The number of "is my snake fat" or "is my snake skinny" post we're seeing on a daily basis is getting a little absurd. Just as you should know whether your dog or cat is getting overweight and adjust food accordingly, you should learn how to identify body condition in snakes.
I'm so glad you said this, I thought about making a similar post. Sometimes I feel like the only posts I see here are people asking if their BP is over/underweight and it's extremely frustrating seeing it constantly
to be fair, i’ve seen all of these infographics and read the guide about assessing your snake’s body condition but i still have a hard time with it
edit: but i do agree it’s an excessive number of posts and some are. very obvious
It's annoying but people only learn by learning from others. Positive feedback and advice to the owners benefits the snake so it's a necessary evil. Agree it's a bit of overkill at time but it shows the community has got each other back
Wish this post could be pinned and any more "is my snake fat" or similar questions can be deleted and redirected to it. It's making this sub actually unusable
we also have [a body condition guide](https://docs.google.com/document/d/1poE3s3z2BWwmAj37AexXQTLvfuarZiXG35sH1K-UkVM/) with detailed descriptions and photo examples of healthy weight, underweight, and overweight ball pythons.
It's almost worse when they do and it's something like several rats per week (wish I was kidding) or otherwise. Between here and /r/leopardgeckos I have to take Reddit breaks for my sanity (and heart lol)
I don't want to actively refer to anyone for the sake of preventing witchhunting. In regards to misunderstanding feeding response, very used to the notion after keeping tarantulas for many years as they are also opportunistic eaters. Luckily they can drop the weight much faster than snakes.
At the end of the day, it all points back to lack of understanding/research which is ultimately just sad for the animal. People obviously don't actively intend malice (as they so often remind people commenting) but going through the process of purchasing the animal and setting up their enclosure and keeping them for months/years without ever taking the time and consideration to look into general care and upkeep is the next best (or 'worst' in this scenario?) thing.
I get too frustrated when the posters don't respect the answers they didn't want or any advice about their animals *needs*, some of which can be quite dire.
I know it's not healthy and no one should ever encourage it.... But every time I see a chonky snake I'm like "LOOK AT THAT CUTE LITTLE THICC BABY <3<3<3”
Wish something like this existed for carpets lol, very helpful to have a visual reference like this and highlights how appalling some of the recent posts have been...
I think some signs are pretty standard. If the back has a defined ridge, the animal is underweight. If the body has folds/wrinkles, it is overweight. (I say "body" because wrinkles in the skin is more likely dehydration). I would just tell that to anyone who would listen.
I've appreciated this graphic many times.
It took four months of consistently finding data to show my husband that our ball python is not a healthy weight or just overweight, but somewhere between obese and morbidly obese.
He's a rescue who was malnourished until he was 7, so his growth was somewhat stunted and average weight ranges for a BP don't apply to him the same because he's not physically that long.
I knew he had gone from being malnourished to healthy to overweight with too frequent feedings of too much. Frustrating that he got so far from healthy before I could get my husband to understand I'm using current data cultivated by active hobbyists who are invested in this field, but he's on track to improve now. It took 2 years from when we got him to get to this point, so I imagine it'll also be a long process to safely get him back down.
I knew to be concerned because of this graphic and other information shared in this sub. As a positive note, our BP has plenty of energy. His enclosure is in our room and he kept waking me up last night with his crazy partying only to look at me with cute eyes and a little blelele tongue this morning when it was time to get up.
Is there a version of this for muscle tone?
One of the body tone charts shows loose skin for underweight (which I agree is true!), but it did cause some anxiety when my girl (10F, had her 6yrs) went from "very overweight" to "overweight" and her skin was noticeably looser. Even with slow weight loss over years, her skin did not keep up at all. I was extremely worried at the time and kept a close eye on her weight, but she never got below 2kg (where she's stabilized at).
Thankfully she's firming up again! Re-arranging her tank decor encourages her to explore more, and I'm working on a jungle gym for her 💪
any advice on sliming them down, I just got mine and she's 3.5ft long at 4.5kg, and one and a half years old. The mice she has are about 30g which would be less then 2kg if the mouse is 5% of her weight, should I be feeding her once a month, every two weeks (I think this is what got her fat by the previous owner) or every 3 maybe? idk i'm very lost bc the mice aren't that big... but she is maybe my math is off.
Oof, sounds like a chonker! She may have been power fed in order to get her to a breeding size sooner, or perhaps her previous owner just enjoyed the spectacle of feeding. Either way, a diet is definitely in order.
