BCI Possibly Underfed

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Originally Posted by Bogertophis

That's not really a practice I'd recommend or care to copy. It can result in an over-fed unhealthy boa, to say nothing of sharing pathogens from snakes that touched but refused the prey initially- what if they turn out to be sick & that's why they refused to eat? Now you may have 2 sick snakes.

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@ Boger- Do you believe refused prey items shouldn’t be offered to another hungry snake and should instead be discarded?

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Originally Posted by EL-Ziggy

@ Boger- Do you believe refused prey items shouldn’t be offered to another hungry snake and should instead be discarded?

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Good question!

Not necessarily- IF you are confident that your animals are healthy: IF you have had them all for long enough to actually know- like a year+, & also have the experience to recognize issues.

BUT, many here are new or inexperienced in keeping snakes (& other herps)- they've gotten perhaps several snakes (or many) in quick succession. Maybe they quarantined, maybe not, or maybe not long enough, or maybe they made mistakes doing so (cross-contaminated accidentally). That's reality we should also consider when giving advice, don't you think?

We all have to make the best choices for our own animals- & to do that, we have to consider the risks. Please keep in mind that IF you live somewhere not well-served by herp-experienced veterinarians, your choice might be different than someone residing in a population center where the best vet services are usually found, in case your animals happen to get sick.

Also, think about how many people get a few pets but they only "budget" for cages & food...not expensive medical care. :snake:

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Originally Posted by CloudtheBoa

I personally feed 6' boas large rats, 4-8 oz rabbits (whatever is equal to girth without leaving a lump), half pound chickens, and adult quail. All every 4-6 weeks. I'm not sure medium rats are enough, even on the 10-14 day schedule being used thus far. She doesn't look bad, but definitely is leaner than I'm used to - though I doubt the loose skin is due to her weight. She's been eating mediums quite often for a long time, and you're feeding even more often since getting her, so I would take that as a sign it isn't sufficient at this point. Just all depends on the body tone you're aiming for, she could probably be just fine at her current weight with some work to build up muscle tone, if she doesn't lose mass over time or anything. I'm not totally sure that schedule and her tone is sufficient for breeding, but would work for a pet only lifestyle.


I've also never had a snake strike and constrict a toy out of the blue (or any inanimate object at all). I don't think this is a sign she's hungry, just that nobody has been working on her feeding response. Boas tend to strike first, ask questions later. You have to actually get hands on with them, and practice breaking their feeding responses to curb that. Upping food unfortunately isn't sufficient, and will only make them fat where increasing food isn't necessary.

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@cloudtheboa

Could go into a little more detail on how to get hands on with them and practice breaking their feeding responses? I am really interested in anything I can do to work with her.

And thank you to everyone who has responded, I appreciate the advice.

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Originally Posted by Bfrank

@cloudtheboa

Could go into a little more detail on how to get hands on with them and practice breaking their feeding responses? I am really interested in anything I can do to work with her.

And thank you to everyone who has responded, I appreciate the advice.

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If my snakes are showing heightened feeding responses, I have snake hook on hand. Anything that gets you outside of their strike range works though, I aim for at least one or two feet. I use the hook to tap their face and/or rub their back, and this startles them out of their feeding response. From there I can either take them out, or leave them, depending on how I feel they’re reacting to the situation. The more they have their feeding response broken, the more they’ll question next time. And then, regular handling as well so they get more exposure to handling than feeding, not too complicated a process.


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