RGI is Rare Genetics Inc, the company that offers the testing. It’s only $20-$35 per snake.
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Hopper mice or rat fuzzies are size appropriate for a hatchling BP. After 5 or so meals I upgrade mine to small rat pups. If this has only been a recent change since your last postings here she’s still barely getting the nutrition she needs.
The snake in my post is ready to switch to rat crawlers now.
You still have not posted the weight on this snake. What did the vet say?
The way this snake looks is only a slight improvement over last time. The back end still looks like you’re not getting solid stools put of her. If they’re watery or loose it’s just keeping her dehydrated on top of things and that’s why you’re not seeing any color or size changes.
Also what do you mean ‘she gets slow’ this doesn’t sound like something that’s normal for these guys either. Being head shy about touching is absolutely normal for these guys tho. Do not boop the snoot.
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She gets over exited and doesnt always land the strike, as of late i hold the food in the air and sense im overly sensitive about tools or inclosure striking accidents i hand feed, and not going to lie her and one of my other bps make me nervous,
Other then that shes been on bigger food since back when everyone was grilling me in december so 2 1/2 months.
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Also thanks for the info about rgi.
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Her body weight is 104 grams,
And her foods weight is 10 grams.
If she’s 104g she’s plenty big enough to be taking adult mice - 14-20g. I would try to get her on those or rat fuzzies 15g+ as soon as possible. If this girl has only gained a few grams in the three months now you’ve been feeding her “larger” meals, then the meals still aren’t big enough for her to be getting proper nutrition.
I also just learned about a new trick - when you offer a feeder, try snipping a couple of small cuts in the skin on the back of the rodent. This should help her digest more and get more nutrition out of them.
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July 6th we will be going on year 3,
Her food has been at 12 - 15 grams for a while now, there are still know signs of growth, the only condition that has faded is her baggy look, i will not be increasing food size from 15 grams until i see signs of growth, photos for proof, if and if this is a case of dwarfism what steps should be taken to benifit the case of its kind ?
Just keep her comfortable I suppose?
You said her meals are 12-15 grams. How much does she weigh currently?
Honestly… I am really wondering why you haven’t moved up in size on feeders. My month old BPs eat rats that weigh between 13 and 20 grams. They only eat hopper mice the first 3 meals. She was more than large enough to take them in her last photos you posted 11 months ago.
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No growth will really happen unless you increase the meal size… she looks well ready to be eating rat pups.
And honestly comparing the photos from the past and now she does look like she’s grown a little bit
She as mentioned in the past has had her growth stunted. Stunted growth doesn’t just dissappear, it can last years even after they are eating appropriately sized meals. This isn’t dwarfism…
There may be some congenital conditions she was born with that is causing her problems as well, seeing from the odd condition of her lower body. I’ve never seen a healthy BP with this body shape.
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If you still haven’t taken this animal to an experienced exotics vet, you absolutely need to. How often are you feeding her? As @armiyana asked, what is her weight? There’s every chance you’re still not providing enough calories for her to actually grow. You said back in February she was 104g and you were giving 10g feeders, the 10% of body weight meal suggestion is for a healthy animal of normal weight and size, not a stunted animal that needs more calories. I suggested 10-15% to start with, but if it was clear she wasn’t growing, that generally means you need either a larger food item or one that is more calorie dense.
Edited to add: If you have been unable to find a veterinarian as of yet, I found this clinic recommended by other keepers elsewhere: https://evergreenae.com/
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That snake should be eating small rats not mice. Until you actually feed a meal with sufficient calorie content to induce growth, you’ll have no idea if it will grow bigger or not. You can’t develop the assumption that it’s a dwarf when you’re feeding it a meal sized for a baby ball python.
