Random feeding question(s)...

[xFenrir]

I'm still trying to set up my RTB's tank, and we recently cut up a big sturdy branch (which actually is more like a tree, lol) for her that I think she's gonna love once it's all treated and baked. I don't take her out of the tub she's in now for feeding (mostly because it's just paper towels on the bottom and it's easier than trying to muscle her out of it when there's rat-smell everywhere), but I was wondering...

1. Would a boa eat like an aboreal species, ie. if she was hanging out on her "tree", would she eat while she was up there? I'm curious because I think it would be hell to try and pull a 6 foot, 4 pound piece of muscle off of something she can grab on to.

2. Since I plan to use aspen, should I just do like I do with my BP and just put paper towels on one half of the tank so aspen doesn't get stuck all over the rat, put the rat there and just try and get her attention by wiggling it around?

I'm just not too sure how to approach the feeding issue with this. just curious on how you all would deal with this interesting problem.

[Kinra]

1. Would a boa eat like an aboreal species, ie. if she was hanging out on her "tree", would she eat while she was up there? I'm curious because I think it would be hell to try and pull a 6 foot, 4 pound piece of muscle off of something she can grab on to.

My boa is still small, she's only a 2010, but she has something she can climb on in her cage and I've seen her eat on it before. I didn't think she would, but she's done it a few times.

2. Since I plan to use aspen, should I just do like I do with my BP and just put paper towels on one half of the tank so aspen doesn't get stuck all over the rat, put the rat there and just try and get her attention by wiggling it around?

When I feed my boas, I just drop in the rat and let them find it. I have two in quarantine who eat on paper towels and the two that are in cages just eat right on the substrate. My KSB is on aspen and has no problems eating on it and my RTB is on cypress mulch. I haven't notice any substrate sticking to the rats/hopper mice if they are dry which is why I don't think I've had any issues. I don't know how your RTB is at feeding time, but mine seems to know it's food time so I don't want my hands any where near them.

[Skittles1101]

My boa is only 4 feet right now, I've heard that the larger they are, the less arboreal they get. Not saying it doesn't happen, but I don't think she'll be on the tree often for feeding as she gets older. As for feeding her while on the branch, if she's anything like my boy, once she smells and sees the rat she'll probably creep off the tree and get into that "I'm gonna eat you" pose. Just a guess, my boy doesn't have a tree lol.

As for the aspen, I have my boa on aspen as well and I don't put paper towel down for any of them. Mine eats f/t and it doesn't even get a chance to touch the ground before he strikes at it. Plus, ingesting a little aspen can't hurt. I have had to pull a couple small pieces of aspen out of his mouth a couple days after eating though. If he can't remove it himself I just hold his head and use tweezers to remove it, it's annoying but don't think it will harm them at all. Hope I helped some!

[llovelace]

Just clear a section of floor on feeding day and place rat there, she will find it

[cmack91]

it not the best idea to use paper towels, they can stick to the ra/mouse and be ingested/swallowed, and it can actually kill your snake, newspaper is a way better option IMO, but i just feed in an empty bin. but if you want to feed in the cage, just use aspen all over, no paper towels, and that should be fine

[xFenrir]

Thanks everyone! The reason I asked about the aspen issue is I've seen a couple people saying that their snakes ingested aspen and it really hurt them and causes a lot of problems. The rats are a little damp due to thawing them out, so sometimes a little aspen sticks to them. If it's okay for them to swallow a little then I'll just dry it off as best I can and toss it in.

@Kinra: my girl is a feeding devil, last time she was so fixated on my feeding tongs that after I dropped the rat in, she just kept coming at the tongs! I had to use the lid of Loki's bathing tub to keep her in and then stick the tongs underneath it and wiggle the rat before she noticed her dinner was in there. I joked that it looked like I was dealing with a lion instead of a snake haha.