Considering taking in this rescue...

[KaylaEliuk]

I would recommend getting a scale and weighing him. We generally feed our boa 10-15% of her body weight. She is still young so it is on a more frequent schedule right now. I know that adult boas are generally feed on a 2-4 week schedule depending on exercise and time of year. The most appropriate way to determine proper feeding by my understanding is that they maintain the "square" body shape.


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Thanks. It isn't the size of the rats I am worried about, more the frequency of the feeds.
So basically... As long as they don't start getting fat haha

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[Gio]

NEVER feed until all signs of the previous meal are eliminated.

You may see a lot of conflicting advice, but I would listen to people who have boa constrictors that are 25-30 or more years old. Snakes that can still have a litter at that age.

Gus Rentfro and Vincent Russo are 2 of them. Eugene Basset is another.

Buy this and read this.
http://www.amazon.com/Complete-Boa-C.../dp/0978897927


Consider seasonal changes and feed accordingly.

Gus Rentfro is FULLY credited with the below literature posted here for learning purposes.

I take no credit for anything written here, but I feel it is important to read the words of probably one of the top authorities in the world on boa constrictors.


"How often do I feed my boas?"
Inexplicably, there still exists a lot of confusion about how much and how often snakes should be fed. Feed a growing red-tail as often as it will take food but wait until all signs of the previous feeding have gone. In other words, don't feed it if it is still bloated with the last meal. Depending upon the temperature cycle it is in and the size of the prey item this can take from 6-15 days. If unsure, wait another day or two. It is a practical impossibility to underfeed a normal healthy boa kept in the proper conditions. Many people find it entirely effortless to overfeed theirs! The single most frequently identifiable factor in premature death, poor fertility and other problems with captive boa, especially red-tails, is obesity resulting from over feeding.

Above is an excerpt from the old Rio Bravo Reptiles page.

It is a shame Gus is no longer working with these snakes, but it is an honor to own one produced by him.

4 year old, 6 foot plus, male, Barranquilla, Colombian boa.

[KaylaEliuk]

NEVER feed until all signs of the previous meal are eliminated.

You may see a lot of conflicting advice, but I would listen to people who have boa constrictors that are 25-30 or more years old. Snakes that can still have a litter at that age.

Gus Rentfro and Vincent Russo are 2 of them. Eugene Basset is another.

Buy this and read this.
http://www.amazon.com/Complete-Boa-C.../dp/0978897927


Consider seasonal changes and feed accordingly.

Gus Rentfro is FULLY credited with the below literature posted here for learning purposes.

I take no credit for anything written here, but I feel it is important to read the words of probably one of the top authorities in the world on boa constrictors.


"How often do I feed my boas?"
Inexplicably, there still exists a lot of confusion about how much and how often snakes should be fed. Feed a growing red-tail as often as it will take food but wait until all signs of the previous feeding have gone. In other words, don't feed it if it is still bloated with the last meal. Depending upon the temperature cycle it is in and the size of the prey item this can take from 6-15 days. If unsure, wait another day or two. It is a practical impossibility to underfeed a normal healthy boa kept in the proper conditions. Many people find it entirely effortless to overfeed theirs! The single most frequently identifiable factor in premature death, poor fertility and other problems with captive boa, especially red-tails, is obesity resulting from over feeding.

Above is an excerpt from the old Rio Bravo Reptiles page.

It is a shame Gus is no longer working with these snakes, but it is an honor to own one produced by him.

4 year old, 6 foot plus, male, Barranquilla, Colombian boa.

It seems like their digestion works a lot slower than I am used to. I have a Ball and a Corn.
Thank you, this really helped!
I was getting confused because people were saying how often they feed their adults, but this guy isn't an adult.
Thank you!

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[dkatz4]

Also be wary of judging health by body shape alone. A trim figure can belie internal issues such as fatty deposits compromising the vital organs. I will try to scan the pictures later, but a herp vet book i have documented a case wherein a boa was fed on a fairly good schedule with low quality rats (they were lab rats being fed an experimental diet deficient in essential nutrients) and although its outer shape was nice and square, the necropsy showed its organs were all clogged with fatty gunk. Sorry, if thats a bit graphic, and only the most extreme cases makes it into these books, i'm sure, but just... food for thought ; )

[KaylaEliuk]

Also be wary of judging health by body shape alone. A trim figure can belie internal issues such as fatty deposits compromising the vital organs. I will try to scan the pictures later, but a herp vet book i have documented a case wherein a boa was fed on a fairly good schedule with low quality rats (they were lab rats being fed an experimental diet deficient in essential nutrients) and although its outer shape was nice and square, the necropsy showed its organs were all clogged with fatty gunk. Sorry, if thats a bit graphic, and only the most extreme cases makes it into these books, i'm sure, but just... food for thought ; )

Jeeze that's a disturbing mental image! Lol
Well he was flicking his tongue and was strong and didn't feel lumpy at all, didn't have any scale rot or mites as far as I could tell. All in all he seemed in fine fettle.

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[dkatz4]

Jeeze that's a disturbing mental image! Lol
Well he was flicking his tongue and was strong and didn't feel lumpy at all, didn't have any scale rot or mites as far as I could tell. All in all he seemed in fine fettle.

