Told my guy is underweight and undersized - is it true?

[jovamabob]

Sebastian is a Jan '11 hatch - making him around 22 months old, and i was told by a friend + local pet shop that he is too small for his age and too underweight.

I tried to measure him again just now and he is around 28 inches (Hard to straighten him out!). I weigh him on digital kitchen scales and he is 83g exactly 1 week after his last feed. His thickest part is about 2 inches in circumference. He poops fine, sheds excellently in complete pieces and seems otherwise healthy. I keep his temps at 29C and is measured by a lucky reptile thermocontrol II digital thermostat and separate exoterra probe thermometer. Here is a link to a photo of his viv (http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_mby6ix74UA1ry9h3jo1_500.jpg) - he had just moved in so the temp was a little off)

Is he too small for his age and is he too skinny? If he is, is there anything i can do to help him before he brumnates? I can persuade him to eat every 6 days but no sooner than that. Is he on the right size food? i was told rat pinkies/pups would help him put on weight - is this true?

More info:
He's always been a very fussy feeder and is currently on Frozen/Thawed hopper/crawler/jumpers mice once a week. I can persuade him to eat every 6 days but no sooner. He refuses to eat if they're wet or if i put the vit/min supplement on the head of the mouse - he accepts them if i dry the mouse and place the supplement on its rear. When he does feed around 60% of the time he strike feeds, the rest i leave him with it and he gets to it later. He's never refused a feed since march when he hasn't been shedding or stressed - ie. moved to a new home etc.
I bought him at almost 11 months in late October and was feeding fine at first on fluffs every week. He started to refuse to eat in December/January when he ate on and off, then up until mid march feeding was a no go. I offered every week but later found out he was probably brumnating. I finally got him started eating properly again around April and he was fine up until June when he started shedding every 3.5 weeks on average from completion of one shed to completion of the next. Up until then he'd been going just shy of every 2 months or so. When he sheds it takes him 2 weeks from refusing a feed to completing his shed, so i was only getting 1 to 2 mice in him a month. He's definitely grown - he was around 25 inches when i last measured in July.

Heres some photo's in case they're needed.

Attempt at taking a photo of him vs. a measuring tape
http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_mc3zd83wbT1ry9h3jo2_1280.jpg

View from his head
http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_mc3zd83wbT1ry9h3jo1_1280.jpg

Back (aimed to get his thickest part but he moves fast!)
http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_mc3zd83wbT1ry9h3jo4_1280.jpg

in relation to my very large hands
http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_mc3zd83wbT1ry9h3jo6_1280.jpg
http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_mc3zd83wbT1ry9h3jo5_1280.jpg

[Nanci]

He looks fine to me.

[Fatman608]

I agree with Nanci. The only thing I would't brumate him because he is a picky eater and just feed him all winter long. Just my 2 cents.

[chris68]

I agree, he looks healthy to me also.

[jovamabob]

Cool :D I figured i'd try to stop him brumnating to let him grow a little.

But last year he brumnated without me changing anything at all - i wasn't even aware snakes did that. This year i've moved and 'im living in a new house that gets colder than the last, so i worry about him brumnating even more! If i was to slowly increase the temp of his heatmat over the next few months would that trick him into thinking it wasn't winter? Whats the highest temp i can take him too? Hi heat mat covers about half the floor, but he has shelves in his viv at 2 different heights with hides so he can move away to colder spots easily.

He refused a feed last night and tonight but its possible he may be gearing up to shed or stressed from moving into a new viv, so i bumped him up to 30C last night as i always do when sheds (He likes humidity when he sheds so i bump him up to 30 and move his water bowl so its half over the heat mat - the one time i didn't do it he shed in pieces).

[Chip]

At 83 grams, he's larger than every 2011 I have. He's at least 6 months older being a January baby, but I'd say he's right on track. He looks great.

[bitsy]

Whats the highest temp i can take him too?
I wouldn't go above 32 (just below 90) as this is their safe maximum. If he gets hotter and can't find anywhere cool enough, you risk neurological damage.

so i bumped him up to 30C last night as i always do when sheds
The floor at the warm end should always be this temp (86F for our US readers). The cool end can get colder, but if he doesn't have a warm enough spot on the floor, he won't be able to digest properly and this could be putting him off eating in the first place. Try keeping the warm side floor at 30C all the time and see if his eating improves.

But last year he brumnated without me changing anything at all - i wasn't even aware snakes did that. This year i've moved and 'im living in a new house that gets colder than the last, so i worry about him brumnating even more! If i was to slowly increase the temp of his heatmat over the next few months would that trick him into thinking it wasn't winter?
It's difficult to get a tank with a heater cool enough for brumation. If you leave the heat on then he won't brumate - their required temp for this is usually lower than a comfortable room temp and even in the UK, you usually need an insulated shed or cellar to achieve it. I think you may have had the heater set too low up til now?

[marieK]

I might be wrong (someone say if I'm way off!), and I know he's just a young one, but going off food around spring time sounds more like typical male mating stuff rather than self brumation. Especially in the uk, where the temps don't vary enough to influence your snake (if your viv is heated properly).

[jovamabob]

So i went to the pet shop to see about getting Sebby a small mouse instead of the crawlers/hoppers and just to make sure, i measured a piece of string around his thickest part so i could show the lady. She said to try a small mouse and see how he takes it - if he doesn't regurgitate it he's fine for moving up to them :D It looked a little large for him at first - he seemed to take longer than normal at the hips. I took some photos of him eating to upload here, just to be certain its the right size for him :)

http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_mc7w9avyul1ry9h3jo1_1280.jpg
http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_mc7w9avyul1ry9h3jo2_1280.jpg
http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_mc7w9avyul1ry9h3jo3_1280.jpg
http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_mc7w9avyul1ry9h3jo4_1280.jpg

[Chip]

That's a happy snake!

[jovamabob]

The lady advised me that since he's fussy i should leave his mouse to defrost naturally instead of in warm water to retain the smells and whatnot. There was a little blood that stayed on the nose of it (which normally comes off in the water) and he went crazy for it!

[jovamabob]

Sebby kept down his first small mouse without any regurgitation! I was a little nervous about it being too big for him, but he just did the BIGGEST monster poop ever. It was so big i thought he had regurgitated until i noticed the urates. He’s seeming finally starting to chunk out a little and im very pleased :D I upped his temps to 32C and he's much more active and im able to see him actually thermoregulate.

http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_mch6slADT31ry9h3jo1_r1_500.jpg