A perfect shed

My Baby boy Quincy https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...fcc99e37aa.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...ba6f0ff341.jpg

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Very nice! It can be hard to get nice sheds from bigger snakes so it shows you're doing a great job with the humidity :)

Good snakey! :gj:

I like it when they have the smooth feel after shedding

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Quincy had his 2 xl rat's last night his new plan to put on some weight..

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Originally Posted by Lady mkrj58

Quincy had his 2 xl rat's last night his new plan to put on some weight..

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That's truly not a good idea. How big is Quincy now? And how long do you want him to live? Sorry, but you should know that XL rodents are very high fat & honestly not good for boas, and if one is bad, 2 is even worse. You'll end up with a boa that's overweight with poor muscle tone & at risk from fatty liver disease (etc) that can shorten his life significantly. Boas are better off slow-growing & lean, muscular. The mid-body shape you want to see is like a loaf of bread (in cross-section), not round. Feeding 2 rodents at one time should also be avoided for the most part. I'm not trying to pick on you, I just want you to understand that his very life (& the quality of his health) depends on the choices you make for him. :snake:

[emoji3516]This[emoji3516]
Based on what is visible in those pictures, that animal does not need to gain any weight and could maybe stand to trim up a bit. I wouldn’t be feeding that boa more than every 3-4 weeks.


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First off I was told he looked under weight, Were Im buying my Rats when it says extra large They are not they more like a medium size and I have expressed my concern of paying for what says extra large so thats good because Now I now better. I looked at my frozen rats and they look pretty lean to me. I have been feeding all my snakes Rats except my kings,they are eating mice My Ball pythons eat rat pups and the larger Balls eat a small rats. Thanks for the education I appreciate it.

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Good morning folks Here is a rat that's labeled XL Rat my Ball Pythons could eat these. My Boa eats these like a pro. https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...f8ff0ffb11.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...c3fda47db7.jpg

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Could and should are two very different things. My royal python could eat a med/large rat. Should he? Not if I wish to avoid sporadic feeding and lengthy fasting on his part.

Also nothing in the photos to provide a sense of scale. Age of boa? Length of boa? Weight of boa? Feeding schedule of boa? Weight of feeder rodent? Size of feeder relative to girth of boa?

This ^ ^ ^ exactly!

Also: This is why good commercial sources of frozen prey always labels them by weights- it's very hard to tell size by looking at pictures. ;)

FYI, when I had a large 7.5' BCI, she always ate MEDIUM rats...& just one at a time. She stayed strong, lean & healthy. She certainly "could have" eaten a jumbo rat, but I wouldn't allow it.

Late here, but I agree with JM and Bogertophis.

Less is more with boas. They are incredibly efficient creatures who do not eat regularly in the wild. You can get a healthy 7-8FT Boa by feeding medium rats on a regular schedule. No need to feed two or ever feed extra large rats (too fatty as mentioned).

My plan with Behira, my female BI, is to feed mediums for a while - every 2-3 weeks (she's 2.2KG) and when she bigger, a large every 2-3 weeks. I'll never give her more than a large rat. Many breeders, who respect their animals, do the same. No rabbits, no XL rats, etc. No need. Better to feed smaller more frequently than huge less frequently.

You have beautiful boas and obvisouly want what's best for them. Great that you are listening and trying to incorporate what we are saying. Keep up the good work and let us know if you have any other questions. Also, keep the pics coming!

Just from a curiosity stand point, would it be okay to feed a more active snake large fatty meals like this? Like a retic of similar girth for example.

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Originally Posted by dakski

... I'll never give her more than a large rat. Many breeders, who respect their animals, do the same. No rabbits, no XL rats, etc. No need. Better to feed smaller more frequently than huge less frequently. ...

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A lot going on here...:O

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Originally Posted by Reptile$ 4 Life

Just from a curiosity stand point, would it be okay to feed a more active snake large fatty meals like this? Like a retic of similar girth for example.

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Yes. Retics, and most pythons in general, have much faster metabolisms than boas and can handle fattier prey items.


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Originally Posted by Reptile$ 4 Life

Just from a curiosity stand point, would it be okay to feed a more active snake large fatty meals like this? Like a retic of similar girth for example.

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One thing to keep in mind though: wild prey RARELY packs on the fat the way our domestic prey items do...they have to "work for a living", so they're naturally leaner & healthier for our :snake:"consumers". Our snakes evolved eating wild prey, not our well-fed domestic rodents+. So even for those snakes with a faster metabolism, I think it's still best to go easy on the fatty prey items.

If anything, such things are best consumed by reproductive female :snake:, since they routinely use up their reserves producing either live offspring or clutches of eggs. My adult female Florida rat snakes eat an incredible amount, just regaining their body weight after their automatic yearly double-clutches of unfertilized (un-intentional) eggs, yet they remain much smaller than their male counterparts. ;)

Here is my FT rat with the tape measure that the vendor called extra large I would call these small and Quincy eats his meal fine however I will be feeding my Boa every 2 weeks instead of every 7 days I love my Boas and my Ball Pythons and King snakes .https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...0a4425e78e.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...6093a703fa.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...3e0b4bccb5.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...5182f8c2a2.jpg

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Thanks folks for all your input and sharing your knowledge with me.

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