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concerns that 2yo is underweight

jennixnay

jennixnay

New member
hi :

I've discussed this with a few of you in chat -- my fear that Clementine (who we adopted at 2yo from someone who was downsizing his rep/hep collection b/c he couldn't care for them all properly) is a bit underweight. Since I don't have a scale yet (will try to pick one up tomorrow), peeps were going by photos which they thought looked ok -- but is this normal:

when I'm holding her, I can (gently, but quite easily) pinch a bit of loose skin, & when she's moving between my hands, I can feel her spine, & the ridges on either side, close to her belly (ribs)?

if she *does* turn out to be underweight, what do I do? we've only had her 4 weeks/3 feedings (we left her alone the first week to settle in in her new home). at each meal so far, she's eaten a medium adult mouse (f/t) quite eagerly. I looked at the large adult mice at the petstore today & they looked a bit big given the widest part of her body, & I didn't want to risk a regurg.

thx in advance for indulging my neuroses...
 
I looked at a picture you posted and your snake does not look underweight. That being said knowing the weight would be good. Then again you don't want her to get too fat by over feeding. Many breeders do a maintainance diet. I just don't think she looks small. for a two year old.
 
Bear in mind that at 2 years old she's probably not fully grown yet. Some can be a bit like teenagers and go through a "Beanpole" or "Skinny Minny" stage, put on length first and then start filling out later.

I tend to think a slightly underweight Corns is preferable to a larger one anyway.
 
I'd love to see a picture of this snake. I have many snakes ranging from many different ages and sizes. I have a snake that is going on two and only pushing over 100 grams. I have more that are closer to the 200+ gram mark.

They all grow at different rates and will achieve different sizes. A large part of that is their metabolism and their heredity. I have a four year old male that is only 30 inches and weighs in at a whopping 212 grams. I think that that size is all that he is going to achieve and I'm noticing that some of his babies are taking after him.

What you need to do is relax. Get your snake on a good feeding plan and check your weights. Not daily or weekly, but monthly and do it right before you feed. That way the gut is empty and you get a accurate weight on him.

When I have a baby that I think is maturing slowly, I put a weight log (taped on sticky note) right on their bin. I write the date I weigh them and the weight. As I mentioned before, do this monthly and you will see your little one growing. If not, then you know there is a problem.

Take care and good luck

Wayne
 
Thanks, all.

Wayne, there are pix of her on the blog my kids are writing about her (http://omydarlingclementine.tumblr.com/) -- I think in the video entry (Feb 14) you can see what I mean by "ridges" on her. I'll pick up a scale this week & go from there.

She's eating every 7 days, one f/t medium adult mouse, & poops three days later, like clockwork. Her muscle tone is great -- I just worried that her skin seemed a little loose at points when she's coiling around my arm or wrist -- but she's our first hep so I have nothing to compare her to. She's measuring at about 52 inches & is two years old (give or take -- we adopted her & her previous owner wasn't exactly sure).
 
Honestly, she looks good in that picture. I wouldn't even have considered her to be underweight. But I am looking at a picture of her.

She seems to be very round. I'm not seeing the ominous spine crease on her. She looks good. I would get the scale and weigh her and post it on here. I bet she is around 200grams and if she is, I wouldn't worry at all.

Pretty snake!

Wayne

*edit* I noticed in your video that your feeding her young adult mice. That is an indication that she is somewhere in between sub adult and adult. I really think she is fine!
 
I agree with Wayne. She looks in fine fettle in those pics and there's no evidence to my eyes that she's even remotely underweight. I'd keep her feeding exactly as is.
 
Thanks, everyone. I think you're all right, I do need to relax. She's our first snake & I don't want to screw anything up.

That said, she's incredibly docile. She came from a previous owner who was co-habbing her with another corn with thoughts of breeding, who then decided against it & to get rid of her. In the month she's been with us, she's settled in quite well to her new viv, shows no signs of stress at the separation from her former tank-mate, is docile & playful with my 7.5 year old twins (who are very gentle with her & always well-supervised), eats like a champ, & is giving me no real reason to worry other than for the heck of it.

I'm going to try to just focus on how pretty she is.

SDC10191.JPG
 
Very Good! I know there is a bit of apprehension when you get a new pet. There is always a little second guessing and worry. It's new and your learning as you go.

Your doing fine! You did the absolute right thing by asking questions when you were concerned. That shows how much you care and that you are a terrific keeper. Don't be afraid to ask anything. Keep the questions coming.

Good luck and enjoy that pretty girl you have

Wayne
 
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