Double Checking Prey Sizes Before I Purchase (BP & BCI)

[ckuhn003]

I have a 2-3 year old male BP almost 700 grams that's been feeding on F/T small rats. He's a very picky eater at times and I'm going to continue to keep him on small rats (50-89grams). I think by upping the size might be enough to freak him out. He's the type of eater that 'everything' seems to matter when being fed.

As for my >1 year old BCI (almost 400 grams), I'm upping his food from large mice (20-25grams) to weaned rats (30-50grams) and will increase his time between food to 2 weeks.

Just making sure everything sounds kosher before I make the order.

Also, any idea how many weaned rats to order for a growing Boa? I have a bunch in m freezer from over a year ago that were supposed to be for my BP. I'm pretty sure my BOA would eat them but I'm not sure if they should be tossed due to their age.

[CloudtheBoa]

For the bp, I see no need to bump him. My bp is 1,200-1,400 grams depending on how he's eating, and he only ever gets a 40-80 gram small rat every 2-3 weeks. If I feed him mediums (80-150 grams), I start running into feeding issues.

For the boa, that sounds great. I feed my boas fairly conservatively, and I have seen maybe one size increase a year once on rats.

For the feeders, I keep opened feeders 6-8 months. If they're vacuum packed, they could certainly last a year if they've stayed frozen. If they're not sealed, I would toss them.

[ckuhn003]

For the bp, I see no need to bump him. My bp is 1,200-1,400 grams depending on how he's eating, and he only ever gets a 40-80 gram small rat every 2-3 weeks. If I feed him mediums (80-150 grams), I start running into feeding issues.

For the boa, that sounds great. I feed my boas fairly conservatively, and I have seen maybe one size increase a year once on rats.

For the feeders, I keep opened feeders 6-8 months. If they're vacuum packed, they could certainly last a year if they've stayed frozen. If they're not sealed, I would toss them.

Thank you for the peace of mind. The 'old' feeders were frozen in big zip lock bags so I'll toss them.

[EL-Ziggy]

Sounds like you're spot on with those prey sizes CK. Keep the BP on smalls and weaned rats will be perfect for your BI. I'd thaw one of those old feeders and see how it smells before tossing them. If they've been in the freezer undisturbed for a year, they may still be good. If they pass the smell test, and aren't super squishy or have parts falling off, I'd offer one to the BI just to see how he responds to rats. If you order a new pack of weaned rats they usually have (20) in a bag so one bag will last quite a while if you're feeding bi-weekly.