New little one

http://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w.../Newboa010.jpg
http://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w.../Newboa015.jpg
http://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w.../Newboa009.jpg

Mom is an Argentine boa and dad looked to me like a light colored Common boa. I don't know a great deal about boa's. This little one is about 2 weeks old and the result of mom and dad being housed together. Looking for some advice on a young boa as this was an unexpected addition. Little one is setup in a small tub with a couple hides and a herpstat controlled strip of heat tape for now. All input is appreciated.

Also ignore the old thermometer there, I use all digital now, this tub has been around a while and its just stuck there for life haha.

Pretty baby! Looks like it hasn't had its first shed yet - still has that waxy baby look, lol.

Do you own the parents? Pictures of them would be great! I am not seeing much Argentine in this baby and it'd be helpful to see what the parents are like. Were there other babies in the litter??


As far as husbandry, temps and humidity are comparable to BPs, however boas seem to like the temps a bit cooler. I keep my boas at 78 with an 88 hotspot and my Argentines a touch cooler still at 76 with an 87-88 hotspot.

Best piece of advice I can give you is to not overfeed!! Even babies like this can go every 10 days. Boas have MUCH slower metabolisms and slightly touchier digestive systems than BPs do. Feed smaller prey - something that won't leave a noticeable lump at all. I like to start my boas on mice, not rats. Rats can have too much fat content and while they may grow faster on rats, they won't grow as well. A slow-grown baby is healthier and mice are better for this. And feed only every 7-10 days - no more frequently than every 7!! :gj:

I do not own the parents. The people who own the parents are far less then responsible owners, and how I came to own this little one. He/she has not had its first shed yet to my knowledge, barely 2 weeks old. The parents are housed together permanently and its a "surprise" litter. I have a picture on my phone but no matter what I try I cant get it to my computer. Its driving me nuts lol. The mother is definitely Argentine. The father is the one im less sure about aside from him being a red tail. I wouldn't normally take a baby from John Doh but the price was right and I want to give the little one a good chance with a proper home. They had 52 little ones and all looked almost identicle to mine except some had tails where the red is all blended together. That was the only real difference I saw in any. They were pretty desperate to get rid of the babies and seemed to have no want to try and start them all. I hope they took my advice and called the local reptile store to see if they were interested or would help them home them. I didn't stick around long when I saw their two 16 foot burms also housed together with a clutch of eggs in the pen. The owners idea of keeping them safe till they hatch was putting a tub over top of them so the father couldn't crush anymore of them slithering around....

Looks like a good start. Took his/her first rat pup for me. Couple snatch and drops then on the third strike I managed to angle the rat so it went far into the mouth head first, after that, swallowed and went back to resting happy as can be. Now to wait for that first shed.

* edit* Appreciate the advice on feeding. I have been pouring over info online and found some similar. Unfortunately I don't have mice readily avaliable atm, but I had very very small rat pups from a friends liter, so I opted for those for the moment.

http://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w.../100950573.jpg

Finally beat my phone into submission. This is the parents.

Glad he ate for you! Baby boas aren't usually hard to start, but still, that's good news.


Meh.... I still don't see Argentine. The female in the pic looks more Nicaraguan than Argentine to me. Without papers (ie, proof of purchase from a reputable breeder who sold it as an Argie), it's anyone's guess. Not that that is all that important - it's a nice looking baby either way! :gj:



Why - WHY - do all the big litters happen to irresponsible owners???? :mad:

Good for you for giving at least one baby a good home.