What is worng with my Boa?

My 15 months old male BCI ate a large rat on the 24th of July and went into shedding. He shed his skin on 4th of August and did not poop or eat until now. He usually poops 2 or 3 days after shedding.Today i took him out of his enclosure and he started hissing at me and did not stop until i left the room. He never hissed at me before. I am able to feel a small lump down by his vent. But its small to be that large rat he ate. If it was constipation i think that the lump would have been bigger to match the size of the rat that he ate. I soaked him today for an hour in a a barely warm water and what came out was a yellow urine but no poop. Should i take him to the vet?

You may want to, though he's probably just ready to drop a really large bowel movement.

Also a large rat is a big meal for a 15 month old male boa, both of my two year old male and female are still on small rats and they eat every three weeks.

What is your humidity like? Boas need around 70-80% humidity or they can run the risk of dehydration which combined with eating which uses liquid and shedding which uses liquid could easily back him up. Low humidity is also a big contributor to people who have impaction issues. A well hydrated snake can usually pass a lot of stuff unless you are talking a dish towel or giant paper towel lol.

And like BCR said above and what I said in your other posts....a large rat for a 15 month old snake is too much. Unfortunately you might now start seeing the results of all that stuff as it doesn't build up overnight. Takes a while to compound itself. Like I said, my 6.5' female eats larger rats and she is 5 years old....

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Originally Posted by Sauzo

What is your humidity like? Boas need around 70-80% humidity or they can run the risk of dehydration which combined with eating which uses liquid and shedding which uses liquid could easily back him up. Low humidity is also a big contributor to people who have impaction issues. A well hydrated snake can usually pass a lot of stuff unless you are talking a dish towel or giant paper towel lol.

And like BCR said above and what I said in your other posts....a large rat for a 15 month old snake is too much. Unfortunately you might now start seeing the results of all that stuff as it doesn't build up overnight. Takes a while to compound itself. Like I said, my 6.5' female eats larger rats and she is 5 years old....

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He had constipation before 6 months. The reason for that i think was the substrate i was using. It was a normal plant soil and he swallowed a bit of it when eating. So i changed that to Aspin. He solved his constipation problem at that time alone by drinking lots of water more than he usually drinks. He sheds in one piece always at a humidity level between 70-75. Always the humidity inside his enclosure when not shedding 65-70%. Now he is in a small enclosure, size in feet 3,30 long, 1,65 deep, 1,65 high. because of this he is spending lots of time outside of his enclosure inside a room where the humidity is around 60%. I have ordered his adult enclosure, size in feet 7,20 long, 2,60 deep, 4,60 high. It should arrive at the end of this month.

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Originally Posted by Dutti

He had constipation before 6 months. The reason for that i think was the substrate i was using. It was a normal plant soil and he swallowed a bit of it when eating. So i changed that to Aspin. He solved his constipation problem at that time alone by drinking lots of water more than he usually drinks. He sheds in one piece always at a humidity level between 70-75. Always the humidity inside his enclosure when not shedding 65-70%. Now he is in a small enclosure, size in feet 3,30 long, 1,65 deep, 1,65 high. because of this he is spending lots of time outside of his enclosure inside a room where the humidity is around 60%. I have ordered his adult enclosure, size in feet 7,20 long, 2,60 deep, 4,60 high. It should arrive at the end of this month.

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I wouldnt say eating a little plant soil caused the constipation unless like i mentioned, he was dehydrated. The drinking lots of water is the part that corrected it. In the wild they eat all kinds of stuff mixed in their food...bark, leaves, dirt and whatever else can get mixed in on the floor of a South American jungle lol. All of my boas and retic have eaten stuff from Eco Earth to Reptichips to aspen and they never had a problem. My suriname managed to get her whole mouth so full of Eco Earth, she couldnt close it or remove it. I had to use a Q-Tip to wipe as much as i could out of the sides and front of her mouth and then use the Q-Tip stick to prop her mouth open while i tipped her head downward and used a spray bottle to spray out the Eco Earth. She did this twice. She still had nice juicy huge poops.

I personally feel 65% is a bit low since most people use cheaper hydrometer(myself guilty too) so the accuracy can be as much as 5-10% off which would mean a reading of 65% could really be 55-60%.

And spending lots of time outside shouldnt matter assuming the cage is high enough. My big girl is out for hours upon hours when its hot out as she hates hot weather lol. She spends about 4-5 hours sitting by a fan that pulls in outside air to the room. And she still has big juicy poops lol.

I'm just saying constipation in a snake isnt something that is common and is more of an indicator of husbandry issues. It's kind of like how usually the first thing people jump to in a snake that is acting weird is IBD which isnt common as well. Usually its something like a chemical, trauma, infection or the most common problem, overheating.