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Oh no no no no, i didn't mean to imply that YOUR new boa might be in this kind of shape, i'm just saying for the sake of general knowledge and discussion of boa health. Oh my gosh, please dont let all this stuff make you paranoid, boas are awesome and hardy and easy to keep healthy with minimal effort (compared to some other pets, anyway). Sometimes these threads go from general advice to esoteric shop-talk, but thats kind of what makes them so great too. But when i first started reading some forums like this, everything i read made me think, "oh god, i'm killing my snake". I am willing to bet that your boa is already in good shape, and will be in great shape under your care.

[Gio]

Also be wary of judging health by body shape alone. A trim figure can belie internal issues such as fatty deposits compromising the vital organs. I will try to scan the pictures later, but a herp vet book i have documented a case wherein a boa was fed on a fairly good schedule with low quality rats (they were lab rats being fed an experimental diet deficient in essential nutrients) and although its outer shape was nice and square, the necropsy showed its organs were all clogged with fatty gunk. Sorry, if thats a bit graphic, and only the most extreme cases makes it into these books, i'm sure, but just... food for thought ; )

OUTSTANDING COMMENT!!!!! And well researched.

This post is totally on point. The shape can look good, but won't always tell the whole story. The inner organs can still be covered by fat deposits.

Also OP, colubrids are VERY different and can take in food, digest and eat again much sooner than BC's

Some other pythons species, specifically retics can also metabolize at very rapid rates. Especially when younger.

BC's that are under a year can be fed more frequently than adults, but after the one year mark, slow things down. I vary prey size, type, and time between meals depending on the size of the previous prey item.

For reference, even though it is summer, my fella that you saw pictured, just went 1 month and 10 days between meals.

His last meal was small so I may go as soon as 21 days, but if he feeds on a decent sized small rabbit we will be waiting at least another month before the next go.

I always point out the reason the longest lived snakes in the world are royal pythons (as far as we know) is because they often regulate their own food intake. It may be frustrating, but they can and will survive for very long periods without anything. They decided when it is time to take in nourishment. Our royal has now eaten twice in 2016. Before that it was twice in the last year.

It is a design perfected by Mother Nature.

[KaylaEliuk]

Oh no no no no, i didn't mean to imply that YOUR new boa might be in this kind of shape, i'm just saying for the sake of general knowledge and discussion of boa health. Oh my gosh, please dont let all this stuff make you paranoid, boas are awesome and hardy and easy to keep healthy with minimal effort (compared to some other pets, anyway). Sometimes these threads go from general advice to esoteric shop-talk, but thats kind of what makes them so great too. But when i first started reading some forums like this, everything i read made me think, "oh god, i'm killing my snake". I am willing to bet that your boa is already in good shape, and will be in great shape under your care.

Haha I'm not worried.
Your comment was actually very interesting. This kind of thing is the reason I love forums. There are so many neat things to learn.

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[KaylaEliuk]

OUTSTANDING COMMENT!!!!! And well researched.

This post is totally on point. The shape can look good, but won't always tell the whole story. The inner organs can still be covered by fat deposits.

Also OP, colubrids are VERY different and can take in food, digest and eat again much sooner than BC's

Some other pythons species, specifically retics can also metabolize at very rapid rates. Especially when younger.

BC's that are under a year can be fed more frequently than adults, but after the one year mark, slow things down. I vary prey size, type, and time between meals depending on the size of the previous prey item.

For reference, even though it is summer, my fella that you saw pictured, just went 1 month and 10 days between meals.

His last meal was small so I may go as soon as 21 days, but if he feeds on a decent sized small rabbit we will be waiting at least another month before the next go.

I always point out the reason the longest lived snakes in the world are royal pythons (as far as we know) is because they often regulate their own food intake. It may be frustrating, but they can and will survive for very long periods without anything. They decided when it is time to take in nourishment. Our royal has now eaten twice in 2016. Before that it was twice in the last year.

It is a design perfected by Mother Nature.

Thank you for this comment and all your others. You have been super helpful and I really appreciate it!

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[dkatz4]

Also be wary of judging health by body shape alone. A trim figure can belie internal issues such as fatty deposits compromising the vital organs. I will try to scan the pictures later, but a herp vet book i have documented a case wherein a boa was fed on a fairly good schedule with low quality rats (they were lab rats being fed an experimental diet deficient in essential nutrients) and although its outer shape was nice and square, the necropsy showed its organs were all clogged with fatty gunk. Sorry, if thats a bit graphic, and only the most extreme cases makes it into these books, i'm sure, but just... food for thought ; )

OK, found it, i will spare you the pictures, but the boa died of steatitis, or yellow fat disease, which it contracted due to a vitamin E deficiency caused by a diet made up exclusively of obese lab rats who were, themselves, on an experimental diet of sunflower seeds exclusively. The photos of the snake show a perfectly fine body shape, but the fatty tissue inside is dry and fibrous/flakey looking. Someone must have known a guy who worked with lab rats, thought, "jack-pot, free snake food!" but inadvertently poisoned his pet. Sad, but shows how important it is to use trusted sources for prey and to vary diet. I know Gio is all about changing up the menu and with good reason.


Reptile Care: An Atlas of Diseases and Treatments
volume 1

Fredric L. Frye, DVM, MS
Fellow, Royal Society of Medicine

TFH Publications Inc, 1991