trying to work out age

[junglebenn]

hi all.. I have alarge jungle python that I acquired about 6 months ago. I have got no idea as to how old she is.. if u could help with a rough guesstimate that would be appreciated. she is about 6.5 foot long and her head is about an inch and a half across.. I was thinking shed be about 3 years old but was told yesterday that she would have to be at least 5 years old cause jungles only grow to about 6-6.5 foot. she sheds on average once a month which made me think she is still growing.. will she get much bigger?

 

[longqi]

A photo would help establish where it came from
jungles from different localities grow to very different sizes
Tully locale males can be 1metre adults
Big Athertons can reach nearly 3 metres

Generally speaking the high yellow and black locales with clean lines are the smallest

 

[junglebenn]

A photo would help establish where it came from
jungles from different localities grow to very different sizes
Tully locale males can be 1metre adults
Big Athertons can reach nearly 3 metres

Generally speaking the high yellow and black locales with clean lines are the smallest

she is a palmerston jungle

 

[longqi]

she is a palmerston jungle

Thats a pretty good size for a Palmerston
Most are substantially smaller
pure black/gold or not??

 

[junglebenn]

pure colours yes. more like a yellow/dull gold and black

 

[solar 17]

A snake that sheds/sloughs every four weeks is VERY well fed and could make judging their age difficult solar 17 (Baden)

 

[wildthings]

hi all.. I have alarge jungle python that I acquired about 6 months ago. I have got no idea as to how old she is.. if u could help with a rough guesstimate that would be appreciated. she is about 6.5 foot long and her head is about an inch and a half across.. I was thinking shed be about 3 years old but was told yesterday that she would have to be at least 5 years old cause jungles only grow to about 6-6.5 foot. she sheds on average once a month which made me think she is still growing.. will she get much bigger?

Hey there jungleben, I have a palmy too, he is six and 7 foot, I've had him since he was three and he has grown about a foot and a quarter in that time, I doubt he'll get much bigger, in fact he's getting fat haha I would agree that your girl would be closer to six or seven, tho it can depend how well she's been fed in the past, good feeders that are fed well with plenty of exercise will grow faster than the average snake, but the end result is still pretty much the same

 

[Umbral]

I didn't think how much exercise a snake had would have any bearing on its rate of growth.

 

[junglebenn]

A snake that sheds/sloughs every four weeks is VERY well fed and could make judging their age difficult solar 17 (Baden)

is this bad? she is well tempered and healthy. could it affect her longterm wellbeing?

 

[junglebenn]

Photo by follington • InstagramView attachment 290986

A photo would help establish where it came from
jungles from different localities grow to very different sizes
Tully locale males can be 1metre adults
Big Athertons can reach nearly 3 metres

Generally speaking the high yellow and black locales with clean lines are the smallest

I think I have just made a mistake.. I own 2 jungles currently one is a athertons and the other is a palmerston. I cant remember which is which.. im having troubles uploading a picture atm.. will keep trying. this is a picture of my younger jungle, not the one in question. is this a athertons or a palmerston?

 

[longqi]

my first impression is that that would be an Atherton
Palmerstons should be gold/black with very little evidence of other colours on the back or sides

There is a bit of a problem giving definitive answers to questions like this
Palmerston has plenty of muddy looking jungles living there too
about 2o years some top quality jungles started appearing
these were given the name Palmerston [referring to Palmerston Gorge] and supposedly
most of the top quality black/gold jungles that you see for sale now were bred from these and
also some from the Tully area
Those lines are recognised by the clarity and definition of their markings

If you visit the jungle threads here you will quickly see the difference between what is called a Palmerston
and other jungles

 

[junglebenn]

this is the jungle in question.. is this the palmerston? I have been told b4 by a very confident jungle python breeder but I currently am struggling with remembering which was which

 

[RedFox]

That is a fairly chunky looking jungle. As adult they should only shed every 6-8 weeks and be fed around 20% of their body weight every 10-14 days.

I doubt you will get any definitive answers as size isn't a very good indication of age, as growth is dependant on how much they eat. The only thing I say is that it is an adult.

 

[junglebenn]

That is a fairly chunky looking jungle. As adult they should only shed every 6-8 weeks and be fed around 20% of their body weight every 10-14 days.

I doubt you will get any definitive answers as size isn't a very good indication of age, as growth is dependant on how much they eat. The only thing I say is that it is an adult.

this foto was taken only 2 days after she was fed. but she is generally a good girth newayz.. cheers for ur reply

 

[Chris1]

im pretty sure pure palmerstons arent meant to get longer than 5 foot,....thats what i was told when i bought my pair.

 

[junglebenn]

ok so I have just been looking around at pics on this site and it would appear that the snake in question is an athertons.. ive gotten my self confused over the two.. I think I have finally got it now..

 

[RedFox]

.

 

[SarahScales]

Palmerstons are smaller and have very pure colouration compared to their Atherton cousins.

You would know if your animal is Palmerston, even a bad Palmerston is distinctly 'yellow' and not gold or white.

Chances are, taking into consideration size and colour you have described, I would say a Atherton but without a photo it is hard to guess. Regardless, without paperwork you will never truly know pure locale as just about everything is interbred these days.

As for age, it is something very difficult to determine as snakes grow at the rate of feeding more than a definite age related growth. A snake that was fed very well at a young age will be significantly larger than a snake that was fed poorly, genetics also take a great part in the size of a snake and make it difficult to determine age. At best, people guessing on a forum will only be able to give you a three year window of possibility.

 

[junglebenn]

My smaller jungle is a def black and yellow. This one is more creamy dull gold and black

 

[ronhalling]

I suppose you could cut it in half and count the rings .....................................Ron