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Originally Posted by Sauzo

I personally feel 65% is a bit low since most people use cheaper hydrometer(myself guilty too) so the accuracy can be as much as 5-10% off which would mean a reading of 65% could really be 55-60%.
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I paid for my hydrometer 24 USD. Its not a cheap one. I would say the accuracy can be as much as 2-3% off, not more.
I am taking him to the vet today, i will post an update after that.

He was constipated. I took him to an experienced knowledgeable vet. The poop was solid like a stone. He would not have been able to get it out without a vet help. The vet didn,t mention a particular reason for constipation. Several things could cause it.

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Originally Posted by Dutti

He was constipated. I took him to an experienced knowledgeable vet. The poop was solid like a stone. He would not have been able to get it out without a vet help. The vet didn,t mention a particular reason for constipation. Several things could cause it.

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The snake was dehydrated lol. It doesnt take a rocket scientist to figure that out. If he has been constipated multiple times now, you need to figure out your husbandry. None of my snakes have ever been constipated since i have had them in over 5 years. Even my old BP which i had for 10 years never got constipated.

Not sure why the vet wouldnt talk to you about it. My vet takes note on everything when i bring a new snake to her. It's like 100 questions about husbandry, feeding, temps, history, everything. But my vet is pretty awesome. She saved Allies life when Allie accidently ingested some Provent-A-Mite. She did try and bite the vet a few times when she felt better lol. The vet called me and told me i think Allie is ready to go home now as she took a couple shots at me lol.

Anyways, like i said, constipation is from humidity issues or the snake ate something that was entirely too big and couldnt be digested like a bunch of paper towels, wash cloth or something else like that. A few pieces of coco husk or a pinch of ground up coco husk would not create that kind of blockage.

Also good that the vet got the poop out. I bet it was like uncorking a bottle of shaken champagne lol.

Personally, I have been keeping and breeding boas (normally around 100 boas in the collection up until this past year), and my humidity is in the low 60s. I have never had a constipation issue, and here is why... I feed my boas appropriately. If you are feeding your 15 month old boas large rats, your are putting massive physiological stress on that animal. This, will ultimately result in constipation and very likely death prematurely for that animal. Boas are not built to eat at that rate, but they will if offered. I highly doubt soil was an issue early on either, as remarkably boas and their relatives have been living in the wild, on soil, for millions of years. No boa I have ever caught in the wild looks like a boa from most collections in captivity. Overfeeding is very likely the issue here.

My feeding schedule for adult boas is simple. I do not feed from November through to March. I then feed adult females once every two to three weeks, and males once every three to four weeks. I feed subadult females every 2 weeks and males every 2 to 3. Neonates are feed every 7 to 10 days or so, depending on sex.

Warren

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Originally Posted by Warren_Booth

Personally, I have been keeping and breeding boas (normally around 100 boas in the collection up until this past year), and my humidity is in the low 60s. I have never had a constipation issue, and here is why... I feed my boas appropriately. If you are feeding your 15 month old boas large rats, your are putting massive physiological stress on that animal. This, will ultimately result in constipation and very likely death prematurely for that animal. Boas are not built to eat at that rate, but they will if offered. I highly doubt soil was an issue early on either, as remarkably boas and their relatives have been living in the wild, on soil, for millions of years. No boa I have ever caught in the wild looks like a boa from most collections in captivity. Overfeeding is very likely the issue here.

My feeding schedule for adult boas is simple. I do not feed from November through to March. I then feed adult females once every two to three weeks, and males once every three to four weeks. I feed subadult females every 2 weeks and males every 2 to 3. Neonates are feed every 7 to 10 days or so, depending on sex.

Warren

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You ever get the 'lazy lines' on your big boas from that low of humidity? The vertical creases from them coiling up. I noticed when I kept my humidity around 60% a long time ago, my bigger girls would get those lines. Then when I up'd the humidity to 70-80%, they quit getting them.

And that's just about like my feeding schedule except I don't cool down and 'winterize' my boas. They live in an eternal summer but do get fed less in the winter. I usually do anything on mice every 7-10 days. Then once they hit about 1.5-2 years old, they go to weaned/small rats every 2 weeks. Medium rats every 3-4 weeks. Larges every 3-4 weeks. Rabbits every 4-5 weeks. And males getting the farther end of the feeding scale.

I also generally feed on the smaller side overall for everyone except my retic who isn't happy unless his food is big. Heck my 1.1 year old suriname and 1.2 year old Longicauda are still on hopper mice.

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Originally Posted by Sauzo

The snake was dehydrated lol. It doesnt take a rocket scientist to figure that out. If he has been constipated multiple times now, you need to figure out your husbandry. None of my snakes have ever been constipated since i have had them in over 5 years. Even my old BP which i had for 10 years never got constipated.

