Sinestra, the hypo jungle

Hi y’all! I want to start a progression thread of my baby, Sin, and also give an update! If you recall from my previous thread, I got her at a reptile expo. She was a month old and had only had 2 feedings. She has now had 4 feedings with me! As I went to feed her yesterday, I saw that she left me a nice, healthy poop and a perfect, full shed! With her new paint job, she looked very light colored and pretty. I’m so happy that it seems my husbandry is on point. She’s such a curious, sweet little thing!

I just have a couple questions. Her shed was all balled up and kind of wet. It was also very smelly haha. Is that normal? I unraveled it carefully to be sure that everything was intact, and it really was a perfect shed.

My second question is do you have any suggestions, behaviorally, at this point? Should I be trying to hook train her or anything else? TIA!

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Very nice looking boa indeed, really glad she's settling down for you,and eating well.

Tap training is a really good idea to start when this young and will save you so much hassle when she older,
Did you check for both eye caps and tail tip when you unrolled her skin, the eye caps are just as important as the tail tip and most people forget this,yes this can have a weird smell too it, I always know when my 10year old boa had shed as it doesn't smell nice and even more so when they haves messed in it too

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Pretty girl!

Sheds can be smelly because of the other thing you found as well, poop and urine and urate, plus they are old skin. Sometimes they all get mixed up a little. I wouldn't worry about it as long as the cage doesn't still smell horrible after cleaning.

I would definitely be working on gentle, short, handling sessions with her, every other day, assuming she isn't eating that day or has just eaten (48 hours to digest). It's not a perfect rule; if you handle her 2 days in a row one week, it's not the end of the world. However, you want to balance gentle handling and building trust with not stressing her out. She's a BCI and they are usually pretty outgoing, but she's still super tiny. So, at least for a while, less handling is better.

I would hook train. I waited until Behira, my BCI, bit me in a food response before hook training. Luckily, that was at 600G, not 7,000G. She has done incredibly well with hook training and we have not issues since. She is a sweetheart when knocked out of food drive and when she is being handled.

Here is a link to a thread I started on hook training: https://ball-pythons.net/forums/show...ead-with-Video

Please let us know if you have any more questions and keep us up to date on the little one!

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Originally Posted by richardhind1972

Tap training is a really good idea to start when this young and will save you so much hassle when she older

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Thank you, Richard! Do you tap the snake before you handle it, or tap the cage, something else? Yes, I should have mentioned, but I did check for both eye caps and I always check for the tip of the tail. Thankfully, they were all there in the shed!

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Originally Posted by dakski

I would hook train. I waited until Behira, my BCI, bit me in a food response before hook training. Luckily, that was at 600G, not 7,000G. She has done incredibly well with hook training and we have not issues since. She is a sweetheart when knocked out of food drive and when she is being handled.

Here is a link to a thread I started on hook training: https://ball-pythons.net/forums/show...ead-with-Video

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Thanks, Dakski! I will definitely check it out!

Very pretty boa. Looks and sounds like she's coming along nicely. Keep up the good work. :)

First of all QUEENS In the house!!! LI now but a lot of queens history here and through my family so welcome and cool to see!!!

Second... what a pretty snake! That fresh shed looks lovely and her color pops!!

You already got some great advice from the Boa Boys above!! I'd listen close and carefully as they know a thing or two for sure and have and always do help me a lot with my boas...

You have to find a hook method that works for you, there are a variety of ways.. some like to tap areas prior to. I just use the end of the hook to rub /nudge them a little and get them moving and alert that it is me and not food. Once they sort of "snap out" of the food mode I go from the hook to my hand on a back side and a few strokes... Then its a quick and confident pick up and you are good to go.

I agree, start now, no time like the present. It is all a muscle memory and repetition thing so just do it every time, one way and stay with that way and they know and learn fast.

P.S. - I also find light and time of the day plays a big role. If you get them used to feeding at night lights out and handle during the day or keep lights on in the room prior to getting them they seem much more relaxed and out of hunt mode. Both of my boas get very feisty and defensive at night. I don't even bother trying to handle my caye caulker at night or if the lights have been off, she is up in her branches coiled and waiting, I am not going in there at that point, hook or not...

Looking good and you got some sound advice, already seems like you’re off to a good start.

