Behira - 2016 Female Ivory Ghost - First BCI

B’s looking great there bro!!

Behira has been hovering around 3.6kg for a while now. She is eating a large rat every 3 weeks and seems happy and healthy. She turned 8 last month, so not sure how much more growing she is going to do.

I may mix up the feeding intervals a little. 2 weeks, 3 weeks, etc. I do not want to feed more than a large rat as the fat content is high and rabbits are not easy to get. I can look into frozen rabbit sources, but either she is good on every 3 weeks, or will grow a little on every 2, but she is lean and I like her that way. I want healthy over large.

She is a good 6.5 ft now and I know she will keep growing, but do not want to force the issue and have her grow quickly at this point. If it takes her years to grow another 1/2 foot or so, that's fine with me.

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Originally Posted by dakski

Behira has been hovering around 3.6kg for a while now. She is eating a large rat every 3 weeks and seems happy and healthy. She turned 8 last month, so not sure how much more growing she is going to do.

I may mix up the feeding intervals a little. 2 weeks, 3 weeks, etc. I do not want to feed more than a large rat as the fat content is high and rabbits are not easy to get. I can look into frozen rabbit sources, but either she is good on every 3 weeks, or will grow a little on every 2, but she is lean and I like her that way. I want healthy over large.

She is a good 6.5 ft now and I know she will keep growing, but do not want to force the issue and have her grow quickly at this point. If it takes her years to grow another 1/2 foot or so, that's fine with me.

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Rabbits are fairly easy to find. Layne Labs has 1-2 pounders. The shipping is a bit crazy but the quality of the food is very good. Sometimes they run out but usually they have them. I haven't ever had to shop around.

I personally would not feed every 2 weeks at her age.

A larger rabbit less frequently is better IMO.

Mix large quail, 1 to 1.5 pound rabbits and large rats into the mix.

If you follow a Rentfro or Vin Russo feeding program, you can take the winter off. They recommend not feeding a boa until all signs of the previous meal are gone. Feeding them before the elimination of their meal is detrimental. There are exceptions to the feeding interval if you are keeping your boa in eternally hot conditions. Obviously the animal will go through digestion faster and will become hungry sooner if this is done year round. I believe this will ultimately shorten the lifespan of the snake. Gus Rentfro had a breeding female in her 20's at one point. It is a shame Gus no longer breeds or writes about his experiences.

The boa here just hit 12 years old and is very lean. I have noticed growth in length especially after this last year.

I think your female will continue to grow. especially if you add rabbits to the diet.

Your animal looks very good. if you are just keeping her as a pet, feed her conservatively from here out and she will be around a long time.

Thank you, Gio! I greatly appreciate your response.

I will keep it at 3 weeks and large rats for a bit and then order rabbits from Layne Labs. I might also be able to get some from local source, but I am not sure of size or availability.

Can't hurt her to feed large rats for a bit more, I imagine.

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Originally Posted by dakski

She turned 8 last month, so not sure how much more growing she is going to do.

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According to her chart, her growth was pretty steady until she was 5.62 years and 2580g. Since, it's been like stairs with dramatic spurts and long pauses. If the pattern holds, she's due for another spurt. Time will tell.

https://i.imgur.com/fSYP2Jt.jpeg

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Originally Posted by Homebody

According to her chart, her growth was pretty steady until she was 5.62 years and 2580g. Since, it's been like stairs with dramatic spurts and long pauses. If the pattern holds, she's due for another spurt. Time will tell.

https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...m/fSYP2Jt.jpeg

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I was thinking about this as well. It seems every time I move up a prey size after a plateau, she grows again.

However, at the age she is now, I want to move up prey size more slowly, I think anyway.

I was looking at Layne Labs and they have XS Rabbits which are .5-1 pounds. The large rats are about .5 pounds. That seems like the next logical step.

Any feedback, as always, is welcome.

Thank you Homebody and Gio!

To each their own but I feed my BCI everything from medium to jumbo rats, along with large hamsters, every 3 weeks and he's still pretty lean. I usually save the rabbits for my BCO, olive, and scrub but I might give the BCI one soon too. I know he can handle it.

FWIW- Cold Blooded Cafe has xs rabbits (1-1.5 lbs.) for much less than Layne Labs. The shipping is usually less expensive as well.

https://www.coldbloodedcafe.com/small-rabbits.html

Behira shed today and looks great. She is noticeably over 8 pounds now.

She is still such a docile and inquisitive snake. Frankly, she's awesome.

https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach.../IMG_5295.jpeghttps://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...)_IMG_5293.pnghttps://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach.../IMG_5296.jpeg