Feeding schedule change and sudden aggression?

I have an 11 month old male boa. He is huge! 4ft and some odd inches. I've been told by countless people that he is too young to be that large. I got him in August when he was only a foot some long. He was so tiny. I fed him once a week on prey roughly the size of his girth. Two months ago, after some advice from people here, I started feeding him on a two week schedule. Ever since then he has become aggressive. He is fine about a few days after being fed but by the fifth or say day he is snappy. He snaps at us whether the door to his cage is open or not. Reaching for him definitely results in a bite if we are not quick enough. This only started when we changed his feeding schedule.

Will he calm down or should I return him to his usually feeding schedule? He is currently on small rats. Medium rats are too big, small rats are just slightly smaller then his girth. He was an awesome snake before the change.

Boa's are notorious for having a ridiculous feeding response, now that his feedings have decreased his feeding response increased which is normal. I would suggest moving him up to a 10 day feeding schedule and see if it helps get his demeanor back to where it was before the change. I would also review your husbandry to make sure the humidity/temperature are correct, has there been any changes to his enclosure or an increase in traffic near his area?
He does sound rather large, are you positive he is not a female? As long as he is of an appropriate weight i honestly wouldn't be too concerned.

I would try a ten day schedule also and see if his attitude improves. Also length isn't nearly as big a factor as his girth - as long as his body shape is good, nice and square rather than round - then he's not fat. Some just grow faster than others.

He is about 1100g (haven't weighed him in a couple months, but he was exactly 1041g March 21). Nothing has changed in his cage. A week ago we changed out his bedding but I do that every month or two anyway but this has been happening for two months so that is not the issue. His humidity ranges from 50%-70%. I use coconut husk and every week I spray. By the seventh day the humidity has gone down to about 50%. He has great sheds and seems to be very healthy. When I bought him, a week I later noticed he had mites. I easily got rid of them and that problem was cleared up almost over night. He is super active at night despite the temperatures dropping to 78F on the hot side at night time. During the day the ambient temps are around 85F on the hot side and about 75F on the cool side. The heat tape is set at 90F and during the day this is where he spends most of his time. He has two hides though he does not use the one on the cool side. He is in a melamine cage with plexiglass (looks like a small cabinet. Two doors that swing open. The doors are wooden with plexiglass in them). It is 5ft x 2ft x 14in. He has been in this enclosure since we bought him.

I got him from a place called serpent rescue group. They had him labeled as a male but I have no clue how to sex a boa. Ball pythons and corns I am okay either popping or probing but not our boa. I will put him on a 10 day cycle and see if there is any change. This Wednesday is his next feeding so I will feed him then and offer another rat 10 days after that.

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Originally Posted by bcr229

I would try a ten day schedule also and see if his attitude improves. Also length isn't nearly as big a factor as his girth - as long as his body shape is good, nice and square rather than round - then he's not fat. Some just grow faster than others.

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He has that loaf of bread look to him. I am not even sure if he is full bred. He could be half BCC for all I know. I was told he was a BCI but I am not too sure and if he is crossed I was wondering if this could have something to do with his amazing growth? He came from a rescue group so they probably are not 100% sure. They did not have the parents, just the babies.

Loaf of bread, kinda square, is the right shape. Round like a BP is fat. Sounds like he's OK

You may also want to start hook training him if you haven't already. A light rub with the hook along his neck or side is often all that's needed to break the food response.

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Originally Posted by bcr229

You may also want to start hook training him if you haven't already. A light rub with the hook along his neck or side is often all that's needed to break the food response.

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Ahhh, what a good idea... I usually use a paper towel roll to block his view of me if he looks like he is going to strike at me (I wont bother with it if he seems friendly at that moment). Once I have him in my hands he is fine, so hook training may be a better I dea. Thanks.

If he is a rescue boa then I would bet that they had his age wrong. Not that it plays into his aggression issue at all, but rescues are notorious for getting the age and sex wrong. Likely he was underfed as a hatchling and was super small for his age, leading the rescue to inappropriately set his age too young. He could have been malnourished, and associated that with mistreatment and reacted aggressively. Once you acquired him and brought his food intake up he likely calmed down and the aggression dissipated. Spreading out his food schedule could likely bring back the association of neglect. If he isn't overweight on the weekly food schedule then why change? Every snake is distinct in its growth and metabolic rate, so weekly feedings might be right for him.

