Bns really? I was always told to feed until she doesnt have an interest anymore. My female should he laying in the next 2 weeks and she is feeding no problem...... small sizes though
First things first...you said 'laying'...if you're not asking about boas please disregard the following.
One needs to be careful with the word 'interest' as it pertains to boas and food... I've heard keepers say "well she took the rat so she's hungry".
Just because a boa will eat when food is shoved in its face doesn't mean its hungry or that it is best for it while gravid. There is millions of years of genetic programing telling that boa to eat if it gets a chance (for some reason bp's didn't get that program :P).
Mature boas (8 years and up) need very little food to be healthy and perform reproduction. I rarely feed any boas in the winter of any age...most go 3 to 6 months without food every year. The last litter a female Suriname boa had here, she did so with only one meal in a 7+ month period. My Occidentalis has had 6 rabbits in the last two years and is in perfect breeding condition...after the male is done with her this season I will assess her reaction to food and she may get an offering but I won't bat an eye if she doesn't eat until after she gives birth.
I don't have any issue with feeding early during the process but you're rolling the dice the nearer the due date.
If I had to offer just one piece of advice it would be to pay attention to your critters and trust your observations. A boa in my care with day/night/temps offered here will not be the same as a boa raised under different conditions. People have been told many things as it pertains to keeping boas...some of it is useful. ;) -I don't allow what I read or what I've been told to trump my observations.