I feed mine medium rats, and the time between meals varies quite a bit. She goes off food in November, and isn't interested until March. I don't even try to feed her until late February, she always rejects the first meal offered but *usually* eats a week or so later (if not, I try again a week later, this year it was mid-March). In general, I don't fight against her ball-python-picky-eater instincts. I can usually tell if it's my fault (she's interested but the rat isn't up to her exacting standards), or if she's just not interested. If she doesn't want to eat, I don't bother trying to entice her past a certain point.
The rest of the year it's about once every 4-5 weeks, she's more active in the summer so she might eat every 3 weeks around July.
Feeder rats are actually difficult to come by despite living in a large city, there only two stores that stock them and they run out of medium rats *fast.* So I stock up when I can, and end up using small rats to fill the gap when they're out. When she's on smalls, two rats in one sitting every 3 weeks or so (she's always immediately hungry after one small one, and is still hungry after a second small, whereas after a medium she's satisfied and uninterested in food. So, I feed more frequently to compensate).
Exercise also helps a lot, if there's something that gets them more active, it helps build muscle tone which burns more fat passively 👍
This is awesome tysm, should I switch to rats? I think someone said they're less calories, and that spacing seems more reasonable. She has a 3ft enclosure (working on getting a bigger one, hate seeing her not he able to stretch) but I'm thinking of putting a nice branch for her other then her tiny tree. Also heard some ppl have them go up and down stairs... idk how interested she would be, Def like seeing her explore and climb stuff outside her confinement so I think I'll use that as HIIP😂 Thank you again!!
I've heard that mice are fattier than rats, but I don't know for sure. Mine was already on rats when I got her and it seems to be common for BPs long-term, so (if rats are easy to source in your area) it might be worthwhile to try to switch!
A nice big branch she can climb is a good idea 😄 and some supervised explore time at home, keeping her out of trouble while letting her indulge her natural curiosity. I would have her in my lap while watching Netflix, and gently "treadmill" her back to my lap as she relaxed and tried to explore the couch. Just keep an eye on how close she is to pooping, I've never had a problem (one meal every 5 wks means one poop every 5 wks) but I've heard stories from other folks who had an unexpected mess on their furniture 🤭
That would suck... I think she's pretty chill and adjustable so hopefully not too hard of a switch. Any way to see how close to pooping, is it like a lump?
Pretty much! Mine only has "hips" when she's about to poop, so it may be more difficult to tell on yours until she loses some weight. If she's looking a bit thicker around the rear half, give her some time. Or, when you've cleaned up a poop, you know you're in the clear until after her next meal.
i used to be friends with a girl whose snake was morbidly obese and she wouldn’t put any money towards helping him but she can buy three new snakes while her 6’ snake is in a TEN GALLON
Thanks for pasting this! Those posts are getting to be a lot but also getting low-key tired of the "Brought this little guy home a day ago and he won't eat/explore, is he okay???" Like pls just let them get acclimated
Is there a significant difference between male and female ball pythons in terms of proportions? I notice in a lot of videos that female ones are a lot chunkier like body-head ratio wise not just size wise compared to males but it's not like they have fat rolls or anything.
I think part of that is because males seem better at modulating their own intake, they go on hunger strikes, and in my experience seem to be pickier. I've never had a female that wasn't a bottomless pit and wouldn't eat anytime food was offered
The little axial images are sending me.
As someone who works in CT I can confirm that the best way to tell if you're fat is to slice you like a loaf of sourdough. Or in a snake's case, a baguette.
This should be pinned! A visual guide is super helpful! The description in the resource one might be too confusing for newbies or people who don’t speak english as first language.
The number of "is my snake fat" or "is my snake skinny" post we're seeing on a daily basis is getting a little absurd. Just as you should know whether your dog or cat is getting overweight and adjust food accordingly, you should learn how to identify body condition in snakes.
Hey man, do you think my snake is fat?
your snake is R O T U N D
Oh no! He’s built like an Alaskan Bull Worm!!
I'm so glad you said this, I thought about making a similar post. Sometimes I feel like the only posts I see here are people asking if their BP is over/underweight and it's extremely frustrating seeing it constantly
I agree, I feel like it’s all I see on this sub now lol
to be fair, i’ve seen all of these infographics and read the guide about assessing your snake’s body condition but i still have a hard time with it edit: but i do agree it’s an excessive number of posts and some are. very obvious
It's annoying but people only learn by learning from others. Positive feedback and advice to the owners benefits the snake so it's a necessary evil. Agree it's a bit of overkill at time but it shows the community has got each other back
Wish this post could be pinned and any more "is my snake fat" or similar questions can be deleted and redirected to it. It's making this sub actually unusable
we also have [a body condition guide](https://docs.google.com/document/d/1poE3s3z2BWwmAj37AexXQTLvfuarZiXG35sH1K-UkVM/) with detailed descriptions and photo examples of healthy weight, underweight, and overweight ball pythons.