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Originally Posted by JoshSloane

If he is a rescue boa then I would bet that they had his age wrong. Not that it plays into his aggression issue at all, but rescues are notorious for getting the age and sex wrong. Likely he was underfed as a hatchling and was super small for his age, leading the rescue to inappropriately set his age too young. He could have been malnourished, and associated that with mistreatment and reacted aggressively. Once you acquired him and brought his food intake up he likely calmed down and the aggression dissipated. Spreading out his food schedule could likely bring back the association of neglect. If he isn't overweight on the weekly food schedule then why change? Every snake is distinct in its growth and metabolic rate, so weekly feedings might be right for him.

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OP said in the post that it was only around a foot when he got it. I dont think it is a rescue issue

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Originally Posted by JoshSloane

If he is a rescue boa then I would bet that they had his age wrong. Not that it plays into his aggression issue at all, but rescues are notorious for getting the age and sex wrong. Likely he was underfed as a hatchling and was super small for his age, leading the rescue to inappropriately set his age too young. He could have been malnourished, and associated that with mistreatment and reacted aggressively. Once you acquired him and brought his food intake up he likely calmed down and the aggression dissipated. Spreading out his food schedule could likely bring back the association of neglect. If he isn't overweight on the weekly food schedule then why change? Every snake is distinct in its growth and metabolic rate, so weekly feedings might be right for him.

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The babies were a surrender. The owner of the mother did not know he bought a pregnant snake. So they know that the birth date was around June. I got him in August. He snapped really hard at me this morning to the point hitting the door with suck force my husband that I dropped something.

4' is rather large for a yearling, they're normally 2'-3' (mine was 2.5'), but 4' at a year old isn't too unheard of. Males grow a bit faster than females.

Some snakes do react negatively to having their feeding schedules spread out. I haven't experienced it in any of my snakes so far, luckily, but I've heard others say they did. I would say double-check your husbandry as well.

What is your set up like? A 5'x2' enclosure is a bit large for a 4' boa, housing a snake up to 7', so maybe for some reason he now feels he's too exposed? You could try adding some hides and fake plants if you feel it's a bit open.

I second the hook option. It will keep him away from you while still alerting him to your presence, which may give him enough time to settle down before reaching in for him.

I still think you should just go back to your original feeding regimen and continue it unless he becomes overweight. Personally I would rather have a fed, satiated and happy snake than save a few bucks on rats, but have an angry and unmanageable animal. The set feeding schedules that others on here use don't have to apply to your situation. Each animal is different and requires unique care. Just cause others feed on a 10 or 14 day interval doesn't mean you have to. Just take the size of the animal you would normally give at 14 days and just break it into two feedings that occur weekly. Keeps your animal at a healthy weight and satisfied.

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Originally Posted by JoshSloane

I still think you should just go back to your original feeding regimen and continue it unless he becomes overweight. Personally I would rather have a fed, satiated and happy snake than save a few bucks on rats, but have an angry and unmanageable animal. The set feeding schedules that others on here use don't have to apply to your situation. Each animal is different and requires unique care. Just cause others feed on a 10 or 14 day interval doesn't mean you have to. Just take the size of the animal you would normally give at 14 days and just break it into two feedings that occur weekly. Keeps your animal at a healthy weight and satisfied.

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I hear what you are saying but the next size under a small rat here is a rat pup (petsmart food, what can I say?), that is the size of his tail. I would rather have a healthy snake and feed aggressive snake then an obese snake that may one day cost me hundreds of dollars in vet bills. I am not feeding less to save money, believe me... I have a bunch of other snakes and the boa already costs me less then some of the other snakes I have so that is not the issue. My boa is a healthy weight for his size as far as I know but he is huge. 4ft for a boa whose first birthday next month is very big. Over feeding a boa is more risky then over feeding a ball python for example. I am moving him to a ten day schedule and eventually back to a 14 day schedule and we will do this gradually to get him used to it. If he is still aggressive with ten day feedings then that is how it will be. I will love him just the same and care for him just the same.

