RTB Begginer

[COILEDartBallz]

Hey everyone,

I have been a proud owner of my 2 ball pythons for about 9 months now and they seem extremely happy and healthy.
Red Tail Boas are what created my initial interest in snakes. I was just a bit apprehensive to tackle a big snake right out of the gate.
Finally having a little keeping experience and the space to own one.....

I just picked up my first Red Tail Boa (male BCI) (im pretty sure) about 2 days ago.
The little guy is about 12 days old now, he seems to be doing great in his new habitat.
I know that he has shed once since he was born, but the seller wasn't exactly sure if he had eaten.

Can anyone give me some good first time feeding advice?
And any other RTB tips!

[xFenrir]

I've never owned a baby RTB, so couldn't give you any advice about first time feedings. But in general, you want to feed them less than you do your BPs. Since boas have a slower metabolism, they can put on weight very easily if overfed. Feed meals that are a touch smaller than their body size every 7-10 days in the beginning.

[ewaldrep]

Usually the breeder should have fed it before it was sold but boas are usually good eaters. Depending on how small it is, I would start with a live rat pink, or if it is really thin the a mouse pink. After it has eaten a couple of times then I would go with switching to f/t if that is your preference. I think feeding every 5-7 days would work well for a baby. Hopefully you get some more advice on here soon. If you don't have access to live pinks then you could try frozen. Best of luck!

[Gio]

The breeder should know if its eaten or not. That is wrong of them to let it go without knowing and without giving you better info. Don't worry, you'll do fine and things will work out but be careful to keep the snake separated from your others.

Feeding will be conservative by comparison to pythons but it should be consistent. I hope Kali chimes in here because she is very careful about feeding and will give you good advice. I have a new snake but its just shy of a year old. My advice could be off in terms of feeding because of the age of your snake.

You should call the seller back and ask a few more questions. In most instances the snake should have shed and eaten before its sold. What were they feeding the other babies, how often? 12 days old may be early for proper sexing so you may want to have that rechecked.

You are going to LOVE having a boa! Just keep an eye on things closely as you have a young snake there.

I'm excited for you and you'll get the advice you need here. Keeping checking in and keep us posted.

[xFenrir]

You might even be able to give him a rat hopper, depending on the size. Pinks will be small even for a baby boa.

Post pictures!! Not only do we want to see your new guy, but it will help people get an idea of his size and give you better feeding advice.

[nick654377]

don't use rats off the bat with baby boas. the milk belly will make the gurge. stick with mice till they can tackle a small rat/adult mouse. just use mice hoppers every 7 days and you will be good to go.

[Daybreaker]

I personally feed mice to young boas until they're about a year old then switch to rats. I would recommend a mouse weanling too every 7 days.

[Evenstar]

First off, I am appalled that the seller didn't know whether the snake had eaten or not. Any seller with a shred of decency should know if the snake had eaten. Plus, no decent breeder would sell a 12 DAY old boa. Most quality breeders insist that their babies have their first shed and eat at least 3 times before leaving at, roughly, 4-6 WEEKS old (or older). I don't mean to scathe the seller, but seriously he should have known better. As such, I wouldn't bother calling him for more info....

Anyhow, let's assume this baby hasn't eaten yet. Boas are not known for having feeding issues so I doubt you'll have too much trouble. Let's not ask for trouble and assume that he'll eat when you offer. If he doesn't, let us know and we'll go from there.

First off, boas are not ball pythons and should not be fed like them. Smaller prey items are better. Most reputable breeders start neonates on mice rather than rats. The fat content in rat pinks and pups is generally too high for boas and they don't seem to grow as well. They might grow faster on rats, but not better. Slow-grown boas are healthier in the long run.

Here is what I would do. You've had him for 2 days so give him the rest of the week to settle in, relax, and get hungry. 5-6 days from now, try offering a small peach fuzzy mouse. I would offer live if you can, but if not go ahead and try f/t. Offer the prey when it's late evening and nice and quiet. If he doesn't eat, leave the fuzzy in his cage (a live one won't be a threat to the boa - the mouse is too young at this point) and leave him alone for a few hours or even over night. Generally, they instinctively know the smell and he'll likely take it when he's ready.