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She eats every friday, can be delayed a day or two if i am busy, i really dont appreciate the energy revolving around the comments saying this is just stunted growth or i need to involve a vet for the ones in my state not only have low iqs and just ask for thousands of dollars, are also responsible for several of my animals deaths, but also probably dont even know who steve irwin is, i would also reach out to (Brian Barczyk) about any other of my concerns or curiousities but sadly he has passed, i have fully controlled this animals diet, have closley watched as well as studied its eating habits, she and her siblings where first stimulated by crickets out of the egg to incourage hunting for she and her siblings when first introduced rat pinkies let them squirm till the died in the subsrate, once they finally got the hang all her siblings did better and found homes but even on rat pinkies she is the only rare case the would take her food but upon trying to eat regurgitate to where ive had to meticulously controll the sizes of her food and now that the food sizes are catching up too being to much for her to even swallow people are still like no this is a your fault scenario, id also love to see someone show me a bp the size of a hatchling, literally, eat a small rat without exploading, im also disheartened in this hobby and line of pet owning, to where as i reach out for positive outlooks and freindly demeners and am met by ideology of throw money at your problems and trust the people that dont actually know anything about it.
And all the comments that keep saying the meals arent big enough and every time i make her meals bigger, most of my other bps get there meals, go into food comas, grow, go into shed and then are waiting on there next meal so much that i stopped spoiling them because how many rats i was actually breeding out, i literally spend more time helping my neighborhood with there animals that most of them come to me before their vet, ive notice such slight changes in my neighbors animals that in some cases its saved lives, and i honestly feel very insulted when told that a vet is going to know more then me, witch in the line of bps, theirs multiple big time owners and breeders that are there own vet because how little others know outside of ,dogs,horses,cows,sheep,chickens,pigs,cats,and rats, for these are really the only domesticated live stock that revolve around americas history, not ball pythons, from africa. Depending on your state you wont even be taught about exotics because it wont even be part of the market involved with your state.
You have been dismissive, refused to answer questions, and continue to provide your snake with inadequate nutrition despite being told repeatedly your choice of feeders were not fitting. In this case, a vet does, in fact, have more experience than you. They can also help determine if there is some sort of internal defect or abnormality such as the dwarfism you continue to claim despite lack of supporting evidence. Your hubris is harmful. The clinic I linked has several incredibly qualified physicians with expertise in the field of exotics. Even some of the biggest breeders out there, who do some of their own vet work in house, are still overseen by actual, licensed veterinarians. Otherwise they would be unable to have access to the proper medications and tools. Even they know that sometimes a vet is absolutely required. Many of us have tried to help and provide guidance, and you have been increasingly obstinate. You have repeatedly mentioned that she has had regurgitation issues, but refuse to take her to a professional who can examine her in ways you are incapable of, and possibly see if there is something physical causing her failure to thrive, all because you seem to believe you are the expert. You can continue to complain that we are not doing enough, or you can actually do more to provide for this animal by admitting you may not know everything in this case. I hesitate to suggest further feeding options because you’ve proven time and time again you believe you know more than everyone else, yet haven’t even tried some very basic things that could provide a higher caloric input without sizing up the feeder to something more than she could handle. You seem to want this animal to be something new more than you want it to be healthy and thriving.
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The regurgitation was in her first year,
Everyone keeps getting all the information i provide jumbled, and for the vets, i live in spanaway washington and there isnt a vet that will claim they know more then the people on this website within 200 miles, i my self am still fairly young sitting at the age of 28 and will be 29 on the 19th, like i said if it wasnt for brian’s passing and my vets being inadequate i wouldnt be here causing a fuss in the MorphMarket community but you guys are the only ones i feel i can turn to bout bp matters and actually get helped, i still stand behind my opinion of the remarks sofar that havnt been beneficial, educational, helpful, or actually guiding.
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If i dont gradually give her sizes that are bigger and bigger she wont eat, since febuary her food has been 12 - 15 grams, and she eats every week because ive been trying to encourage growth, she is probably around 108 grams currently, i will make it a goal to have her weight posted again tomarrow.
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I will check this out aswell, and i will call tomarrow.
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I went ahead and bugged her, even though i fed her today to show the size of her food this mouse, was around 20 grams, so id estimate her at 118, and if you remember her last weigh in was 104, it would be an increase of about 14 grams, like i said enough to take away her sag look.
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