No offense but I think you are overplaying how much a 7 day feeding schedule will induce obesity in snakes. When people power-feed an animal into obesity they are giving it multiple large prey items every 3-4 days. An appropriately sized prey item every week is not going to make it obese. Especially for a young growing boa. If this was a 5 year old adult I would say to slow back on food. Youre overthinking this.

I have a almost two year old female. I would say she is 3 1/2-4 feet. I feed her every 7 days on weaned f/t rats. I have tried moving her to 10 and 14 day schedules. YIKES!! If you want to handle her at all, you keep her on a 7 day schedule. That being said, she is not fat at all. Some snakes just need more frequent, and as long as you watch their weight there is nothing wrong with it.

Realize that they are also more active than say, BPs. If snake is grumpy is hungry. 7 days is pretty normal for at least a couple years to my understanding.

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Originally Posted by BCS

I hear what you are saying but the next size under a small rat here is a rat pup (petsmart food, what can I say?), that is the size of his tail. I would rather have a healthy snake and feed aggressive snake then an obese snake that may one day cost me hundreds of dollars in vet bills. I am not feeding less to save money, believe me... I have a bunch of other snakes and the boa already costs me less then some of the other snakes I have so that is not the issue. My boa is a healthy weight for his size as far as I know but he is huge. 4ft for a boa whose first birthday next month is very big. Over feeding a boa is more risky then over feeding a ball python for example. I am moving him to a ten day schedule and eventually back to a 14 day schedule and we will do this gradually to get him used to it. If he is still aggressive with ten day feedings then that is how it will be. I will love him just the same and care for him just the same.

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Look into buying bulk frozen feeders online, especially if you have a lot of snakes. Even with shipping costs included you will likely save some money. Also, I've noticed that the Petco/PetSmart "Arctice Mice" brand tends to run their feeders on the smaller side of the range, where when you order bulk frozen you get a mix of smaller and larger feeders within a range. So, your boa could handle a large-ish small rat or a small-ish medium rat, rather than the always small-ish small rats from the big box store.

If you do go back to 7 or 10 day feedings but are still concerned with your boa getting overweight, get him out and handle him a bit more each day, take him outside to roam around in the grass, etc. In the wild these animals would be getting a lot more exercise than they get in captivity, especially in the days leading up to a meal, as they would be out hunting. And yes, you're right that many boas in captivity are fat if not downright obese, so I applaud you for trying to prevent it with yours.

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Originally Posted by Chaoticpythons

I have a almost two year old female. I would say she is 3 1/2-4 feet. I feed her every 7 days on weaned f/t rats. I have tried moving her to 10 and 14 day schedules. YIKES!! If you want to handle her at all, you keep her on a 7 day schedule. That being said, she is not fat at all. Some snakes just need more frequent, and as long as you watch their weight there is nothing wrong with it.

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Agreed! My lipstick albino adult female is about as puppy dog tame as it gets. She wont even strike at the feeders, just slowly investigates and begins to ingest them. I once had to wait an extra week to feed her due to traveling, and the second the rat entered the room she began to strike the glass. Point is, the feeding response is by far the most well developed of all traits in snakes. Especially in boas it seems to rule their every move. Keeping them on the hungry side only sets you up for issues. Like bcr said, just handle the snake a bit more and you will be fine. Obese snakes result from ridiculous feeding schedules paired with feeders that are way too big.

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Originally Posted by BCS

He has that loaf of bread look to him.

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Best description ever. :yes:

I did move him to 10 day feeding. He is now just over 1200g and seems to be growing with every meal. Not really sure why he is getting so big so fast. He is less aggressive now, kind of. I have been hook training him (but only for about week now) but it seems to be working.

My boa is actually not that active. He stays in his hide all day, comes out only to defecate. He even eats in his hide. When we take him out he is usually active for 15 minutes and then bunkers down in our laps and will stay there for hours. I swear I do not have a normal boa. He seems to act differently, grow differently and has low power. But as for the aggression, he still acts like he wants to bite but he hasn't lunged at us for about a week. I am not sure if that is because we have been using the hook but it is a lot better then being scared to pick up a snake that 3/4 your height. (I'm short). He is a puppy once you have him in your hands nd he isn't even head shy.