As already said there plenty of different ways to hook/tap train I like to stroke with the soft end of the hook personally just incase they strike and chomp on the metal,
Once out of food mode just pick her up she then knows it's playtime and not food time, you don't have to use a hook can be anything even a roll of paper towel .but don't use the tongs you feed with as all mine know that what they get food with ,they really arnt daft

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Originally Posted by Phillydubs

First of all QUEENS In the house!!! LI now but a lot of queens history here and through my family so welcome and cool to see!!!

Second... what a pretty snake! That fresh shed looks lovely and her color pops!!

You already got some great advice from the Boa Boys above!! I'd listen close and carefully as they know a thing or two for sure and have and always do help me a lot with my boas...

You have to find a hook method that works for you, there are a variety of ways.. some like to tap areas prior to. I just use the end of the hook to rub /nudge them a little and get them moving and alert that it is me and not food. Once they sort of "snap out" of the food mode I go from the hook to my hand on a back side and a few strokes... Then its a quick and confident pick up and you are good to go.

I agree, start now, no time like the present. It is all a muscle memory and repetition thing so just do it every time, one way and stay with that way and they know and learn fast.

P.S. - I also find light and time of the day plays a big role. If you get them used to feeding at night lights out and handle during the day or keep lights on in the room prior to getting them they seem much more relaxed and out of hunt mode. Both of my boas get very feisty and defensive at night. I don't even bother trying to handle my caye caulker at night or if the lights have been off, she is up in her branches coiled and waiting, I am not going in there at that point, hook or not...

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Haha, I was born and raised in Florida, but I have lived in LI, Brooklyn, and now Queens! Queens is a great place to live and I'm really enjoying it! Thank you for all your advice!

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Originally Posted by Jessibelle

Haha, I was born and raised in Florida, but I have lived in LI, Brooklyn, and now Queens! Queens is a great place to live and I'm really enjoying it! Thank you for all your advice!

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Beautiful Boa by the way!! I love seeing Boas on this site and reading everyone's advice. I just got my baby a couple weeks ago and I'm storing away this invaluable knowledge so when the time comes I'll be ready to start handling.

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Originally Posted by ckuhn003

Beautiful Boa by the way!! I love seeing Boas on this site and reading everyone's advice. I just got my baby a couple weeks ago and I'm storing away this invaluable knowledge so when the time comes I'll be ready to start handling.

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Yes, there seems to be a lot of very experienced boa keepers on here and lots of good information. Good luck with your baby!! I just saw your unboxing and photos; what a beautiful animal! Enjoy!


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Sinestra joined me to watch TV tonight. She’s the sweetest. https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...dbc0c88329.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...368acda346.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...2678e72189.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...b5df18ac30.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...3bcc7472e4.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...f6d22162da.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...fb4ffc8d17.jpg


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She looks great! Awesome how sweet she is and that she's been pounding food for you.

She's going to be an great Boa for a long time!

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Originally Posted by dakski

She looks great! Awesome how sweet she is and that she's been pounding food for you.

She's going to be an great Boa for a long time!

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She really is. Thanks so much! It’s such a relief because she’s my first boa and she’s doing great!

Btw, congrats on the scaleless corn!! It’s a beauty!


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Originally Posted by Jessibelle

She really is. Thanks so much! It’s such a relief because she’s my first boa and she’s doing great!

Btw, congrats on the scaleless corn!! It’s a beauty!


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No problem. I really think she is a stunner.

Once you get over how big they will be (especially females) and their food drive, Boa's are great. Behira is my first Boa as well. If you can give them a big enough tank and meet their temp and humidity requirements, Boa's are quite easy to keep actually, IMO.

She's doing great because you are doing great as a keep meeting her husbandry and food requirements. Keep up the good work!

Thank you so much, Solana (scaleless corn) is the calmest corn I've had and she's only 16G now! She's going to be so beautiful and sweet as an adult! I know I have to, but I can't wait!

It's also pretty cool that she's the first Scaleless, Sunglow, Motley, Red Factor, corn snake in the world! That won't last, there will be more, but it's awesome and she's awesome, and I couldn't ask for more from her, or a better collection all around.

Anyway, keep being a great Snarent, and continue to keep us in the loop and ask anything that you want/need to know.

Your girl looks great Jess. I'm new to boas and loving them too. I love that they will just hang out and chill with you like that.

Looking really great, it's great as you say that boas will sit and chill while watching television, you almost forget there there sometimes

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Originally Posted by dakski

No problem. I really think she is a stunner.

