Does anybody feed rabbits to their boas?

I have a Dumeril's who I believe is around 5 years of age. I "think" it's a female, by palpating the vent.

I received her from a friend. I was "snake sitting" for the summer while they traveled across the country, sightseeing. They came back to find the house they had been renting was sold and they needed to find a new place immediately (:S) They did not want to have to worry about finding a place to accept the snake, so he just said I could take her, because he knew I was sooooooooooooo in love!! And I am, she is my favorite snake that I own!

I'm just curious about feeding. When I first got her, she was eating LIVE hamsters and gerbils!!! ACK!!! It took me about a year and a half to switch her to frozen/thawed. Now that she's made the switch, she never refuses. And it's so cute when she eats, she doesn't strike & coil, she just sllllloooooowwwwwlllllyyyyy slinks up to the food and opens her mouth. Sometimes if I don't have the patience to hold the tongs there for what seems like ever, I just lay it on top of her hide and she goes for it.

As of now, she is in a 4x2x2 cage and up to eating 2 rats at a time. I feed her my retired breeder rats that I have euthanized. These are about 400-500 grams in size, so I'm looking at getting something better for her to eat.

I have read that rabbits contain less fat, therefor may be more suitable in the long run. Just wondering if anybody else has their boas on rabbits, and if so, are they a good long-term staple diet? I'm currently looking for a supplier, but when I do find some, should I go with a smaller prey at first? Say, 1lb? (Which is about equivalent to 1 of the rats that I feed?)

This is a new thing for me, so any information you might have would be great!

go with quails higher protien and alot less fat :)

I have a 8 foot female BCI RTB and a 9 foot male BCI RTB. when I can I feed rabbits. It's easier and one 1.5 - 2lb lb rabbit will last her 2 weeks. The problem with rabbits is that it is VERY hard to find a steady supplier as rabbits have breeding seasons. Rats will breed all year around.

You can switch back and forth (that's what I do) When I can get my hands on them, they get rabbits every 14 days, the rest of the year they get a mammoth rat every 7 days. And whatever the balls don't eat which is usually a medium each a week.

A two month old rabbit will have more fat than a two month old rat, but a 1lb rabbit is leaner than a 1lb rat.

Jumbos and mommoth rats are all ex-breeders so they are usually very fatty. I have this argument with the gf all the time. LOL

I f you can, get rabbits.. when it boils down to it you won't be spending much more money, and IMO it's a healthier alternative. Start with 1lbs and see how they take it. Mine usually get 1.75 lbs but they are quite big animals. I find they are really hungry though after about 10 days, so I am looking to up them to 2lb rabbits.

Hahaha my male does that too! He refuses to stirke. He'll either put it in his mouth and wait for me to let go, or pretend he's not interested until I put it down and then he'll eat it. SHE comes flying out of the enclosure like a bat outta hell. The glass isn't even open before she's lunging.. It's quite scary.

Cheers,
Chris.

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Also, they have NO problem switching back and forth. One of the reasons I LOVE boas. If only ball pythons were such Avid eaters :rolleyes:

this is just a question for the big snake owners... do you all try and find ads for "giving away" rabbit etc to feed your big snakes?

I know I prob. would. As long as the animal looked healthy.

Personally, I have not done that, nor would I, I don't think.

I would rather have a supplier that I KNOW breeds for quality, rather than some Craigslist yahoo who has no idea what they're doing.

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And thanks for all the information, guys! I'm working on a supplier right now, and I'll let you know how it goes!

Quail sounds interesting, but I have nooooooo idea where I could get it?

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Originally Posted by decensored

Hahaha my male does that too! He refuses to stirke. He'll either put it in his mouth and wait for me to let go, or pretend he's not interested until I put it down and then he'll eat it. SHE comes flying out of the enclosure like a bat outta hell. The glass isn't even open before she's lunging.. It's quite scary.

Cheers,
Chris.

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Also, they have NO problem switching back and forth. One of the reasons I LOVE boas. If only ball pythons were such Avid eaters :rolleyes:

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I really should take a video of my Dumeril's having a meal, it's quite comical! I've tried to before, but it was about 5 minutes of her sniffing the thing up and down and I got bored before she actually put it in her mouth, lol! And everywhere I've read that they are extremely aggressive feeders! Lol!

I thought about it but I felt the cons out weighed the pros lol

1. I don't know where the animal came from/ what it was being fed/ what could be wrong with it.
2. I refuse to feed a boas anything alive (animals that big can do real damage) and I don't know if I have the heart to kill a cute little bunny. Rats can stuff it, they are smelly and ugly, but bunnies are pretty much pets in my eyes. lol
3. I contemplated setting up a gas chamber, but when I thought about how much I would have to do, and how big the chamber would have to be for rabbits, the cost is too substantial in my opinion to worry about it right now.. In the future maybe.. lol
4. I have issues with buying people's pets off of them and feeding them haha. I just feel bad. I've found homes for like 10 of my feeder rats that were too cute.. lmao I kept one that I hand fed since it was a pup. The bloody thing weighed in at 250 grams today ahaha I named him Jelly Bean and he is my friend.

I feel too much I think.

Personally I'm planning on getting mine on more birds. Feeder quail. Boas don't process fat as well as pythons and are more prone to obesity and the organ failure and other issues that go with it. This is why slow growing, and feeding a decent meal 2-3 times a month (after their first year) depending on the animal is recommended for them. I wouldn't feed rabbits simply because of their fat content. Nor greasy foul like ducks.

I'm sure the occasional rabbit wouldn't hurt, but I certainly wouldn't make it a staple diet.

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Originally Posted by decensored

I feel too much I think.

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Theres nothing wrong with talking about your feelings Chris... :D

In fact.. Just do a google search on zucker rats causing death in boas. There have been some cases of people getting these very obese rats to feed to their boas and they lost their boas because of it..

Something to remember when owning a boa. Many never reach their full potential including size and life span because they are over fed their entire lives.

haha! :( but there are so many feelings to talk about.

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Quote:

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Originally Posted by Foschi Exotic Serpents

In fact.. Just do a google search on zucker rats causing death in boas. There have been some cases of people getting these very obese rats to feed to their boas and they lost their boas because of it..

Something to remember when owning a boa. Many never reach their full potential including size and life span because they are over fed their entire lives.

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Hey, thanks for the info.

I looked it up and I read this article http://www.redtailboas.com/blogs/boa-amarali/6-boa-deaths-caused-fat-rat-toxic-rat-issue.html.

Very Interesting,
I had no idea that black hooded rats have a higher fat content than other rats. I think I will just breed PEW's from now on haha.

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Quote:

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Originally Posted by Foschi Exotic Serpents

In fact.. Just do a google search on zucker rats causing death in boas. There have been some cases of people getting these very obese rats to feed to their boas and they lost their boas because of it..

Something to remember when owning a boa. Many never reach their full potential including size and life span because they are over fed their entire lives.

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Hey, thanks for the info.

I looked it up and I read this article http://www.redtailboas.com/blogs/boa-amarali/6-boa-deaths-caused-fat-rat-toxic-rat-issue.html.

Very Interesting,
I had no idea that black hooded rats have a higher fat content than other rats. I think I will just breed PEW's from now on haha.