Hog Island Update PICS!

[Jrl6130]

Hey there!
Soooooo here's my little boa from Vin Russo at Cutting Edge Herps!!! Doing great I've been feeding him a live hopper every 7 days. Does that sound right for a baby boa? I've had him since late August. ANYWAYS enjoy the pics


This has to be my new favorite picture of him!!!




Brighter and brighter every shed.

Thanks for looking!!

[Gerardo]

Awesome eyes

[Evenstar]

Sweet baby!! Vin is awesome - congratulations on your purchase!

[Jrl6130]

Thanks!! I'm feeding him a live hopper every 7 days, Does that sound about right?

[thinkbig317]

Why live? I would switch to frozen thawed rat pups ASAP to be honest. But that's just me.....

[thinkbig317]

Beautiful lil hogg by the way!!!!!

[Jrl6130]

At the moment Live is just more convenient because the pet store is close by and has everything in stock, but when we get settled into our new house I'm going to try frozen/thawed Thanks!!!

[Evenstar]

There is nothing wrong with feeding live so long as you do it carefully and responsibly (ie: don't just leave the rodent in there unattended, etc). Boas are garbage disposals so when you're ready to switch him to f/t, you shouldn't have any trouble at all. ALL of mine have taken f/t on the first try.

Having said that, your feeding schedule sounds fine. I always err on the side of caution and stay small rather than go too large too quickly. However, your baby appears to be a good size. You said you've had him since August? What year is he? What's his gram weight? Just based on the pics, I'd say you might be able to move up to small mice. But go slow - he'll be fine on the hoppers for a while longer.

Also, I would NOT switch to rat pups. Baby rats have a much higher fat content which can cause problems in growing boas. Rats are excellent feeders for lots of snakes and there will come a point when you'll want to go to rats, but I would wait until your boa is eating large mice before you make that switch. A large mouse is roughly equivalent to a weaned rat which doesn't have as much fat as a rat fuzzy or pup so it's a good time to switch.

[Jrl6130]

Thanks Evenstar!! I'm getting a scale really soon. I'm almost sure he's a 2013 baby. The Hoppers are seeming a little to small for him but should I wait to switch him to small mice until I have his weight?

[DooLittle]

As long as they won't leave a noticeable lump, I would switch and not worry about the weight. Boas are not fed by the 10-15% rule like balls. Just make sure it won't leave a lump in him and you should be fine. Pretty little baby!