Dumeril Boa Rescue

Tomorrow I am going to pick up a Dumeril boa. From my understanding the young boy can not get it to feed on a regular basis. I always do research on any reptile before I buy it. After listening to how it was kept in its cage and substrate I think I have found out what the snake needs before it will feed properly. His mom said she might also have all the vet records to see that it has a clean bill of health.

These snakes are ambush hunters. They like to burrow then explode on there prey. (From what I have read)
After reading everything I could find on these snakes I am wondering if the substrate should be aspen or coco fiber. Which one would be easier for the snake to burrow in. Which is going to be more natural for it.

Any other tips or tricks for getting a Dumeril to feed would be appreciated.

I honestly think the snake is not eating because it needs a little better care.

i dont have a durmeril boa but i used to keep my boas on aspen and it was very easy for them to burrow in it

thats my $.02 sorry i cant be of more help

Dumeril's are ambush hunters yes, but they can also be very picky eaters, from prey to husbandry. One of the things I've done for mine, and heard of others doing as well, is putting them in a tub and covering it with a dark pillowcase something similar to black it out. Leave them be and see what happens. Of course this is only really wise with F/T, I wouldn't leave it unattended with anything live. My girl would only eat in total privacy for about the first few months. Now she doesn't care in the least, and she'll eat whatever I give her, be it F/T or live it doesn't matter, but it can take time.

It could be a husbandry issue, it could be a prey issue, it could be many things. Just get the basic husbandry correct and move forward from there. It sounds like its been eating, just not on a regular schedule.

As far as the substrate goes, I've used both off and on but I typically use aspen and then coco fiber in a humid hide. Aspen is great for burrowing, and little less messy.

Do you know how old it is?

Good luck to you, post up some pics and whatever other information you get about him once you pick him up. They are awesome snakes, my favorite.

I will post pics tonight after I pick it up. I am going to thaw a hopper tonight just to see if I can get him to eat. If he wont take it I have a ball python that will snatch it up real quick.

A mouse hopper is way too small for even a hatchling Dum. I'd go for a rat pup at least.

And unless you know for sure the last time they tried to feed it, you might just want to let it be for a 5 days or so and let it settle in. Don't wanna push a problem feeder even further off course.

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Originally Posted by xscorpio

A mouse hopper is way too small for even a hatchling Dum. I'd go for a rat pup at least.

And unless you know for sure the last time they tried to feed it, you might just want to let it be for a 5 days or so and let it settle in. Don't wanna push a problem feeder even further off course.

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Cool thanks for the heads up. Maybe I am thrown off by the size of the snake then. They said he was 1 and half to 2 foot long yet.

Should I isolate the snake for 5 days. Keep him out of main traffic areas in his own private room?

I own a Dumeril's boa, and they are actually pretty easy to care for. I keep my girl on Aspen Bedding and she does just fine on that. These snakes love to burrow so the substrate would need to be deep, maybe 2-3 inches.

These snakes do happen to be finicky eaters, so I wouldn't be surprised if it refuses the first few feedings for you. When you get it into your home make sure the husbandry is spot on and leave it alone for a week.

Mine was terribly a picky eater and would refuse food for the first 2 months I had her. I finally got her to eat live and it stayed that way for about 6 months until she finally accepted F/T. Now for the last 2-3 weeks she's been refusing, so I'm going to try to feed her live.

These snakes like to eat without anyone watching them, so when you do put whatever your feeding it in the enclosure, just put it in there by the snake and leave it alone. I would check on it every hour to make sure the snake took it. Try doing this at night in a dark room, this would help A LOT. When you put the prey item in the enclosure, turn off all lights so that it is dark in the room and shut the door on your way out. I noticed that they love to hunt in the dark, since they are nocturnal, and they eat better this way.

Good luck with the boa!

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Originally Posted by Drewhop

Cool thanks for the heads up. Maybe I am thrown off by the size of the snake then. They said he was 1 and half to 2 foot long yet.

Should I isolate the snake for 5 days. Keep him out of main traffic areas in his own private room?

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They are a decently thick snake even at birth. Just eyeball it once you get it and use your best judgement. Better a little on the small side (a little) than too big if its been a pickey eater imo. And yeah, keep it isolated and try to give it as much privacy as you reasonably can at first.

Either is fine, I use aspen.

So here are a few pics of the Dumeril I picked up. From my understanding she is between 1 year and year and half old. If i had to compare size of him with my ball python who was born July 4th 2009. They are almost same size. The Dumeril is only slightly longer. My 3 month old ball python is much thicker.
The dumeril also has what looks like excess skin cause obviously she is underfed.

She seems active and alert. Does not seem weak. Has a lil bit of stuck shed on her body. She is going to get a nice pillow case soak tomorrow. Tonight I will let her get comfortable and find a spot to relax. I am going to cover her aquarium with a sheet so that she can get some nice peaceful rest. Hopefully she will burrow in. She does not have a water bowl in the pictures but that pic was 5 minutes after I put her in the aquarium. She now has a shallow water bowl and the cold side hide has been moved a lil bit.

