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  1. #1
    BPnet Veteran Malum Argenteum's Avatar
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    Feeder variety pros and cons

    I'm considered introducing some variety into the diet of my adult Brazilian Rainbow Boas. There are a couple reasons for this. Chicks and quail have a higher protein content than mice and rats; this would be useful for post parturition diet since they lose quite a bit of muscle mass. Another is that birds (and to a greater extent bats, but that's a no-go of course) are a part of their natural diet that seems easy enough to replicate.

    I'm concerned about causing any problems that I'll regret, though. The one that comes to mind is inadvertently getting a snake hooked on a non-standard food source that may not be the best nutritionally for them in the long term, and may become challenging or expensive to acquire. Another is possibly having to alter my feeding schedule to accommodate prey that is digested at a different rate than rodents (easy to adjust, but I have to know what to watch for). Another slight worry is going through a lot of trouble for no benefit at all.

    I'd love to add rabbits to the diet, but I don't know where to source small enough ones (~70g).

    Any horror stories of veering off the tried and true rodent path? Any big positive experiences? Any other advice?

  2. #2
    Bogertophis's Avatar
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    I have no experience with BRBs but it would seem that birds would be a big food source for them in nature? Whether they'd become fixated & refuse rodents thereafter, I can't say. I used to offer varied prey to some of my snakes (like bull snakes or rat snakes) & they didn't get hooked on specific types of prey, but that may not be true for your BRBs. I would think that nutritionally it would be a good thing for the snakes, & that snakes with strong appetites shouldn't become fussy about this- at least I hope not.
    Last edited by Bogertophis; 07-14-2022 at 10:51 PM.
    Rudeness is the weak man's imitation of strength.
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  4. #3
    bcr229's Avatar
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    Unlike ball pythons, my BRB's don't seem to get hooked on any one food source. If they think it's food they will grab it. They've taken mice, rats, ASF, chicks, rabbit kits, even ReptiLinks.

    Find local rabbit breeders and ask if they'll sell or even give you any stillborn kits, or rabbit fuzzies that perish or have to be culled before reaching 65-70 grams, as long as the rabbits haven't been dead so long that they are stinking and putrid. The breeder should just put them into a plastic baggie and call you.

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  6. #4
    BPnet Veteran Malum Argenteum's Avatar
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    I didn't even think of Reptilinks. Which product of theirs do you feed to your BRBs, @bcr229? You say "even" Reptilinks -- are they frequently refused by other species of snake?

    I appreciate the advice about finding a local rabbit breeder. I'm hesitant to feed anything that I don't raise/collect myself or get from a traceable sort of source (so that if I have a problem there are other people who use the same source that I can talk to to see if they've experienced similar issues). Other keepers might not be so unreasonably risk averse, though, and using those kits for something is a lot better than just tossing them. I raised rabbits for a bunch of years, and there are a lot of dead kits to be had, unfortunately; by evolutionary design, rabbit does are terrible mothers.

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  8. #5
    BPnet Veteran Caitlin's Avatar
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    My BRB also happily accepts rats, mice, quail, chicks, and reptilinks - the quail or rabbit + quail varieties. I like providing some variety in diet; I suspect it helps promote a varied gut flora and the snakes simply seem to enjoy it.

    Editing to add: Almost all of my snakes love reptilinks; a couple of them look at me like I'm crazy when I offer them. I have never tried them with my Royal (Ball) Python as the reptilinks folks actually caution using them for BP only because these snakes can be so notoriously sensitive about food. I think I'll offer him one, though, and see how things go. He's an easy-going guy who has never refused a meal.

    Just be aware, if you try them, that they have a higher caloric content overall than whole prey of equivalent weight - but they are really a nice concentrated nutritional boost and treat.
    Last edited by Caitlin; 07-15-2022 at 01:02 PM.
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  10. #6
    BPnet Veteran Malum Argenteum's Avatar
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    Thanks, @Caitlin! Which varieties do you offer to your other species? I keep a few colubrid species and just added a pair of rough scaled sand boas, so I'd like to know which they prefer too.

