My 1st Red Tail Boa

[svtvenom]

Also with feeding him twice a week.. would he get cranky? I'm trying to avoid being bit at much as possible haha.

[dakski]

If he’s eating small rats already, I would go to every two weeks.

If if he gets cranky you can always go to 10 days or so and feed a little smaller meal.

See how it goes.

Behira is fine on every two weeks.

[Godzilla78]

I wouldn't worry about the substrate eating. In the future you can feed the rat on a piece of paper so it doesn't get substrate on it, but in my experience it is no big deal. I've seen my ball pythons eat big chunks of substrate and go on with life like nothing ever happened. Their digestive systems can handle bones and hair!

[svtvenom]

How would I tell if he's cranky, will he try and strike at me? Ok great to know. I had a Beardie before so eating substrate always scares me since they can get impacted. I always kept her on shelf liner.

[Sauzo]

Thank you, I was wondering around the reptile expo trying to decide if I wanted another Ball Python or a Boa. I looked at all the ones for sale and nothing really caught my eye but I saw him and I fell in love. After the seller let me hold him it was already over, I was attached to him already lol. I hope he doesn't get too big. I just fed him a small rat yesterday. The seller said to feed weekly but after reading your thread, maybe I should go to once every 2 weeks?



So I be worried about him ingesting the substrate? When he was eating I think I saw a few pieces of it on the rat.

Sauzo, your boa is beautiful!

Thanks. Thats my normal girl. Should take a few peeks at my other boas. I'm pretty proud of my little 'family'

And if it is eating small rats, i would for sure go to a 2 weeks feeding. I generally do every 7-10 days when under a year old and on mice. Once over a year old and still on mice, every 2 weeks. Once up to weaned/small rats, every 2 weeks. Medium rats every 3 weeks. Large rats every 4 weeks. Rabbits or jumbo rats every 4-6 weeks. Rabbits are a lean and dense meat so i would go to every 6 weeks with them.

As for ingesting substrate, i wouldnt worry too much. I do feed my guys on pieces of cardboard though to try and minimize it but sometimes they just drag them away so i will usually use the feeding forceps and pick off bigger pieces of substrate as they swallow it down. My snakes dont seem to really care. But once they get to the 3/4 mark on the food, i back out and close the door so i dont get attacked lol.

[Sauzo]

Also with feeding him twice a week.. would he get cranky? I'm trying to avoid being bit at much as possible haha.

None of my snakes get 'cranky'. They will be alert and think its feeding time when i open the cage but when they dont smell food, they lay back down and sulk haha. The only snake i have that gets bratty when he wants food is Caesar my SD retic. He will push like crazy and shove his hides around and overall make a lot of noise and destruction until fed. Then he gets quiet again haha.

[svtvenom]

Ok cool! I will try to gently pick off the substrate with the feeding tongs until hes 3/4 done lol. That's so cute that they sulk. I will go every 2 weeks I was also wondering, most times when I had a Beardie she would defecate in the bath when I soaked her and I would brush her with a toothbrush with a baby soap to make sure she was clean. He did poop in his enclosure the night I brought him home (this past Saturday) and I was wondering if there was a way I can wash him? I know not to touch him for two days after eating so I won't try anything just yet.

[svtvenom]

Sauzo, all your snakes are so pretty! I'm jealous. What do you guys think about letting the snake around your neck when hes full grown? I read some people think its ok but others don't let their snakes do it.

[dakski]

Sauzo, all your snakes are so pretty! I'm jealous. What do you guys think about letting the snake around your neck when hes full grown? I read some people think its ok but others don't let their snakes do it.

First, I cannot speak from personal experience, as Behira will be the largest snake I have owned when she is full grown.

I have heard, and it makes sense to me, over 6FT or so do not let them wrap around your neck. They only constrict to kill prey, but a large snake could hurt you, even accidentally, if they felt insecure or like they were going to fall, etc.

I have seen many people drape BCI's over their shoulders and let them hang on them, but again, not wrapped around their neck. Just hanging from it.

So, I think it's a good guideline, the 6FT or so length for Boids. My corn is almost 5 1/2 feet and 620G, so I am not worried about him. Shayna, my 4ft BP, and Behira, at 3 1/2 feet, are much stronger than Figment, my corn.

Besides, as Sauzo said, you will have a long-time to get to know your snake before he is big enough to worry about putting him around your neck.

Additionally, and to clarify, Behira has shown no added aggression eating every two weeks. She has not gotten cranky at all.

However, I offer food only at night with the lights out in the cages and that part of the room (big finished basement). If I am going to handle, cage lights and/or room lights are on. That way, the snakes have become "conditioned' not to look for food if the lights are on. At night, it's another story, they almost expect to be fed when I go in there.

Also, I have a 5 tank apartment from Boaphile and even though I feed every other week for Behira, I offer weekly for Shayna (although she hasn't eaten in 4 months now - on her yearly fast) and Figment. So, Behira smells the food and I am sure she would consider tagging me if I went in her tank near when feeding the other snakes.

By the next day, she is back to her chill self.

[svtvenom]

Thanks for all the information! I see what you mean by just letting him hang on the neck. I guess I'll see when he is bigger. That's good to know, I'm glad she hasn't shown any type of aggression feeding her every 2 weeks. Do you hook train your snakes? Or just reach in and pick them up? Aww poor girl, she's like feed me human! Luckily, he will be my only snake so I don't have to worry about that. So he is a VPI T+ BI? Is he a Colombian Red Tail Boa? I just want to be sure I'm calling him by the correct name when talking about him to other snake people so they don't think I'm totally clueless.