Growth rate question

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LilithLeChat

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My female Diamond Python will be 10 months old on 15th November. She sheds regularly every 6 weeks, and she has just shed overnight. I measured her skin and it was 112cm long, also weighed her and she’s 180g.

6 weeks ago her shed skin was 95cm and she weighed 99g.

Both skins were measured while still slightly moist, so probably didn’t shrink due to drying out.

At the last shed she was being fed one adult mouse (25g), but last time I fed her (26-27 Oct), I gave her 2 because after the first one she was still stalking/striking out at any movement. I skipped a feed last weekend because I noticed she has gone milky-eyed.

To me it seems like a big growth spurt. Is it normal for juveniles to have a growth spurt in the spring, or am I going to have a giant?



4 months old (12/05/18) and 10 months old (16/11/18)
full
 
Measuring snakes by their sloughs is extremely inaccurate. Typically the skin is around 10-20% longer than the snake (or 50%+ if you want to stretch it). They stretch most when still wet, and will shrink a little when they dry but will remain about 10-20% longer than the snake. You may well find the next skin is shorter than 110cm.

Presumably your Diamond is around a metre, which makes an adult mouse too small a feed. You won't be ending up with a giant snake by feeding it one mouse per feed at this stage. It's normal for them to grow pretty quickly around this stage. You'll probably find this is the most rapid growth period of their lives in terms of added cm per day or % weight gain per day.
 
Didn’t know that about skins, thanks. Trying to measure her length is mission impossible, even with tailor’s measuring tape.
I’ve upped her feed to two adult mice as she let me know in no uncertain terms that one is just not enough.

But I’m glad to know that the rapid growth was normal at this stage. I was worried if it is too rapid and I’m over feeding her.
I know that with puppies, over feeding and rapid growth are a bad thing causing bone and joint problems. Unfortunately there’s nowhere near as much info out there on snakes’ health, development and behaviour as there is for other pets.

For example, do snakes go through puberty/adolescence and does the corresponding flush of hormones change their behaviour?
 
Cool :)
She just ate yesterday so I can’t move her to take another photo but will do in a couple of days.
 
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