Finally took the leap :)

I have been saying for months and months that I wanted a boa, and today I finally got one! Her name is Amelia Rose.
She is a 1 year old 3-4ft long normal BCI "female." I think she is female, but will be having a friend pop her for me once
she is out of quarantine to know for sure. I got her from the Live Oak reptile expo here in San Antonio, Texas.
I held her and I fell completely in love. She is being treated for mites as a preventative. So far she is a doll.
Even going into shed she is inquisitive, and curious. I can't wait to enjoy her for the years to come..

Now for some questions. They guy I got her from said she was on Adult Mice.
To me that seems kinda small for a 3-4 ft boa.
Should I move her to small rats?

Actually I think that is the only question I have right now. :)

Now for some pictures. I will post more after she sheds, and settles down. So she is a little dull and dark in these pics.
Typical boa pics, shes halfway out of the shot :P Ignore my stupid faces please my friend and I were being dorks.

http://i39.tinypic.com/9hqfzo.jpg

http://i41.tinypic.com/icjv3p.jpg

Congratulations! When you feed her, you want to feed a meal small enough that it doesn't leave a noticeable lump. Boas metabolism is slower. But judging her size in the picture, I would think she could eat something larger than a mouse.

At her age and being female I would go ahead and swap her to a medium rat every other week if you buy in bulk, but if you just buy a few weeks at a time then small rats every week would be fine. Do not worry too much about the "slower" metabolism, at this stage she is going to start getting in some extra muscle that is going to burn some major fat. My 8ft adult female eats an xxl rat every two weeks.

I personaly prefer to feed boas small meals more often as apposed to larger less frequent meals. I've got 6' females that eat 1 and occasionally 2 medium rats every week. At her size I would probably use either smalls or even large pups weekly. As has been stated boas have slow metabloisms, but they also have huge apitights so it's really easy to over feed them. She's been on mice up till now and she's looks about perfect as far as body wieght goes. Remember rats are far higher in fat then mice. Just feed her a relatively small meal weekly and moniter her weight. If she looks thin up her food a little, if she starts getting chubby back it off. She should always have a square muscular body shape. Far to many bread loaded shaped boas out there.

So I guess I will start her on Small rats. I buy these anyway for my bp and I can see if it leaves a lump in her. If it does ill go down to lg pups?
At her age would I feed weekly or bi weekly?
Should I wait to feed after she sheds?
What can I use as a hide for her?
Right now temporarily she is in a 3ft x 2ft x 1ft tub. I know not ideal but she was last minute purchase.
She has a hot spot of 90 and ambient of 78-80. A large water dish. And she is on paper towels for the time being since she is being treated for mites.
Does all this sound about okay for right now until a few months when I can buy her a big boa enclosure?

1.0 Ball Pythons(Twizzler)
1.0 Cat (Loki)

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Originally Posted by PorcelainxDoll

So I guess I will start her on Small rats. I buy these anyway for my bp and I can see if it leaves a lump in her. If it does ill go down to lg pups?
At her age would I feed weekly or bi weekly?
Should I wait to feed after she sheds?
What can I use as a hide for her?
Right now temporarily she is in a 3ft x 2ft x 1ft tub. I know not ideal but she was last minute purchase.
She has a hot spot of 90 and ambient of 78-80. A large water dish. And she is on paper towels for the time being since she is being treated for mites.
Does all this sound about okay for right now until a few months when I can buy her a big boa enclosure?

1.0 Ball Pythons(Twizzler)
1.0 Cat (Loki)

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The set up sounds fine. The minimum for her, in my opinion, is a small rat every seven days. I maintained roughly 20-30 adult boas plus seasonal offspring for almost 8 years and that is what experience has taught me...some one else does it different and also has pristine specimens. I always let my personal boas decide on their own, my female was always voracious, therefore I fed her well...my male was never so therefore he did not like frequent feedings. Both are beautiful adults now with well rounded physiques...do what you and your animal is comfortable with. I started biweekly feedings at the 5-6ft mark.

My boas seem to like it a bit cooler I have noticed. I would try feeding her every 10 days and see how that goes. I have fed mine in shed. Just not while they are totally blue. Boas (at least mine) take longer to go through the shed cycle than balls do.

You guys are awesome.
About how long will she be okay In the tub I have her in?
Right now she has the complete pink belly but no blue eyes yet. I know shes going into shed though because she is a little wrinkly and her eyes are getting a little milky.
I will try to feed her in about 5-10 days unless she is completely in blue.
Any other advice you experienced boa owners can give to me would be greatly appreciated :)

1.0 Ball Pythons(Twizzler)
1.0 Cat (Loki)

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Originally Posted by PorcelainxDoll

You guys are awesome.
About how long will she be okay In the tub I have her in?
Right now she has the complete pink belly but no blue eyes yet. I know shes going into shed though because she is a little wrinkly and her eyes are getting a little milky.
I will try to feed her in about 5-10 days unless she is completely in blue.
Any other advice you experienced boa owners can give to me would be greatly appreciated :)

1.0 Ball Pythons(Twizzler)
1.0 Cat (Loki)

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You have a little while, but i would go ahead and buy one for the sake of productivity. Boa master has a sale with free shipping on these I believe...
http://boamaster.com/products/4ft_ec...ing-138-3.html

If a boas is round, that means they're being over fed. Their body should be a more square shape, not round. Whoa! Bi-weekly fed adults sounds way too much if you're feeding the appropriate sized prey. Obesity is very common in boas, so I agree with Jason. Small rats are a good start. Weaned rats is the alternative size if the small is too large.

Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk 2

Congrats on her!

At her size I would be doing small rats every 10 days. I feed my boas smaller meals on a 7, 10, then 14 day schedule (baby, sub-adult, adult) with fine results. You don't need to stuff these guys with food to get them to large sizes healthily: here's my June '10 male who despite not being fed overly frequently and not giving him huge meals went through some nice growth spurts and he's currently on a large (not xlrg, not xxxlrg, not jumbo) rat every 14-17 days:

http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i3...psf0418070.jpg

http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i3...ps71c8cfef.jpg

The tub should last you a while, but note that sometimes when these guys go through a spurt they really spurt! I would look into at least a 4' cage for her, recommending a 6' for female Colombians. I really like Animal Plastics cages.

For feeding in blue: all but one of my boas will eat while in shed so I'd try her if you like.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by satomi325

If a boas is round, that means they're being over fed. Their body should be a more square shape, not round. Whoa! Bi-weekly fed adults sounds way too much if you're feeding the appropriate sized prey. Obesity is very common in boas, so I agree with Jason. Small rats are a good start. Weaned rats is the alternative size if the small is too large.

Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk 2

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Bi-weekly as in every other week...if this definition has changed to mean feedings twice a week then my apologies for any confusion.

Bi-weekly can mean either. It's always annoyed me :P

Anyhow, welcome to the wonderful world of boas! "She" has some pretty neat markings! Boas are a blast, and easily my favorite reptile.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Physician&Snakes

Bi-weekly as in every other week...if this definition has changed to mean feedings twice a week then my apologies for any confusion.

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Yeah. I understood it as twice a week. No worries.

Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk 2

So this is her temporary set up for now until I can save up for the 4x2x? or the 6x2x?.
I still am not sure what to use as a hide for her. I think for now I want to just get one for the hot side, because she seems to be just fine without one.
Also once her mite treatment is over I am going to put her on Aspen so that she can burrow if she wants too.
On Saturday I am going to go buy a bunch of small rats since my BP is also on smalls. So she will be fed on Saturday. I think for now I am gonna have her on a 10 day schedule until I see if she needs more or less.
I really hope that I am doing things okay. I want her to be happy.

http://i44.tinypic.com/35kprmw.jpg



I cant wait to take more pictures of her once she has eaten and the mite treatment is over! Shes so stinking pretty!!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by jason_ladouceur

I personaly prefer to feed boas small meals more often as apposed to larger less frequent meals. I've got 6' females that eat 1 and occasionally 2 medium rats every week. At her size I would probably use either smalls or even large pups weekly. As has been stated boas have slow metabloisms, but they also have huge apitights so it's really easy to over feed them. She's been on mice up till now and she's looks about perfect as far as body wieght goes. Remember rats are far higher in fat then mice. Just feed her a relatively small meal weekly and moniter her weight. If she looks thin up her food a little, if she starts getting chubby back it off. She should always have a square muscular body shape. Far to many bread loaded shaped boas out there.

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Quote:

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Originally Posted by DooLittle

My boas seem to like it a bit cooler I have noticed. I would try feeding her every 10 days and see how that goes. I have fed mine in shed. Just not while they are totally blue. Boas (at least mine) take longer to go through the shed cycle than balls do.

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Quote:

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Originally Posted by Daybreaker

Congrats on her!

At her size I would be doing small rats every 10 days. I feed my boas smaller meals on a 7, 10, then 14 day schedule (baby, sub-adult, adult) with fine results. You don't need to stuff these guys with food to get them to large sizes healthily: here's my June '10 male who despite not being fed overly frequently and not giving him huge meals went through some nice growth spurts and he's currently on a large (not xlrg, not xxxlrg, not jumbo) rat every 14-17 days:

The tub should last you a while, but note that sometimes when these guys go through a spurt they really spurt! I would look into at least a 4' cage for her, recommending a 6' for female Colombians. I really like Animal Plastics cages.

For feeding in blue: all but one of my boas will eat while in shed so I'd try her if you like.

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All of this material is excellent advice. To sum it up for you, less is better with boas. They do not need as large a prey as ball pythons do, relative to their size. If you're going to switch to rats, start out with one that is comparable in size to the mice you've been feeding, then go up in size slightly. I, personally, would go with a weaned rat and certainly not bigger than a small. A 10 day schedule is appropriate for a boa this size. Remember, even neonates can be on a 10 day schedule.

