Is my python a baby - Ask Extension
I bought my ball python from Petsmart and they claim it is a baby. Personally he looks too big to be a baby. He was already 2 feet long and 1 1/2 inch...
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Is my python a baby #593866
Asked September 02, 2019, 12:51 PM EDT
I bought my ball python from Petsmart and they claim it is a baby. Personally he looks too big to be a baby. He was already 2 feet long and 1 1/2 inch thick but yet they said he was born March 2019 it is currently sept 2019. I think they gave me the wrong information. I believe he is an adult. Can a baby snake be that size?
Cobb County Georgia
Expert Response
Thank you for your question. In their book, Ball Pythons - The History, Natural History, Care and Breeding, David and Tracy Barker cite a study in which the length and weights of 96 ball python hatchlings were recorded.
The average length was 16 inches in total length, and lengths ranged from 11 - 19 inches. Weight averaged 55.7 grams, and ranged from 25 - 90 grams. They also state that, while they have "grown" snakes very quickly, going from a female hatchling at 56 grams (2 ounces) to a snake that weighs approximately 1,050 grams (2.3 pounds) in 392 days, most of the females they raise weigh about 400 - 500 grams (approx. a pound) at thirteen months of age. Weighing your snake and comparing it with these weights will be helpful in judging whether or not it's a juvenile.
It's difficult to judge size based on photographs, because I don't know the size of your aquarium or the log your snake is laying on, but I would say your snake is not a baby.
I hope this information helps, and thank you for contacting Ask an Expert.
Jim
The average length was 16 inches in total length, and lengths ranged from 11 - 19 inches. Weight averaged 55.7 grams, and ranged from 25 - 90 grams. They also state that, while they have "grown" snakes very quickly, going from a female hatchling at 56 grams (2 ounces) to a snake that weighs approximately 1,050 grams (2.3 pounds) in 392 days, most of the females they raise weigh about 400 - 500 grams (approx. a pound) at thirteen months of age. Weighing your snake and comparing it with these weights will be helpful in judging whether or not it's a juvenile.
It's difficult to judge size based on photographs, because I don't know the size of your aquarium or the log your snake is laying on, but I would say your snake is not a baby.
I hope this information helps, and thank you for contacting Ask an Expert.
Jim