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Quote:

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Originally Posted by dakski

Once you get over how big they will be (especially females) and their food drive, Boa's are great. Behira is my first Boa as well. If you can give them a big enough tank and meet their temp and humidity requirements, Boa's are quite easy to keep actually, IMO.

She's doing great because you are doing great as a keep meeting her husbandry and food requirements. Keep up the good work!

Thank you so much, Solana (scaleless corn) is the calmest corn I've had and she's only 16G now! She's going to be so beautiful and sweet as an adult! I know I have to, but I can't wait!

It's also pretty cool that she's the first Scaleless, Sunglow, Motley, Red Factor, corn snake in the world! That won't last, there will be more, but it's awesome and she's awesome, and I couldn't ask for more from her, or a better collection all around.

Anyway, keep being a great Snarent, and continue to keep us in the loop and ask anything that you want/need to know.

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Wow, those genes!!! That's awesome that no matter what comes out, you can say you had the first!

Also, it is a little intimidating that she can potentially get up to 10 feet when I'm only 5'2 and 118lbs. I had multiple keepers (including girls that were very close to my size) tell me that I should be fine to handle a full grown female BCI by myself, so I hope they were right... I'm a pretty strong girl, despite my petite build. Anyway, I'm glad that BCIs are slow growing!

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Originally Posted by EL-Ziggy

Your girl looks great Jess. I'm new to boas and loving them too. I love that they will just hang out and chill with you like that.

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Originally Posted by richardhind1972

Looking really great, it's great as you say that boas will sit and chill while watching television, you almost forget there there sometimes

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Originally Posted by richardhind1972

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Thank you guys! Their chill nature is why I was attracted to them in the first place.

What temp gun do yall recommend? I have one, but I'm not too happy with it because it doesn't seem to be consistent/accurate.

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Originally Posted by Jessibelle

Wow, those genes!!! That's awesome that no matter what comes out, you can say you had the first!

Also, it is a little intimidating that she can potentially get up to 10 feet when I'm only 5'2 and 118lbs. I had multiple keepers (including girls that were very close to my size) tell me that I should be fine to handle a full grown female BCI by myself, so I hope they were right... I'm a pretty strong girl, despite my petite build. Anyway, I'm glad that BCIs are slow growing!





Thank you guys! Their chill nature is why I was attracted to them in the first place.

What temp gun do yall recommend? I have one, but I'm not too happy with it because it doesn't seem to be consistent/accurate.

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If you feed her properly, and unless she's genetically huge, she will likely never see more than 7-8FT. She will be girthy, but not 10FT. That's more for Argentinian Boas and some BCC's, maybe.

BCI's are in the middle. Dwarfs = small. BCI = medium-large. True BCC's, Argentinian, etc. = large.

I had the same fear with Behira. I am 5'4". However, I recently held a 7FT, 16 pound, adult female with a similar temperament to Behira. It was easy peasy. The weight is distributed well and you can drape them over your shoulders. If she's chill now, she will likely be chill as an adult. Not a big deal.

They can easily get 20-25 pounds +, but, if fed properly, are not going to be 100 pounds giants at all.

I haven’t updated in a while, so I’ll post some pics of my beauty! Not much to report. She’s been eating without fail every week since I got her. When I first got her, I weighed her on 7/24/18 and she was 72 grams. She has steadily been gaining weight and the last time I weighed her on 9/30/18, she was 138 grams! I can not believe she has nearly doubled her weight since I got her 2 months ago! She’s due to be measured again, but I’ll have to update another time as I don’t measure her each week and it’s been a while. Here are some recent pics:
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I have a question as to what size prey I should be feeding her. Does anyone have a chart of what prey item to feed a BCI or BI based on its weight? I have been feeding f/t nice around 11-13 grams. Is that too small? It does leave a small bulge. Thank you so much in advance!!!


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looking so beautiful!
I don't use feeding charts or weights, I go by feeding something no larger than the thickest part of the snake's girth.
A small bulge is fine, you don't want a big bulge though (pythons are better at handling oversized items, not to say a boa can't... just in general)
A f/t adult mouse or f/t rat pup should be fine (I usually try to switch my boas to rats pretty quickly if they don't take them off the bat)

Looks great.
On feeding from an excellent source. Baby Boas that are intended to be shoulder pets should eat an appropriately sized meal every 7-10 days. The meal should leave a slight lump in the boas body and should not be so large that it spreads the scales of the snake. The size of the prey item should increase as your boa grows, and the interval between meals also lengthen. For example , a sub-adult boa may only require food every 10-21 days.