Not sure why the vet wouldnt talk to you about it. My vet takes note on everything when i bring a new snake to her. It's like 100 questions about husbandry, feeding, temps, history, everything. But my vet is pretty awesome. She saved Allies life when Allie accidently ingested some Provent-A-Mite. She did try and bite the vet a few times when she felt better lol. The vet called me and told me i think Allie is ready to go home now as she took a couple shots at me lol.

Anyways, like i said, constipation is from humidity issues or the snake ate something that was entirely too big and couldnt be digested like a bunch of paper towels, wash cloth or something else like that. A few pieces of coco husk or a pinch of ground up coco husk would not create that kind of blockage.

Also good that the vet got the poop out. I bet it was like uncorking a bottle of shaken champagne lol.

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He is a truly a great highly educated vet and treating reptilies is one of his specialities. His clinic is always full and he does not charge much. If you ask him he will answer you, but he does not have the time to ask you questions. I am very happy with the outcome. And as you have described it, it was like uncorking a bottle of shaken champagne, and the poop did fly in the air before hitting the ground..lol

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Originally Posted by Warren_Booth

Personally, I have been keeping and breeding boas (normally around 100 boas in the collection up until this past year), and my humidity is in the low 60s. I have never had a constipation issue, and here is why... I feed my boas appropriately. If you are feeding your 15 month old boas large rats, your are putting massive physiological stress on that animal. This, will ultimately result in constipation and very likely death prematurely for that animal. Boas are not built to eat at that rate, but they will if offered. I highly doubt soil was an issue early on either, as remarkably boas and their relatives have been living in the wild, on soil, for millions of years. No boa I have ever caught in the wild looks like a boa from most collections in captivity. Overfeeding is very likely the issue here.

My feeding schedule for adult boas is simple. I do not feed from November through to March. I then feed adult females once every two to three weeks, and males once every three to four weeks. I feed subadult females every 2 weeks and males every 2 to 3. Neonates are feed every 7 to 10 days or so, depending on sex.

Warren

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I know that the large rats he is eating are big for a boa in his age. But he digest such a large rat and poop it out in about 9 days. This is his size of food. Even if Boas in his age are eating small rats. What could have contributed to the constipation is that he ate the rat and went immediately into shedding. Maybe the water in his body was used for the shedding process and not enough water to digest the meal left. Its not that after every large rat he eats he gets constipated. This is only the second time in his life. Next time if he gets constipated i will take him to the vet immediately.

Multiple users have addressed your overfeeding of this boa in multiple threads. Warren Booth is one of the highly knowledgeable people in the boa community. I hope one of these days you're more willing to trust in some of the advise you have been given.

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Originally Posted by AbsoluteApril

Multiple users have addressed your overfeeding of this boa in multiple threads. Warren Booth is one of the highly knowledgeable people in the boa community. I hope one of these days you're more willing to trust in some of the advise you have been given.

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I,m a caring person, not reckless. I thank everybody for their valuable advices. I,m not trying to powerfeed my BCI. I care about him a lot. But i,m doing it my way. i write down everything regarding his feeding and shedding, also watching closely his growth rate. If i notice that anything is not normal i will adjust things. The last time he ate was on the 24th of July. And i,m going to offer him food again next week. And it will be a medium rat this time.

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Originally Posted by Dutti

I,m a caring person, not reckless. If i notice that anything is not normal i will adjust things.

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Is this a joke? You said that the boa has now had digestive issues twice, and you continue to do things your way? It seems to me that "your way" is clearly the inappropriate and dangerous way, and refusing to acknowledge that is reckless to say the least. You are responsible for a life, and jeopardizing his health to do things your way is irresponsible and dangerous.



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How many people go by the 10% of the body weight to determine the size of the feeder.

I am currently debating this - I fed my 1,600 gram boa an 80 gram rat the other night but he never seems satisfied. When I did the math on the 10% of body weight it seemed like a huge rat was in order.

What do you all suggest.

I've been feeding once every two weeks currently. He is about 2.5 or 3 years old.

Thanks

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Originally Posted by L.West

How many people go by the 10% of the body weight to determine the size of the feeder.

I am currently debating this - I fed my 1,600 gram boa an 80 gram rat the other night but he never seems satisfied. When I did the math on the 10% of body weight it seemed like a huge rat was in order.

What do you all suggest.

I've been feeding once every two weeks currently. He is about 2.5 or 3 years old.

Thanks

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That guideline really only works for young ball pythons, once they're adults then can eat small/med rats for life and be fine.

My adult boas get a rat or young rabbit 50-75% of their girth at the widest point, with no or very minimal lump observed after the snake eats. Young boas get a feeder that barely leaves a lump. If the feeder is a bird like chicken or quail I'll go up to the snake's body width but that's because birds are a lot less dense.