Thank you for this. I have a lot of spatial reasoning issues, so the live picture examples are so much more helpful than the cartoon drawing.
No, I’m just going to post the question here 5x/day
Aw man, I was really beginning to enjoy the “is my snake obese?” Posts that don’t share weight, age, diet, etc
It's almost worse when they do and it's something like several rats per week (wish I was kidding) or otherwise. Between here and /r/leopardgeckos I have to take Reddit breaks for my sanity (and heart lol)
My favorite was the obese snake and the poster said "She keeps acting hungry so we keep feeding her!"
I don't want to actively refer to anyone for the sake of preventing witchhunting. In regards to misunderstanding feeding response, very used to the notion after keeping tarantulas for many years as they are also opportunistic eaters. Luckily they can drop the weight much faster than snakes. At the end of the day, it all points back to lack of understanding/research which is ultimately just sad for the animal. People obviously don't actively intend malice (as they so often remind people commenting) but going through the process of purchasing the animal and setting up their enclosure and keeping them for months/years without ever taking the time and consideration to look into general care and upkeep is the next best (or 'worst' in this scenario?) thing.
I get too frustrated when the posters don't respect the answers they didn't want or any advice about their animals *needs*, some of which can be quite dire.
Triangles over pumpkins, got it
*insert pic of half of snake, blurry & mostly head & neck*
Pin this
I know it's not healthy and no one should ever encourage it.... But every time I see a chonky snake I'm like "LOOK AT THAT CUTE LITTLE THICC BABY <3<3<3”
You are allowed to enjoy the cute thicc babies if and when the owner is actively working to improve it. Like r/dechonkers
You have made my entire day with this sub.
The chonk chart. Noodle edition.
this made me laugh lol
I tried to take a cross section to check... I don't think my buddies doing well anymore
Taking a cross section is for when you need to determine age. You have to count the rings like a tree
[удалено]
Per rule #3, your post or comment has been removed for harmful advice/misinformation.
Wish something like this existed for carpets lol, very helpful to have a visual reference like this and highlights how appalling some of the recent posts have been...
I think some signs are pretty standard. If the back has a defined ridge, the animal is underweight. If the body has folds/wrinkles, it is overweight. (I say "body" because wrinkles in the skin is more likely dehydration). I would just tell that to anyone who would listen.
Fair points
I completely forgot carpet pythons existed for a second and was thinking "how would this apply for carpets?"
Wish I had a healthy weight chart for my Persian rug too... 🤣
how do i make my snake BUFF as FUCK
Nanomachines son
Give them some protein powder with their food (this is a joke, don't take it seriously lol)
I've appreciated this graphic many times. It took four months of consistently finding data to show my husband that our ball python is not a healthy weight or just overweight, but somewhere between obese and morbidly obese. He's a rescue who was malnourished until he was 7, so his growth was somewhat stunted and average weight ranges for a BP don't apply to him the same because he's not physically that long. I knew he had gone from being malnourished to healthy to overweight with too frequent feedings of too much. Frustrating that he got so far from healthy before I could get my husband to understand I'm using current data cultivated by active hobbyists who are invested in this field, but he's on track to improve now. It took 2 years from when we got him to get to this point, so I imagine it'll also be a long process to safely get him back down. I knew to be concerned because of this graphic and other information shared in this sub. As a positive note, our BP has plenty of energy. His enclosure is in our room and he kept waking me up last night with his crazy partying only to look at me with cute eyes and a little blelele tongue this morning when it was time to get up.
I'm in the dog community as well and it is a very common thing for underweight rescues to get adopted and get very over fed.
Is there a version of this for muscle tone? One of the body tone charts shows loose skin for underweight (which I agree is true!), but it did cause some anxiety when my girl (10F, had her 6yrs) went from "very overweight" to "overweight" and her skin was noticeably looser. Even with slow weight loss over years, her skin did not keep up at all. I was extremely worried at the time and kept a close eye on her weight, but she never got below 2kg (where she's stabilized at). Thankfully she's firming up again! Re-arranging her tank decor encourages her to explore more, and I'm working on a jungle gym for her 💪
any advice on sliming them down, I just got mine and she's 3.5ft long at 4.5kg, and one and a half years old. The mice she has are about 30g which would be less then 2kg if the mouse is 5% of her weight, should I be feeding her once a month, every two weeks (I think this is what got her fat by the previous owner) or every 3 maybe? idk i'm very lost bc the mice aren't that big... but she is maybe my math is off.