She is only in a 10 gallon aquarium at the moment. I thought at her current size a larger tank may not be necessary (yet).

I have rescued 2 other reptiles so far. (And more fish then I can count)
Any pointers would be appreciated I will keep progress pics updated.

Enough rambling here are some pics

http://i339.photobucket.com/albums/n...1/DSC02153.jpg

http://i339.photobucket.com/albums/n...1/DSC02154.jpg

http://i339.photobucket.com/albums/n...1/DSC02148.jpg

For size comparison this is a picture of my ball python in the exact same container when he was only 2 months old
http://i339.photobucket.com/albums/n...1/DSC02090.jpg

That tank seems to be just fine for now. I would recommend doing that pillow case soak in 3-4 days, just because it would be a lot of stress on the snake since it's in a new home.

Here's my Dumeril's boa, she's only about a year and a half old:

http://i609.photobucket.com/albums/t...z/DSC00781.jpg

The hatchlings seem to be slender, but once they've lived a few years they start to put on some bulk.

Small update. The dumeril is now burrowing. It took about 2 days for it to start relaxing. It has drank a lil water must have been dehydrated. This weekend I am going to get some Rat pinkies (only thing that previous owner had not tried to feed it).

I have a friend who breeds rats and maybe if I scent the area and leave a wiggler in there for a while it might provoke a feeding response.

I really dont want to have to force feed the snake. So I am going to try every possible way of making it remember how to be a lethal killing machine again.:taz:

WOOHOOO!!!!!!!

As of 10/18 at 945pm. The dumeril ate his very first meal (without being force-fed) in the past year and a half. He ate a good sized baby rat. Just opened its eyes(i dont know what size that is). 32 Grams of rat goodness. Weighed rat before I fed him.

Hope it perks him up and helps him fill his baggy skin out a lil bit. I wish I would have got the chance to weigh him before he ate. But he has been in isolation since we got him.

I am so proud that I got this boa to remember he is a predator. I feel like I have really accomplished something.

Going to give him a couple days alone some more to get it all nice and digested and give him a nice soak to get his previous stuck shed off him.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Drewhop

WOOHOOO!!!!!!!

As of 10/18 at 945pm. The dumeril ate his very first meal (without being force-fed) in the past year and a half. He ate a good sized baby rat. Just opened its eyes(i dont know what size that is). 32 Grams of rat goodness. Weighed rat before I fed him.

Hope it perks him up and helps him fill his baggy skin out a lil bit. I wish I would have got the chance to weigh him before he ate. But he has been in isolation since we got him.

I am so proud that I got this boa to remember he is a predator. I feel like I have really accomplished something.

Going to give him a couple days alone some more to get it all nice and digested and give him a nice soak to get his previous stuck shed off him.

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Congrats!! I'm so glad to hear it has taken in a meal. Hopefully after a few feedings the snake will start to get larger in bulk and fill out that baggy skin. I would love to see pictures once that snake has gotten the shed off and once the snake becomes fat & healthy :]

Congrats. Doing good for a snake plus you got a sweet snake. I really like dumerils boas. I may get one someday, after I get a red tail first :gj:

Tonight decided to give him a bit of a soak. Mind you I have only had this snake a very short time so much of its history is mystery to me.

Here is the scary part. What I thought was baggy skin in some places. Was actually MULTIPLE stuck sheds. I soaked for about 20 minutes. He was not happy about it after 15 so I decided further stressing him out was not worth it. I will let him rest a day or so and then soak him some more. I got most of his stuck sheds off but there are some pieces that I will soak longer to get off easier.

One very large meal has already visually plumped him up and perked up his spirits. He was happy to tell me multiple times with a friendly warning strike that he no longer liked the wash rag after 15 minutes.

Everyone has told me that these snakes have nice markings and since I have had him I was thought maybe I was missing something. When the stuck sheds starting coming off he is a completely different snake. Georgeous markings.

I would take a picture but once he was placed in his aquarium he circled the aquarium twice and burrowed into the substrate. All you can see is about 1" of the tip of his tail.

I will update with some new pics after I get some more shed off and his next feeding. I cant wait to see the pics difference.

Well tonight was a little sad.

When I picked up this snake I told the young kid that I would help nurse it back to health and get it eating. Then I would be interested in teaching him how to properly care for this unique snake. He made a very grown up decision and I have now sent this snake to its third home.

He is a very good friend of mine and has also raised several Dumerils. Luckily I will still be able to visit but this snake was only taken into my home to help nurse her back to health.

I have successfully fed her 3 times got all the stuck shed off she is now off to her new home to live the rest of her life in plump rat happiness. (Friend is also a rat breeder for his extensive collection)

Thanks for all the help now I need to prepare this empty aquarium for my next ball python morph.

Isn't it wonderful! Bless you for being one of the "good guys"