For young boas I take their age in years, add 1, and that's the weekly feeding interval. So, under a year they get fed every 7-10 days, at a year every two weeks, at 2 years every three weeks, etc. Once they're adults I feed every 4-6 weeks depending on body condition and whether I expect to pair them that season or not.

FWIW I lost a six year old hypo female last week that was power-fed before I got her (I found out after I bought her). I had a full necro along with tissue samples tested for virii and those came back clean - got those results this morning - but her heart and liver were a mess per the vet. Basically she was a ticking time bomb and her liver finally failed.

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Originally Posted by Sauzo

You ever get the 'lazy lines' on your big boas from that low of humidity? The vertical creases from them coiling up. I noticed when I kept my humidity around 60% a long time ago, my bigger girls would get those lines. Then when I up'd the humidity to 70-80%, they quit getting them.

And that's just about like my feeding schedule except I don't cool down and 'winterize' my boas. They live in an eternal summer but do get fed less in the winter. I usually do anything on mice every 7-10 days. Then once they hit about 1.5-2 years old, they go to weaned/small rats every 2 weeks. Medium rats every 3-4 weeks. Larges every 3-4 weeks. Rabbits every 4-5 weeks. And males getting the farther end of the feeding scale.

I also generally feed on the smaller side overall for everyone except my retic who isn't happy unless his food is big. Heck my 1.1 year old suriname and 1.2 year old Longicauda are still on hopper mice.

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"lazy lines"? Could you explain further, I cant quite picture what these look like.

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Originally Posted by Sauzo

You ever get the 'lazy lines' on your big boas from that low of humidity? The vertical creases from them coiling up. I noticed when I kept my humidity around 60% a long time ago, my bigger girls would get those lines. Then when I up'd the humidity to 70-80%, they quit getting them.

And that's just about like my feeding schedule except I don't cool down and 'winterize' my boas. They live in an eternal summer but do get fed less in the winter. I usually do anything on mice every 7-10 days. Then once they hit about 1.5-2 years old, they go to weaned/small rats every 2 weeks. Medium rats every 3-4 weeks. Larges every 3-4 weeks. Rabbits every 4-5 weeks. And males getting the farther end of the feeding scale.

I also generally feed on the smaller side overall for everyone except my retic who isn't happy unless his food is big. Heck my 1.1 year old suriname and 1.2 year old Longicauda are still on hopper mice.

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"lazy lines"? Could you explain further, I cant quite picture what these look like.

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Originally Posted by dylan815

"lazy lines"? Could you explain further, I cant quite picture what these look like.

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"lazy lines"? Could you explain further, I cant quite picture what these look like.

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"lazy lines" are those vertical creases you see on boas sometimes when they curl up. Basically where it creases, their scales crease. It's not from fat and i only see on bigger boas. My big girls used to get them when i kept the humidity around 60%. Once i raised the humidity to around 70%, i quit seeing them.

thank you, I have seen these a few times on my big boy dexter. I will make sure that the humidity is up!

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Originally Posted by Dutti

If i notice that anything is not normal i will adjust things.

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Dutti, I understand that you are trying to do what's best for your boa, but what counts as "not normal" in your book? I'd say that having problems with constipation twice is not normal, and that something has to change. He definitely won't starve if you cut the size of the rats you're feeding him, in fact, his digestive system will benefit from being relieved of the stress of digesting such a large meal.

I think you need to listen to experienced breeders and handlers. It was said that a poster told you your food size was to large in a different thread and now multiple people in this thread are trying to help you and you shrugged them off. They want your animal to be happy and to help you. And if your vet is "too busy" to ask questions then that's not a vet I would continue going too. This is about the well being of your animal, they rely on you to to PROPERLY take care of them., which means listening to people to know more than you do. I suggest you change your stubborn tone or your animal will suffer again or die. I read this entire thread and was appaled at your lack receptiveness of the feedback given to you.

My boa is really in good hands. As i said i,m watching things carefully. If i gave him small rats, he will need about 4 of them each feeding or he will remain hungry. Not normal to me would be for example if he gets constipated a third time then i will certainly review the size of his meal.

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Originally Posted by Dutti

My boa is really in good hands. As i said i,m watching things carefully. If i gave him small rats, he will need about 4 of them each feeding or he will remain hungry. Not normal to me would be for example if he gets constipated a third time then i will certainly review the size of his meal.

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Not normal a third time???? Twice even once would make me make the changes. You need to listen to these people, they give valuable tips. They have years of experience. I come first if I feel something is not right. and I normally get a very educated answer swiftly.

Don't understand why some people have issue not being right.

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Originally Posted by Newbie39

Not normal a third time???? Twice even once would make me make the changes. You need to listen to these people, they give valuable tips. They have years of experience. I come first if I feel something is not right. and I normally get a very educated answer swiftly.

Don't understand why some people have issue not being right.