This is the book to get

The complete Boa constrictor: a comprehensive guide to the care, breeding, and geographic races.

Russo, Vincent




















Complete Boa Constrictor: A Comprehensive Guide to the Care, Breeding, and Geographic Races

[COLOR=#555555 !important]Mar 21, 2007[/COLOR]
[COLOR=#555555 !important]by [COLOR=#555555 !important]Vincent Russo[/COLOR][/COLOR]

Looking really great, nice clean markings

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Hi everyone!!! I got a picture of Sin eating her hopper (11 grams). I’m really concerned that I’m underfeeding her. I can see her spine. She’s now 179 grams and 5 months old. I feed her one hopper every 7 days.

Should I bump her up to the next prey size? Or could I feed her two hoppers at once? Does she look underweight?

As always, thanks for all your help! https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...4af941acc8.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...2946be045b.jpg


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You want Boas to be lean and muscular.

https://ball-pythons.net/forums/show...72#post2657072

Look at the pictures of Behira on this page of her thread. You can see her spine too, but it's not protruding. It doesn't look like Sin's is either.

Having said that, 11G's, or any hopper, is probably a little small.

I would bump up to weaned/small mice (14-19G). The meal should leave small lump and be gone within 48 hours (completely gone/unnoticeable). If the lump seems a little larger than normal, feed 10-14 days later instead. Boas have very slow metabolisms. As you can see, even though, at 179G, Sin's meal size has been on the small size, she's still growing and looks good.

Remember, with boas, better to feed smaller than larger, when in doubt. Big meals can be bad for them, especially if fed too soon after.

At 250G+, you can feed regular/adult mice.

Over 350-400G, I would start offering weaned rats. Over 500-600G, I would start offering small rats, but at that point, you should be feeding ever OTHER week.

Don't hesitate to keep asking questions. Also, feel free to PM anytime. I've learned a lot keeping, now, 2 boas, both from a lot of research, some trial and error, and from some good peeps on here.

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Originally Posted by dakski

You want Boas to be lean and muscular.

https://ball-pythons.net/forums/show...72#post2657072

Look at the pictures of Behira on this page of her thread. You can see her spine too, but it's not protruding. It doesn't look like Sin's is either.

Having said that, 11G's, or any hopper, is probably a little small.

I would bump up to weaned/small mice (14-19G). The meal should leave small lump and be gone within 48 hours (completely gone/unnoticeable). If the lump seems a little larger than normal, feed 10-14 days later instead. Boas have very slow metabolisms. As you can see, even though, at 179G, Sin's meal size has been on the small size, she's still growing and looks good.

Remember, with boas, better to feed smaller than larger, when in doubt. Big meals can be bad for them, especially if fed too soon after.

At 250G+, you can feed regular/adult mice.

Over 350-400G, I would start offering weaned rats. Over 500-600G, I would start offering small rats, but at that point, you should be feeding ever OTHER week.

Don't hesitate to keep asking questions. Also, feel free to PM anytime. I've learned a lot keeping, now, 2 boas, both from a lot of research, some trial and error, and from some good peeps on here.

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Thank you so much, Dakski!! You are always so helpful! I love reading your posts as you always go above and beyond to help people on this site. People like you are the reason, I and so many others, love this site.

Back to Sin, you’re correct that her spine is not protruding. She has been steadily increasing in weight, and I’m pretty good at keeping record. https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...06c6e70b87.jpg

But the past couple of feedings, I thought it looked a little small, so I will definitely bump her up to weaned/small mice.


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Sounds great and thank you so much for the kind words and compliment; I do my best. People like you, who want what's best for their animals, and are receptive to help, make it all worthwhile :).

Also, great on the record keeping. I too am meticulous about that. Sin looks like she's growing well and now is a great time to move up on prey size.

One point of advice, especially with boas and pythons, who don't use the bathroom regularly, especially as adults. Weigh only after bowel movements. The readings will be more accurate, and you will still see a positive trend over time in a growing snake, or the opposite in a fasting, or ill snake.

Behira gets fed every 3 weeks now as she's on medium rats. She usually uses the bathroom a few days before feeding day and that's when I weigh her. With the corn snakes, it's less of an issue, because they go like clockwork, 3-5 days after a meal. The Ball Python is similar to the boas.

Anyway, enough about bathroom schedules.