If his first feeding is a success, you can then think about a schedule for him. Such a small baby should stay on mouse fuzzies for a few weeks or even a few months, depending on growth rate. And do NOT feed any more frequently than every 7 days!! Boa babies can go a long time between meals. Many good breeders feed every 10 days right from the get-go.

Hope this is helpful to you. Post a few pictures - we like pictures!

[Gio]

First off, I am appalled that the seller didn't know whether the snake had eaten or not. Any seller with a shred of decency should know if the snake had eaten. Plus, no decent breeder would sell a 12 DAY old boa. Most quality breeders insist that their babies have their first shed and eat at least 3 times before leaving at, roughly, 4-6 WEEKS old (or older). I don't mean to scathe the seller, but seriously he should have known better. As such, I wouldn't bother calling him for more info....

Anyhow, let's assume this baby hasn't eaten yet. Boas are not known for having feeding issues so I doubt you'll have too much trouble. Let's not ask for trouble and assume that he'll eat when you offer. If he doesn't, let us know and we'll go from there.

First off, boas are not ball pythons and should not be fed like them. Smaller prey items are better. Most reputable breeders start neonates on mice rather than rats. The fat content in rat pinks and pups is generally too high for boas and they don't seem to grow as well. They might grow faster on rats, but not better. Slow-grown boas are healthier in the long run.

Here is what I would do. You've had him for 2 days so give him the rest of the week to settle in, relax, and get hungry. 5-6 days from now, try offering a small peach fuzzy mouse. I would offer live if you can, but if not go ahead and try f/t. Offer the prey when it's late evening and nice and quiet. If he doesn't eat, leave the fuzzy in his cage (a live one won't be a threat to the boa - the mouse is too young at this point) and leave him alone for a few hours or even over night. Generally, they instinctively know the smell and he'll likely take it when he's ready.

If his first feeding is a success, you can then think about a schedule for him. Such a small baby should stay on mouse fuzzies for a few weeks or even a few months, depending on growth rate. And do NOT feed any more frequently than every 7 days!! Boa babies can go a long time between meals. Many good breeders feed every 10 days right from the get-go.

Hope this is helpful to you. Post a few pictures - we like pictures!

There you go. Not gonna get any better advice than that. Please check back in as we are all concerned about the health of the snake. I wish I could have offered the same great advice, but I personally lack the experience Kali has. However, red flags went up as soon as I heard 12 days old and the seller did not know if it had eaten.

One thing about people who are dedicated owners of any type of pet you'll find. They usually know about and research further the animal they are about to own. My first love would be dogs, and more specifically protection trained Presa Canarios and Pit Bulls. Both breeds have terrible reputations and our family has gone to great lengths to show what great animals they are. We feed our dogs RAW food only and have a very strict diet for them.

Pardon the side track. What I'm getting at is the people here, at least most of them are serious about the snakes they keep and don't view them as a fad or a pet that can be dismissed after a little while which maybe is what the seller did here?? Unlike dogs, snakes live very long lives and we here want yours to do well.

You will get good advice here, and the fact that you are asking questions shows you are a good keeper. I'm not impressed with the seller and that's where the negative tone is coming from.

I love the fact you have 2 Royal pythons and then got a boa. Its the same way I started!

PLEASE keep us posted and post pictures.

Listen to Kali's advice, she pretty much steered me to the perfect boa in terms of BCC or BCI and male or female. People that have done this for a while know their stuff.

Good luck!!

[Evenstar]

Thanks for the kind words Gio!!


And I couldn't have said it better in regards to where our negative tone is coming from. That is totally directed at the seller and NOT at you, the OP. I give you LOTS of credit for coming here and asking for advice! We will do our best to help you in any way we can - as Gio said, we want your baby to thrive!