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Ask any one of those experts he will tell you that feeding one prey item per feeding is better than feeding multible prey items per feeding. And i am not feeding that often, i,m trying to space it up as much as i can. I can only reduce the size a bit not much. As i said, otherwise i have to feed him multible prey items per feeding which is worst. Nothing to do with being right or wrong. I am not saying that i,m right, just saying not possible to feed him small rats now.

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Originally Posted by Dutti

Ask any one of those experts he will tell you that feeding one prey item per feeding is better than feeding multible prey items per feeding. And i am not feeding that often, i,m trying to space it up as much as i can. I can only reduce the size a bit not much. As i said, otherwise i have to feed him multible prey items per feeding which is worst. Nothing to do with being right or wrong. I am not saying that i,m right, just saying not possible to feed him small rats now.

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You have to leave them hungry, that's the point. They'll eat until they burst if you let them. Opportunistic feeders. Do you feed your dog until he passes out right about to explode? Hopefully not. If you really care about the animal, then do what's right. I don't even know how a snake of the size you describe could eat a rat that big in the first place.

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Originally Posted by Dutti

Ask any one of those experts he will tell you that feeding one prey item per feeding is better than feeding multible prey items per feeding. And i am not feeding that often, i,m trying to space it up as much as i can. I can only reduce the size a bit not much. As i said, otherwise i have to feed him multible prey items per feeding which is worst. Nothing to do with being right or wrong. I am not saying that i,m right, just saying not possible to feed him small rats now.

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I think you're missing the point which is, your boa doesn't need the amount of food you're giving him! I don't know which experts you are referring too, but everything that I've read says that feeding your snake an overly large item is unhealthy and dangerous.

Wow...the amount of "I think I know everything" is astounding to me. You are going to INJURE your snake or even KILL it, because YOU know all and can do no wrong.

And a THIRD time? Are you flipped serious? Get your head out of your snakes behind and see the light again my friend. It should have been corrected the first time but you chose not to listen then either.

Everyone is telling you what you're doing is harmful to your boa, have you considered there may be a reason for that?

You have to really ask yourself, what's more important? Your ego or your snake's health? Is it more important to prove and insist your way is best or making the correct adjustments for your snake to thrive?

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Originally Posted by Dutti

I can only reduce the size a bit not much. As i said, otherwise i have to feed him multible prey items per feeding which is worst.

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I am confused by that statement, you can reduce the size. Nothing wrong with that. It's not ideal to feed smaller multiple, true, but it's also not terrible and it depends on the species. How are you determining what he needs to be fed?
A large boa can and will take a single small prey item. They will adjust over time to it.
Anyways... good luck with your boa.

Lot's of great advise given here. OP, you should take a breath and absorb some of it. Power feeding your boa like that is putting it's long term health at risk. You are already seeing some of the short term problems associated with overfeeding and it's going to get worse. Not trying to jump on the dog pile, but there are some smart folks in this thread. Years and years of real world experience with boas. Both captive bred and wild. You should listen up. Your boa will love you for it and you might learn something in the process.

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Originally Posted by MissterDog

Everyone is telling you what you're doing is harmful to your boa, have you considered there may be a reason for that?

You have to really ask yourself, what's more important? Your ego or your snake's health? Is it more important to prove and insist your way is best or making the correct adjustments for your snake to thrive?

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Of course my snake,s health. He is my beloved boy. He is healthy. There are always exceptions to the rules. All you know that he was consipated 2 times and on large rats. Based on that the assumption was made that he will get injured, get sick and eventually die. It,s difficult for you to judge things like that. I have him since he was one month old and i have devoted lots of time and effort for him. I know his feeding schedule and habits from the begining. The rule is "No Boa in his age should be eating large rats, specially if it was fed live. Because the meal is too big and the risk of injury to the snake is big from a live large rat". Absolutely true but he is an exception to this rule. Give me the benefit of the doubt please and consider him a special case. I,m doing my best to care for him. I will be posting updates about him and you will see how well he is doing.

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Originally Posted by AbsoluteApril

How are you determining what he needs to be fed?
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Based on several things like the time he needs to digest the meal, the time he needs to swallow it. How long after eating he starts getting active again. If he remains hungry after eating or not. His general health and growth

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Originally Posted by Dutti

Of course my snake,s health. He is my beloved boy. He is healthy. There are always exceptions to the rules. All you know that he was consipated 2 times and on large rats. Based on that the assumption was made that he will get injured, get sick and eventually die. It,s difficult for you to judge things like that. I have him since he was one month old and i have devoted lots of time and effort for him. I know his feeding schedule and habits from the begining. The rule is "No Boa in his age should be eating large rats, specially if it was fed live. Because the meal is too big and the risk of injury to the snake is big from a live large rat". Absolutely true but he is an exception to this rule. Give me the benefit of the doubt please and consider him a special case. I,m doing my best to care for him. I will be posting updates about him and you will see how well he is doing.

