Need help with my female ball pythons size

I have both a male and female that are 2.5 yrs old the female at one point just before 1 yr old went into a hunger strike and was off feed for almost 2 months. But then she started up again and gets 1 small rat weekly. The male has never refused a meal. The female is 710 grams and the male is 1100 grams. The female seems to be small to me. And she only wants a meal once a week . What do you guys think i can do to put on more weight, or am I worrying too much? She seems fine and in good health, husbandry is right on point and i keep them in a rack system

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She’s lovely and also looks to be of a good weight. I see @armiyana replying so I will leave the rest to her……

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There can be a lot of misinformation on temps and humidity. I know you said they’re on point, but it’s good to double check just in case. Not implying you’re wrong, just want to double check. I’ve seen many people claim to be spot on but actually are keeping their basking spots over 90 x_x;;
As far as the rest…
How much do the meals weigh?
Generally a meal size of 10% of the body weight once a week is a good guideline for BPs. It’s not set in stone and varies from animal to animal.
Your girl has the kinda lanky look my juvie girls have as they’re growing. Still a good body condition, but wouldn’t hurt for a little more grams just in case.

I would just make sure she’s eating well once a week and keep her cozy. They grow at all different rates so don’t worry about having to be a certain size at a set age. I have a 6 year old girl who still weighs around 1400g. She’s petite, lol.

There’s also quite a number of people who overfeed their BPs and that leads to more misinformation when an obese animal is taken to be ‘normal’ size. You don’t want to see fat rolls when they’re coiled.

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Hahah, thanks Caron :slightly_smiling_face:

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Yeah she is lanky, you cant tell in the pic but she is long…not underweight at all…her basking spot is checked regularly and remaims between 88 and 90 . Humidity is between 60 and 90 percent. She eats a small rat weekly and i noticed that she doesn’t like larger prey and once in a while i can get 2 small rats in her in one night. She seems super chill and no medical issues.

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Yup!!! No promlemo!

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I know you said rack system, but is there a hide in there? If the humidity is in a moist hide that’s not terrible, but if it’s in the tub overall I would be careful. I would try to lower it a bit just to avoid any bacteria or fungal growth. Also if there’s any wet bedding it can lead to scale rot. So keep an eye on that. I try not to go over 80 even when mine are getting ready to shed.

Small rats are actually the better choice for most male BPs. Mediums are usually reserved for larger females, so she’s fine on smalls for now.
And just to be clear, I usually count them as the following:
Small rat: 45-84g
Medium rat: 85-175g
85 would still be okay for your girl, but 175 is a lot and can lead to some digestive upset or regurge. If your smalls are on that 45-50g side, then yeah that can be a bit frustrating. But definitely be careful about offering multiple prey items when it looks like she’s going into shed.

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I dont have a hide in there as the bin shes in acts as a hide and its a grey bin so you cant see through. Plus i dont have her in a huge space ,but not too small either. She seems pretty content and i handle her regularly for enrichment. Thats a good idea to weight my rats before to see , ive never done that ive always done just eyeballing it as i feed frozen thawed. Thats a great idea!! Thank you!


This is my male who has the same husbandry as her and same feedings

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He is good looking as well! :star_struck:

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Thank you :blush:

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They’re both great looking snakes.
A side thought is you can always have someone check the sexes just in case. But again, they can all grow at different rates. I might try to take a photo of 2 of my most extreme size difference noodles in a bit.

I had one snake that needed some better humidity when they shed so even in the tub I gave them a hide with moss. They were a rescue recovering from a nasty burn with scars.
Or sometimes it’s handy to add a hide with a young snake if they’re in a big tub like a 70. Can sometimes make a difference with mealtime. They can all have their own little quirks and personalities. But as long as they’re doing well it’s all good. =)

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Thank you Armiyana, yeah i have her in a 23 qt size so not big like a 70. I do uo her humidity when I notice shes in shed. I have confirmed her sex both popping and probing, i was a Vet tech for 15 years in my younger days lol. Would love to see your noodles size difference and ages.

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Excellent! We can use your expertise definitely so jump in anytime with your knowledge to share! :blush:

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