shed? She shed right before I got her and has already shed again. (I have had her since Feb. 15 2005)

3. Do snakes have growth spurts? (I ask because in the last 2 weeks she wants to eat alot. I am lucky in the respect she is an awesome eater! But I don't want to over feed her)

Please tell me if this is bad: She eats one small rat a week. I have hoppers for a Sav and I give her about 2 (on separate days) to hold her over till rat day. Problem is I think her "feed switch" isn't going off lol. For the last few days she has been in constant "stalk" position. Could this because I am feeding her too often?

Please help! I want her to be happy but making her "happy" in my eyes could hurt her I fear. =-(

[schmelkdog]

If she's still having skin problems from the burns this could be a cause of frequent shedding. Also if she was underfed and is now catching up in a well heated enclosure with good humidity and food she could be going through a growth spurt causing the shed. Are there any other skin problems? If not I wouldn't worry about that.
Is she feeding on f/t? My advice would be to keep her one a regular schedule with everyweek or even a bit longer. Regular feeding will put the weight on in a good way. Over feeding can cause more problems. I'd say just feed the right sized meal every 10 days.
Females can get bigger than males but still they can go anywhere from 3.5 to 5+ feet. I'd guess anywhere from a a year and half to who knows,,,in other words I couldn't really guess at the age.
Sounds like she's found a good home. Slow down on the feeding, check for any other skin problems and if you can send in some pics. Enjoy your girl!

[herp_chick]

Actually, you can and should feed an adult BP every 7 days. One appropriately sized prey item, and no "snacks" in between. That is way too much stress on her digestive system. She will settle into the 7 day routine and be fine. Also, as for age, there is no way to determine that, but at 3-3.5 ft, she is almost full grown, so the best guess would be between 3 and 4 years. Good Luck.

	Ball Python The Ball Python (Python regius), also known as the Royal Python, is a ground dwelling snake native to the savannahs and rain forests in western Africa, predominatly the countries of Ghana, Togo, and Benin.