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I don't doubt that you care for him, I don't question you are dedicating your time to him at all. It's your persistence to ignore the advise from the experienced folk here, explaining to you about the risks and seeing you get defensive when they are giving you reasons why you need to change your approach is what's that's making me question your judgement.

I do sincerely hope you're right and he is a special case, but it's a little concerning that you seem to be dismissing what others are saying with "what I'm doing is fine anyways" attitude.


Best of luck.

Ok looks like you're stuck with your opinion. Hopefully you don't take care of any other animals improperly because you think they are an exception and don't need proper care. Hopefully you will learn from your mistakes. From the stubbornness and ignorance you've shown in this thread, you probably wont, but we can always hope.

Also, how can you say he is an exception when your are experiencing problems directly related to digestion? Like, seriously? I think it's VERY clear what your problem is.

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Originally Posted by tegu

Ok looks like you're stuck with your opinion. Hopefully you don't take care of any other animals improperly because you think they are an exception and don't need proper care. Hopefully you will learn from your mistakes. From the stubbornness and ignorance you've shown in this thread, you probably wont, but we can always hope.

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I,m not saying every animal i have is exceptional. My yearling dumeril boa is on small rats. I,m not saying he is a super boa. But he is really an exception to that rule which i have just mentioned. Why? His size is bigger than his age, he is a skilled talented hunter, he has enough muscle, bones and strong digestive system to crush a large rat.

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Originally Posted by Dutti

Of course my snake,s health. He is my beloved boy. He is healthy. There are always exceptions to the rules. All you know that he was consipated 2 times and on large rats. Based on that the assumption was made that he will get injured, get sick and eventually die. It,s difficult for you to judge things like that. I have him since he was one month old and i have devoted lots of time and effort for him. I know his feeding schedule and habits from the begining. The rule is "No Boa in his age should be eating large rats, specially if it was fed live. Because the meal is too big and the risk of injury to the snake is big from a live large rat". Absolutely true but he is an exception to this rule. Give me the benefit of the doubt please and consider him a special case. I,m doing my best to care for him. I will be posting updates about him and you will see how well he is doing.

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This has got to be a joke. Your snake has been experiencing digestion problems, a "special case" would not have had constipation even once! Constipation doesn't just happen for no reason! Your snake is not an exception to the widely accepted rule that a boa his size should not be eating large rats, and I hope you will come to see this. Hopefully before it's too late.

Wow this argument is still going lol? For your info, you are also overfeeding your dumerils. My 1.2 year old female dumerils is on adult mice still. You do know snakes are designed to go long periods of time without food or small amounts of food. You basically are killing your snakes with kindness.

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Originally Posted by Dutti

Based on several things like the time he needs to digest the meal, the time he needs to swallow it. How long after eating he starts getting active again. If he remains hungry after eating or not. His general health and growth

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Boas can take weeks to digest a meal especially a large rat for such a small snake.

Time it takes to swallow a meal means nothing. My suriname swallows her hopper mice in about 1-2 mins as well as all my other snakes except my retic who takes probably a couple mins longer but he eats XL guinea pigs.

All snakes are hungry. My boas are all coiled up ready for another meal after they finish the first. Doesnt mean they need it or its good for them.

General health isnt going to be evident right away. You wont see the damage done until it has been done. Reptiles are very good at hiding illness as a sick reptile is easy prey.

And growth. Well you are piling food into him, of course he is going to grow. The problem is his organs are not designed to grow that fast so there is enormous stress being put on them. Imagine you working at 110% 24/7 for 10 years. Something would eventually give out.

As for a 'special case', the only special case i see is a boa that was power fed on too big of prey being grown too fast. And by the sounds of it, a dumerils that is there as well. Heck my 4.5' BP gets small rats and even my 5.5' sunglow BCI gets small rats here and there. You will eventually learn with snakes that 'less is more' with most of them especially boas.

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Originally Posted by Sauzo

Boas can take weeks to digest a meal especially a large rat for such a small snake.

Time it takes to swallow a meal means nothing. My suriname swallows her hopper mice in about 1-2 mins as well as all my other snakes except my retic who takes probably a couple mins longer but he eats XL guinea pigs.

All snakes are hungry. My boas are all coiled up ready for another meal after they finish the first. Doesnt mean they need it or its good for them.

And growth. Well you are piling food into him, of course he is going to grow. The problem is his organs are not designed to grow that fast so there is enormous stress being put on them. Imagine you working at 110% 24/7 for 10 years. Something would eventually give out.

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My BCI who is 16 months old and 4,75 feet long digests a large rat and poop it out in about 10 days.
If it takes 1-2 minutes for your snakes to swallow their meals, to me this is an indication that the meal is small.
You said piling food into my BCI, i wouldn,t describe it this way. I would say that i,m not keeping him hungry like in the case of your snakes.
As i said and i will say it again, impossible now to reverse things and give him small rats in order to avoid feeding him multible prey items per feeding. The best thing i could do is to reduce the size a bit and space it up as much as i can.