Boas are garbage disposals and I've never had an issue with one of mine eating while in shed.

Invest in that 4ft cage. You won't be sorry! Pro-Line (Constrictors NW) is excellent, so is Animal Plastics.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by PorcelainxDoll

So this is her temporary set up for now until I can save up for the 4x2x? or the 6x2x?.
I still am not sure what to use as a hide for her. I think for now I want to just get one for the hot side, because she seems to be just fine without one.
Also once her mite treatment is over I am going to put her on Aspen so that she can burrow if she wants too.
On Saturday I am going to go buy a bunch of small rats since my BP is also on smalls. So she will be fed on Saturday. I think for now I am gonna have her on a 10 day schedule until I see if she needs more or less.
I really hope that I am doing things okay. I want her to be happy.

http://i44.tinypic.com/35kprmw.jpg



I cant wait to take more pictures of her once she has eaten and the mite treatment is over! Shes so stinking pretty!!

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Sterilite/Rubbermaid...helping cheap hobbyists house $200 animals in $20 cages since ever. :cool:. Sounds good, hides are up to the individual my female is always out, while my male hides for at least 1/3 of the day.

You could try a cat litter box, the bottom with a hole cut out. Both my boas utilize by their hides.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by DooLittle

You could try a cat litter box, the bottom with a hole cut out. Both my boas utilize by their hides.

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I think this is exactly what I plan on doing. :)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Daybreaker

Congrats on her!

At her size I would be doing small rats every 10 days. I feed my boas smaller meals on a 7, 10, then 14 day schedule (baby, sub-adult, adult) with fine results. You don't need to stuff these guys with food to get them to large sizes healthily: here's my June '10 male who despite not being fed overly frequently and not giving him huge meals went through some nice growth spurts and he's currently on a large (not xlrg, not xxxlrg, not jumbo) rat every 14-17 days:

http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i3...psf0418070.jpg

http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i3...ps71c8cfef.jpg

The tub should last you a while, but note that sometimes when these guys go through a spurt they really spurt! I would look into at least a 4' cage for her, recommending a 6' for female Colombians. I really like Animal Plastics cages.

For feeding in blue: all but one of my boas will eat while in shed so I'd try her if you like.

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This is a BEAUTIFUL male boa!

I think everybody here as a system that works well for them. I think your boa will be fine on medium rats with 10-14 days between feedings. A female BCI will grow quickly and the BCI boas are not known for regure syndrome.

My male BCI with a medium rat at about 14-15 months old.
http://i772.photobucket.com/albums/y...a/DSC00424.jpg

I feed every 10-14 days now as I've used a seasonal and night temp drop.

http://i772.photobucket.com/albums/y...a/DSC00428.jpg

I have recently added the quail equivalent to medium rats to our feeding regime. NOTE: Quail is shaped very differently compared to rats. There is often a huge lump in the snake depending on how they eat the prey. I was very nervous at first.

However quail is an excellent food source. My boa has become longer and LEANER in just 3-4 quail feedings. I've had no trouble with smelly, runny waste. I actually see smaller waste deposits. He utilizes his food well.

http://i772.photobucket.com/albums/y...a/DSC00747.jpg

This is a must! A good cage. There are several sizes and brands.

Like Evenstar, I use Constrictors NW (Pro-Line) cages.

http://i772.photobucket.com/albums/y...a/DSC00753.jpg

The cages are quite affordable and the price INCLUDES shipping.

This snake is a June 2012, Male Barranquilla Colombian BCI. at about 4 feet 3 inches.

http://i772.photobucket.com/albums/y...a/DSC00765.jpg

He is taller than he is wide which is what you'll want to see in your boa. If she begins to round out, get squishy, and not look and feel like pure muscle, you'll want to back down on the feeding.

It is hard to under feed, yet you don't want to restrict a good eater. It's a balance.

A good cage and a decent amount of exercise will promote muscle tone and health.

Welcome to the boa world. You'll love it!

Good luck and enjoy!

I bought her a 48x24x18 boaphile enclosure today :)
I got the 4ft for now and when she gets about 8ft I will upgrade. She will be in her new home Saturday xD

1.0 Ball Pythons(Twizzler)
1.0 Cat (Loki)
0.1 BCI (Amelia Rose)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by PorcelainxDoll

I bought her a 48x24x18 boaphile enclosure today :)
I got the 4ft for now and when she gets about 8ft I will upgrade. She will be in her new home Saturday xD

1.0 Ball Pythons(Twizzler)
1.0 Cat (Loki)
0.1 BCI (Amelia Rose)

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Outstanding! Nice height on the cage, and you will be happy just having a nice plastic enclosure!

Should last her a while I hope :)

1.0 Ball Pythons(Twizzler)
1.0 Cat (Loki)
0.1 BCI (Amelia Rose)