  11. #7
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    Re: Feeder variety pros and cons

    Quote Originally Posted by Malum Argenteum View Post
    I didn't even think of Reptilinks. Which product of theirs do you feed to your BRBs, @bcr229? You say "even" Reptilinks -- are they frequently refused by other species of snake?

    I appreciate the advice about finding a local rabbit breeder. I'm hesitant to feed anything that I don't raise/collect myself or get from a traceable sort of source (so that if I have a problem there are other people who use the same source that I can talk to to see if they've experienced similar issues). Other keepers might not be so unreasonably risk averse, though, and using those kits for something is a lot better than just tossing them. I raised rabbits for a bunch of years, and there are a lot of dead kits to be had, unfortunately; by evolutionary design, rabbit does are terrible mothers.
    Some of my snakes - even boas - were so-so on ReptiLinks. My only complaint with the 50 gram links is that they are very long, kind of like mini hot-dogs, and BRB's are rather exuberant and enthusiastic, adding an extra neck twist when they constrict, which led to the links being ripped in half. The snakes did eat them but it was a messy process. Two or three 25 gram links would be a better option.

    If you can find a meat rabbit breeder that would be ideal, as they aren't going to feed or inject anything into their critters that they don't want to eat.

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  13. #8
    BPnet Veteran Caitlin's Avatar
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    Re: Feeder variety pros and cons

    I have a pair of Rough scaled Sand Boas too! Photo below of Kala, the female, climbing around one of her favorite enrichment items.

    I haven't tried the links with the Sand Boas - I just feed them mouse fuzzies. Kala in particular was tough to get established on a regular feeding routine, so I guess I am just cautious. It's been over two years, though, and both snakes are well habituated to me (I do a lot of behavioral work with my snakes) so maybe I will offer them a quail or quail/rabbit link and see what they think.

    The quail or quail/rabbit links are the only variety I've ever used. As far as colubrids, my Kingsnake and Hognose love the links. My only other colubrids are garters, and they are not fans of the links. They'd probably go for the frog links if I had them; I have just never bothered to get that variety as most of my snakes are not really big amphibian eaters, and the garters get good variety between mice, nightcrawlers, and salmon.[IMG][/IMG]
    Last edited by Caitlin; 07-16-2022 at 12:32 AM.
    1.0 Jungle Carpet Python 'Ziggy'
    1.0 Bredl's Python 'Calcifer'
    0.1 Brazilian Rainbow Boa 'Mara'
    1.1 Tarahumara Mountain Boas 'Paco' and 'Frida'
    2.0 Dumeril's Boas 'Gyre' and 'Titan'
    1.0 Stimson's Python 'Jake'
    1.1 Children's Pythons 'Miso' and 'Ozzy'
    1.0 Anthill Python 'Cricket'
    1.0 Plains Hognose 'Peanut'
    1.1 Rough-scaled Sand Boas 'Rassi' and 'Kala'
    1.0 Ball Python (BEL) 'Sugar'
    1.0 Gray-banded Kingsnake 'Nacho'
    1.0 Green Tree Python (Aru) 'Jade'

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  15. #9
    BPnet Veteran Malum Argenteum's Avatar
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    After these recommendations and hunting around the web a little, I ordered a few sizes of the quail/rabbit links. Sounds like a decent option, overall, and I have enough snakes that someone will eat them. Thanks for the advice.

  16. #10
    BPnet Veteran Malum Argenteum's Avatar
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    A bit of an update. Out of nine snakes so far that have been offered Reptilinks (milk snakes, rainbow boas, rosy boas, hognose), two snakes have accepted them.

    The two that accepted them -- a rosy and a hognose -- will strike and attempt to swallow any organic or inorganic rodent-sized object that I hold out on tongs; I'm pretty certain they would swallow appropriately sized potatoes. Surprisingly, one of my most ambitiously feeding rosies struck, constricted and then dropped a link. Overall, Reptilinks have not been a big hit -- they don't come off as overly palatable.

    I'm offering the links inserted into FT prey that the snakes will accept -- a bit tedious and slightly messy, but it may work alright to get the variety I'm trying to add. Next time I'll order smaller sizes so that I can use them as fillers.

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