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Originally Posted by Dutti

My BCI who is 16 months old and 4,75 feet long digests a large rat and poop it out in about 10 days.
If it takes 1-2 minutes for your snakes to swallow their meals, to me this is an indication that the meal is small.
You said piling food into my BCI, i wouldn,t describe it this way. I would say that i,m not keeping him hungry like in the case of your snakes.
As i said and i will say it again, impossible now to reverse things and give him small rats in order to avoid feeding him multible prey items per feeding. The best thing i could do is to reduce the size a bit and space it up as much as i can.

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First off, you named this thread "what is wrong with my boa" all anybody is trying to is tell you. Secondly I'm somewhat confused why you think you couldn't go back to small rats. Snakes, even when accustom to larger prey items, will go back to eating small things. They do this all the time in the wild.(infact a big prey item is the exception, not the rule) For example, anacondas are known to swallow very very large food items(like a deer for goodness sake!), however, in between they normally prey on smaller birds or mammals. A big meal is a MAJOR score for a snake! They might get one only once a year in the wild, and they take a long time to digest it(sometimes months!). Snakes are opportunistic, their instincts tell them to captiolize on any meal they find. Snakes are always "hungry", a wild snake cannot afford to pass up a meal because it doesn't know when the next one will come. Since snakes in captivity retain this instinct, they will still be "looking for food" even after you feed them. In captivity we feed snakes more average sized meals because it is what they normally get in the wild, and it's what their bodies are designed to handle.(you don't want to be feeding them Thanksgiving every single meal!) By feeding them smaller foods on an appropriate feeding schedule you will find your snake improves. Anytime a normally docile snake hisses it's a big deal! Also what is "too you" too short a time for a snake to feed may not be what is actually an appropriate time. The time it takes to swallow doesn't particularly deal with the appropriateness of the prey size as it varies widly by snake. I really hope your boa grows big and strong, boas are incredibly awesome animals,(Next on my wish list!) and I think by following some of the tips on this thread you will help that happen.
Good luck!

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Originally Posted by Dutti

My BCI who is 16 months old and 4,75 feet long digests a large rat and poop it out in about 10 days.
If it takes 1-2 minutes for your snakes to swallow their meals, to me this is an indication that the meal is small.
You said piling food into my BCI, i wouldn,t describe it this way. I would say that i,m not keeping him hungry like in the case of your snakes.
As i said and i will say it again, impossible now to reverse things and give him small rats in order to avoid feeding him multible prey items per feeding. The best thing i could do is to reduce the size a bit and space it up as much as i can.

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Well with boas, you are better off with smaller meals. You dont want to feed them so big of prey, they go into food coma. You are lucky you have a BCI. If you did this feeding schedule to a BCC, it would most like puke all the time and die. BCI are much for forgiving on prey size. And you are right, I feed on the smaller side on purpose. Even after eating her large rat, my 5 year old 6.5' BCI girl is still happy to cruise around. Like i said, i dont 'weigh' them down with huge meals.

You are piling food into your snake. Like mentioned , snakes are opportunistic feeders so they rarely will pass up a meal unless they are stuffed. A large rat for a 4.5' snake is piling food into it n matter how you want to view it. Even my retic didnt eat that big of food at that size. And i think you are missing the point, snakes are ALWAYS hungry unless you are giving them so much food, they physically cant fit anymore into them. This is fine once in a while. But doing this every 2 weeks is just making their digestive system work overtime. Like i've said, you can say 'its fine' but in 10 years or so is when you will see the real damage which will probably result in a dead snake from a heart attack or liver failure.

And of course you can downsize their food. Not sure where you got the idea it's impossible to switch sizes to smaller. In the wild, snakes dont eat a large rat every 2 rats lol. They eat what they can catch. Might be a tiny meal in 1 month or a large meal in 3 months. Snakes are designed to go a LONG time without food. It is nearly impossible to starve a boa but very easy to overfeed one. How do you think people that 'inherit' overweight boas slim them down. They downsize the food and extend the intake. This can take a year or more though as boas have slow metabolisms so losing weight isnt a fast process with them.

And like i said, a while ago, you are getting the correct info from all these people but you choose to argue the fact and do it 'your way'. You seem to be one of those that needs to actually learn first hand and lose a snake from overfeeding before you realize the effect it has. Sad to say but it seems true.

Obviously, the OP is NOT going to listen at this point. The experienced people know absolutely nothing and he knows all about his toddler snake. I really wish I could take your snakes away. All I see is is you wanting attention and arguing at this point. Your narcissistic nature is astounding! You are killing your snake! Plain and simple!