Sounds like you are doing great with Sin and keep us posted and keep up the good work.

Glad you asked about her weight and were concerned, but equally glad, at least I think, that she looks great.

Beautiful snake. I love the hypo gene. Congrats!

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Sinestra is looking great, I love the hypo gene in boas, really does a good clean up job

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Had a pretty crappy day today, but I got home and after hanging with my husband and my babies, feeling much better. Here’s a pic of Sin hanging out on my foot. She’s the sweetest thing. And I put a cup in Suki’s enclosure and she loves it! I love my scalebabiessss https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...ad507d2f29.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...1bbe9fe40c.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...f8c2dba67c.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...19c8f3b98b.jpg


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Alll looking really great, boas love to hang out really odd spots, guess she wanted to watch tv for a bit


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Hey y’all! It’s been a while since I last posted. I’m a little concerned about Sin, my boa. She hadn’t pooped for almost 2 months. She pooped today and it was massive. Now I feel terribly that I should have helped her or soaked her. Is that normal? Should I have soaked her or done something to help her? I am posting her weight so you can see how much weight she dropped after her huge poop [emoji33]

I am worried that I’m underfeeding her. I am attaching photos so you can see her body. Does she have loose skin? I feed her every 7 days. I typically feed her a weaned mouse that is about 15 grams. Is this prey item large enough? I also have fuzzies, so should I feed her a weaned mouse around 15 grams followed by a fuzzy weighing about 6-9grams? Should I bump her to a larger prey item?

Lastly, what are these light spots in her body?! I think she may have always had them, but anyway, she just shed on Tuesday, January 29. It appeared to be full, but is there any way these light spots are stuck shed?

My temps for her are 72 overall with a warm spot of 88 by way of a heating pad and thermostat. I try to keep her humidity around 60, but it’s tough here in dry, cold New York.

I feel like a horrible snake mom. I’m sorry for such a long, desperate post [emoji2358] Thank you so much in advance for your help.
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Sinestra is looking really great

I think the mice Weeners are a bit small , I would of thought by that size she would be on medium /large mice At least I think that’s why she may not be pooing much.newborn boas normally start off on mice weeners /small mice
,looking at the size of her if you
Measure it at the side of her thickest part of her body the prey size should be the same size or slightly larger . So it hardly leaves a bulge once a week .i bet you can’t tell she’s eaten after a small Weener mouse,
The white spots don’t
Look anything up worry about


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I agree with Rich not to worry about the spots and to feed bigger meals.

However, you really should get your temps up.

What kind of tank/enclosure is it?

You want 78F on the cool side and ambient temps around 80-82F. An 88F hot spot is fine, but you aren't giving her much of a choice but to stay on it and not thermoregulate.

Great you are using a thermostat on your UTH. However, a heating pad only warms that area, not air temps. If you are using a glass tank, you should use a CHE, also on a thermostat, to up air temps in the middle and cool side of the tank.

If it's a PVC enclosure, you need a RHP most likely.

Good she's eating, but you do not want her to get too cold. That could be bad regarding digestion and health.

CHE's will dry the air out more, but there are ways to compensate for that, and we can help you with that.

BCI's are pretty tough. Ideal humidity for a BCI under normal circumstances is 60-70% or so with a bump in shed. However, in winter, it's okay if humidity drops a bit. In the winter, my Boas average about 50-55% humidity and do fine as long as I up the humidity for shed.

Vin Russo talks about this in his book; winter humidity drops are okay as long as they are not dramatic or quick and dramatic.

I live in northern CT and it's dry and cold here now too. Even with Boaphile/PVC enclosures, it's hard to keep humidity much over 50% without intervention. Everyone is fine. I would worry about the temps more first and then worry about humidity if you cannot keep it consistently over 50%. At 50-55% normal, I spray a little in the Boa (and python) tanks 1X a day or every other day to keep a daily average closer to 55%-60%.

You are doing a great job, are on top of things, and obvisouly want the best for Sinestra. You just need to up those temps and Sinestra will be that much happier and healthier.

Feel free to ask for clarification or help with anything either through here or PM.

Richard and David, thank you both so much! That is incredibly helpful!


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I have some updated photos of Sin! She left a complete balled-up shed for me today! She is looking gorgeous, getting more pinks on her belly and some of the cutest black spots.

She currently weighs 518 grams. She’s getting so big [emoji7]
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My hypo harlequin has some of those too
Looking really nice after the shed

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