How big will my red tail get??

Hey all. Just curious...my Columbian Red Tail is 1.5 yrs old. Eats one small rat every week and already weighs 1140g. She is not overweight in any way. Very healthy and active (when I get her out 3 days a week, not in her habitat.) This seems pretty large to me. Hopefully this doesn't not mean she will be one of the 10 footers, 50 lbs. She is very, very sweet but my wife will freak if she gets that big. Any reference you have for this age and size would be helpful. Also how often do you feed
yours? There is too much differing opinions online. Thanks!

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Originally Posted by worleybird

Hey all. Just curious...my Columbian Red Tail is 1.5 yrs old. Eats one small rat every week and already weighs 1140g. She is not overweight in any way. Very healthy and active (when I get her out 3 days a week, not in her habitat.) This seems pretty large to me. Hopefully this doesn't not mean she will be one of the 10 footers, 50 lbs. She is very, very sweet but my wife will freak if she gets that big. Any reference you have for this age and size would be helpful. Also how often do you feed
yours? There is too much differing opinions online. Thanks!

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A picture would be a better indication,that does seem quite a decent weight for 1.5 yr old. mine have always been under a 1000g at that age

Mine at that age would probably be on small rat weener every week to ten days
Small rats would be fortnightly

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Lot's of factors to consider. How big were the parents? Prey size and feeding frequency. One small rat a week is a lot of food. I'd back off to an appropriate sized rat every 2 weeks or so depending on her size.

A picture is worth a thousand words.
The boa owners here are very knowledgeable, and with
a picture they can tell you if you're feeding enough or
to much.
You want your boa to live 30 years, right? ;)

Another factor to consider is the sex of the snake. You said "she", so have you confirmed it as a female?

At 1.5 years old, I’d be backing off to feed no more than every 14 days. Boas have slower metabolisms than many pythons and can have a shortened life span when fed too much or often. Obesity really works against these guys. My adult female is 7’ long, and about 18 pounds. She’s fed one xx-large rat every 2-3 weeks.

I agree with everyone here.

I believe that is large for the age. My female BCI is now over 2 1/2 years old and weighs 1,340G.

She eats a medium rat every 3 weeks and is still growing.

Not trying to scare you, but Boas can have serious health issues, and even die very young, from overfeeding. They have very small metabolisms and can be grown on infrequent meals compared with other snakes, even larger constrictors.

Jeff Ronne, the boaphile, did a study many years ago. He fed BCI's a big meal weekly from the time they were born. None lived past 5 years old. I believe there were 20 snakes used in the study. When autopsied, they found that they boas put on size in muscle mass, but the organs could not grow at the same rate and they died from organ failure. They had adult bodies, but juvenile organs.

Also, obesity in adult snakes is a high cause of "premature" death.

Additionally, you say columbian red tail, but I assume you mean a BCI, or BI, not a BCC or true red tail. True red tails should be fed on a very slow growth and long durations between feedings. They are also prone to regurgitation syndrome, which most BCI/BI's are not. Once they develop this, from feeding too often, too large a meal, or some combination, they usually pass away as they are unable to eat.

A female boa can get 6ft+ and 8-12 pounds easily, and maintain that weight on medium rats every 3 weeks or so, or larges every 3-4. They are incredibly efficient with food.

If she is already eating small rats I would feed every 2 weeks, assuming her body condition is good. If she's heavy (again pictures would really help), I would feed every 3 weeks.

Once on mediums feed every 3 weeks.

Up to you how big you want to go with prey, but I believe it's better to feed smaller meals more frequently than large meals infrequently.

If you feed a BCI a ton, they "can" get 7ft+ and 25 pounds plus.

The goal with my female BCI is to keep her around 6FT and 10-14 pounds tops. I want her lean and mean (well she's a doll actually, but you get the point). That should equate to good health, a manageable snake, and a long lived one at that.

Please feel free to ask for clarification or more info. There are some good boa peeps on here, as you have already seen.

Boy thats all some great info! Glad to have a great resource here! I'll definately cut back on the food to at least every 2-3 weeks. There are so many online sites that say to feed more often but would rather have it straight from the horses mouth (so to speak). I would love to upload some pics but honestly have forgotten how to:(. I stay pretty busy and dont have much time for stuff like this.....

Thanks again all!!!