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Originally Posted by Sunnieskys

Obviously, the OP is NOT going to listen at this point. The experienced people know absolutely nothing and he knows all about his toddler snake. I really wish I could take your snakes away. All I see is is you wanting attention and arguing at this point. Your narcissistic nature is astounding! You are killing your snake! Plain and simple!

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Wanting attention? Are we using our real names to say that? Not a clever thing to suggest as nobody i guess uses his real identity in this forum. We are just exchanging information, some might find that beneficial. This is one of the purposes why this forum exists.

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Originally Posted by Dutti

Wanting attention? Are we using our real names to say that? Not a clever thing to suggest as nobody i guess uses his real identity in this forum. We are just exchanging information, some might find that beneficial. This is one of the purposes why this forum exists.

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Exactly! This forum is for helping people, yet you seem to have shot down every piece of advice that the members have given you. What's the point of making a thread if you refuse to listen to solid advice from experienced people?

Also I have seen people post for attention- not putting a real name has nothing to do with it.

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Originally Posted by Sauzo

Well with boas, you are better off with smaller meals. You dont want to feed them so big of prey, they go into food coma. You are lucky you have a BCI. If you did this feeding schedule to a BCC, it would most like puke all the time and die. BCI are much for forgiving on prey size. And you are right, I feed on the smaller side on purpose.

And of course you can downsize their food. Not sure where you got the idea it's impossible to switch sizes to smaller. In the wild, snakes dont eat a large rat every 2 rats lol. They eat what they can catch. Might be a tiny meal in 1 month or a large meal in 3 months. Snakes are designed to go a LONG time without food. It is nearly impossible to starve a boa but very easy to overfeed one. How do you think people that 'inherit' overweight boas slim them down. They downsize the food and extend the intake. This can take a year or more though as boas have slow metabolisms so losing weight isnt a fast process with them.

And like i said, a while ago, you are getting the correct info from all these people but you choose to argue the fact and do it 'your way'. You seem to be one of those that needs to actually learn first hand and lose a snake from overfeeding before you realize the effect it has. Sad to say but it seems true.

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I know that I'm generous in giving food. That's why I don't own green anaconda, Burmese or retic. I didn't want to end up having a snake that is over 20 feet long. For the reasons you mentioned I don't have a BCC.
Ok, even by your estimation giving my snake 10 years to live under the current feeding schedule, means I have time to adjust things and change them, even if I didn't do it right away. I'm listening and benefiting from all the suggestions and I'm sure that I will do the right thing at the end.

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Originally Posted by Kira

Exactly! This forum is for helping people, yet you seem to have shot down every piece of advice that the members have given you. What's the point of making a thread if you refuse to listen to solid advice from experienced people?

Also I have seen people post for attention- not putting a real name has nothing to do with it.

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When I posted this thread my snake was sick, I didn't know that he was constipated at that time and I was not sure what to do, that is why I posted this thread. You can read the beginning of it again. I didn't know that it's going to draw lots of replies. The advice that i wanted is how to solve the immediate problem of my snake. I'm not one of those people who post for attention. I post when I need help or I want to know something. Never had the idea to have attention! Again, I have listened and benefited from the advices and I'm sure I will do the right thing at the end.

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Originally Posted by Dutti

I know that I'm generous in giving food. That's why I don't own green anaconda, Burmese or retic. I didn't want to end up having a snake that is over 20 feet long. For the reasons you mentioned I don't have a BCC.
Ok, even by your estimation giving my snake 10 years to live under the current feeding schedule, means I have time to adjust things and change them, even if I didn't do it right away. I'm listening and benefiting from all the suggestions and I'm sure that I will do the right thing at the end.

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Considering how defensive and insistent you were in your previous posts, I think it's fair for everyone involved in this thread to be skeptical. For someone who says they have listened and benefited from everyone, it's odd that you've made such a fuss when challenged and fell back on excuses. As for doing the right thing in the end, when will that be? Hopefully sooner than 10 years?

Nip things at the bud. The more you convince yourself it's ok to take your time the more you're letting the health risks develop. I think you're approaching this too casually.

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Originally Posted by MissterDog

Considering how defensive and insistent you were in your previous posts, I think it's fair for everyone involved in this thread to be skeptical. For someone who says they have listened and benefited from everyone, it's odd that you've made such a fuss when challenged and fell back on excuses. As for doing the right thing in the end, when will that be? Hopefully sooner than 10 years?

Nip things at the bud. The more you convince yourself it's ok to take your time the more you're letting the health risks develop. I think you're approaching this too casually.

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I have now a feeding plan for the future. I won,t be harming my BCI. No way! If I did I would be harming myself. I have to do a balancing act in which he gets all the vitamins and the right food necessary for him to grow and be a healthy beautiful strong adult Boa and not overfeeding him.