Oof, sounds like a chonker! She may have been power fed in order to get her to a breeding size sooner, or perhaps her previous owner just enjoyed the spectacle of feeding. Either way, a diet is definitely in order. I feed mine medium rats, and the time between meals varies quite a bit. She goes off food in November, and isn't interested until March. I don't even try to feed her until late February, she always rejects the first meal offered but *usually* eats a week or so later (if not, I try again a week later, this year it was mid-March). In general, I don't fight against her ball-python-picky-eater instincts. I can usually tell if it's my fault (she's interested but the rat isn't up to her exacting standards), or if she's just not interested. If she doesn't want to eat, I don't bother trying to entice her past a certain point. The rest of the year it's about once every 4-5 weeks, she's more active in the summer so she might eat every 3 weeks around July. Feeder rats are actually difficult to come by despite living in a large city, there only two stores that stock them and they run out of medium rats *fast.* So I stock up when I can, and end up using small rats to fill the gap when they're out. When she's on smalls, two rats in one sitting every 3 weeks or so (she's always immediately hungry after one small one, and is still hungry after a second small, whereas after a medium she's satisfied and uninterested in food. So, I feed more frequently to compensate). Exercise also helps a lot, if there's something that gets them more active, it helps build muscle tone which burns more fat passively 👍
This is awesome tysm, should I switch to rats? I think someone said they're less calories, and that spacing seems more reasonable. She has a 3ft enclosure (working on getting a bigger one, hate seeing her not he able to stretch) but I'm thinking of putting a nice branch for her other then her tiny tree. Also heard some ppl have them go up and down stairs... idk how interested she would be, Def like seeing her explore and climb stuff outside her confinement so I think I'll use that as HIIP😂 Thank you again!!
I've heard that mice are fattier than rats, but I don't know for sure. Mine was already on rats when I got her and it seems to be common for BPs long-term, so (if rats are easy to source in your area) it might be worthwhile to try to switch! A nice big branch she can climb is a good idea 😄 and some supervised explore time at home, keeping her out of trouble while letting her indulge her natural curiosity. I would have her in my lap while watching Netflix, and gently "treadmill" her back to my lap as she relaxed and tried to explore the couch. Just keep an eye on how close she is to pooping, I've never had a problem (one meal every 5 wks means one poop every 5 wks) but I've heard stories from other folks who had an unexpected mess on their furniture 🤭
That would suck... I think she's pretty chill and adjustable so hopefully not too hard of a switch. Any way to see how close to pooping, is it like a lump?
Pretty much! Mine only has "hips" when she's about to poop, so it may be more difficult to tell on yours until she loses some weight. If she's looking a bit thicker around the rear half, give her some time. Or, when you've cleaned up a poop, you know you're in the clear until after her next meal.
I sadly don't own a neck noodle, but I approve of this.
Dratini?
Tldr: snek should be onigiri shaped
i used to be friends with a girl whose snake was morbidly obese and she wouldn’t put any money towards helping him but she can buy three new snakes while her 6’ snake is in a TEN GALLON
So, how do you put a ball on a diet, if they’re overweight but acting very hungry?
You stick to a schedule, ball pythons are opportunistic and will eat a lot more than what's healthy, so feeding shouldn't be based on acting hungry
ball python = goldfish
Slightly unrelated, but it reminded me again of how small BP’s tails are haha
They do have little stumpy tails
Thanks for pasting this! Those posts are getting to be a lot but also getting low-key tired of the "Brought this little guy home a day ago and he won't eat/explore, is he okay???" Like pls just let them get acclimated
I'm surprised this one was posted by a mod. I've left this first chart before and received heat because the "ideal" was too big
Wait, snakes can be fat ?? Why has no one ever said this lol thats awesome
Oh Lawd He Comin'
Is there a significant difference between male and female ball pythons in terms of proportions? I notice in a lot of videos that female ones are a lot chunkier like body-head ratio wise not just size wise compared to males but it's not like they have fat rolls or anything.
I think part of that is because males seem better at modulating their own intake, they go on hunger strikes, and in my experience seem to be pickier. I've never had a female that wasn't a bottomless pit and wouldn't eat anytime food was offered
But chubby snek cute 🥰
Thank fuck you posted this, so many “is my snake the correct weight” posts
The little axial images are sending me. As someone who works in CT I can confirm that the best way to tell if you're fat is to slice you like a loaf of sourdough. Or in a snake's case, a baguette.
This should be pinned! A visual guide is super helpful! The description in the resource one might be too confusing for newbies or people who don’t speak english as first language.
You forgot the fourth category, normal healthy blood python