columbian/hog island boa

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woowee jaxson is a fiesty little fellow!

Hes hissing and lunging at us. we threw in a mouse crawler (eyes closed) because the mother mouse is eating her litter we figured we might as well get something out of it and we knew he was due to eat.. hes MAD! he ate the first one and when we stuck the second one in there he was pretty much lunging out of the cage! my husband is not very happy about it at all. someone tell me its just him being stressed due to new environment exc.. im pretty certain thats what it is on top of scarey creepy arms reaching in at him with moving into a new home, exc.

Actually, I would call that a feeding response. Some boas have a very intense feeding response (I know my little Morgaine does, according to Jo... she waits on the side of the tub she knows the rats going to be dropped into and is lunging up at it even before the enclosure is fully open. This is only on feeding day.. every other day, she's a sweetie pie).

It's possibly he's just really hungry, and you've triggered his feeding response by dropping those mice in there.

Stress could be another factor... I know my little boy Gwydion was hissy when I first put him in his new enclosure. But since hook training him, I haven't had a bit of trouble.

Give him some time to adjust... he'll wind down.

thank you!! that makes me feel alot better. i did peek in and hes still in strike position so i dropped another mouse baby in there (They are tiny) im sure hes hungry, he looks like a little noodle and the shop said they were feeding him every other week and this was his week to eat so hungry im sure!


Edit: hes 2mos old and only 71g is that typical?

Oh definitely! He's a growing baby boa! Lol... he knows when it's time to eat.

It's not detrimental to feed baby boas every couple of weeks. They grow a little slower, obviously, but there are plenty of little neonates out there with good muscle growth that only get fed every two weeks. Personally, I like to feed them every week until their at least a year, and then knock it back to every two weeks (I feed my girl a jumbo every three weeks).

If you get him into a routine, you'll probably have to watch him on feeding day. He'll know when it is, believe it!

ok, working on hopper four. when i opened the bin he was less strikey, just waiting so thats good. when hes done eating were going to put the black construction paper over his bin and leave him alone for a week or so. bet your right little guy must have been STARVING! ((disclaimer)) the mouse crawlers are small yet, eyes closed just creeping around so were not feeding large meals.

He's a little thing... 71 grams seems a little small, but, then again, he is partial hoggie, and they're a little smaller. And remember, that's his weight completely empty since he has been fed in a couple weeks. With that feeding response, he'll fatten up in no time.

A word here: he's always going to look thinner than your BPs. It's the physical make-up of a boa... they look more "boxy". Don't keep feeding him thinking he needs to be more "round" looking. That's a good way to make a boa obese... they won't stop eating when they're full. Just go with the one appropriately sized meal a week (as big around as he is), and that'll keep him (you'll notice he'll start having a nice thick tail).

:) good to know!

I had read somewhere online to keep away from over feeding them. He is like a little noodle i swear lol.. hes at least as long as my six month ball who weighs a good 400g but i know they are lengthly snakes too. thanks for all the help! i really appreciate it

As will all boas, I say go ahead and offer him a small meal. Reasoning, we find that if the snake eats, its comfortable in its new home and it will find a nice warm place to curl up. Never had a problem with this yet and 9/10 times, they eat an hour or 2 out of the shipping box, Zero regurges. As with any new ones, do give him a week or so of no handling. He needs to get used to his new home, theres plenty of time to hold him and fall in love later. You will find that they are nothing like balls, when you let them out to explore, they are EVERYWHERE!!!! Just make sure anything that can be dragged or knocked off is out of their reach!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by ladywhipple02

He's a little thing... 71 grams seems a little small, but, then again, he is partial hoggie, and they're a little smaller.

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You haven't seen small until you see farmed fresh born Nicaraguan babies!!!