Update on Isis - Growing!

[Jay_Bunny]

This past July I took some pictures of Isis, my 2008 columbian red tail boa (that's a BCI, right) and she was somewhere between 600 and 700 grams in weight, eating 1 small rat every week. Today I decided to have a little photo shoot with her and get a weight on her since I haven't since July. I have no idea what she is supposed to weigh as an adult. I've tried finding out the answer but so far, no luck. I know she is supposed to get up to 7-9' long but as far as weight, I have no idea. I'm going to find that snake measuring program so I can find out her length.

In these pictures she does have a full belly. I've just bumped her up to eating 2 small rats.



The same paper towel roll from her previous photo shoot.




On the scale - 1122g with two small rats in her belly, so over 1000g now!


Back in the tub she goes.


That is a small crock. It is 4 inches in diameter.




This girl is getting so strong already. MUCH different from ball pythons. She squeezed my fingers while I was holding her and my fingers started turning red. I can only imagine the color my fingers will turn with she is full grown.

Thanks for looking!

[TheWinWizard]

Nice looking girl there.

[Jay_Bunny]

Also, should I bump her up to mediums? I plan on getting them from rodent pro and the mediums are between 84-174g. She's been taking 1 small rat (45-80g) and I just recently began feeding her two of them. Will 1 medium be better?

[mommanessy247]

it sounds like 2 small rats are equaling a total of 90-160g which is just in between the weights you specified for the medium rats.
i say make the switch cuz it'll cost more to feed her 2 small rats in one sitting every week if 1 medium rat can fill her up just the same, see what i mean?
try it and see...
nice lookin' boa by the way.

[TheWinWizard]

Indeed, up her to the medium rats.

[RichsBallPythons]

Dont push feeding with boas. Just cause they are a heavier bodied snake dont mean they require large meals leaving bulges in their stomachs. This is the main problem with beginner boa owners.



Overfeeding is VERY easy to do with Boas. You wont know it till its too late and you end up with the pinhead effect. Feed smaller meals weekly and slowly, average adult bci boa needs nothing larger than large to xl rat weekly.

Also being BCI dont expect her to surpass 7ft.

[Jay_Bunny]

Well being that she's almost 3 years old and is still this small I want to put some size on her. I don't know what a full size BCI is supposed to weigh but she just seems so tiny. Next feeding I'll take a picture of her with a small rat in her belly.

[Crazy4Herps]

What a beautiful boa! I absolutely love her colors! And I definitely know what you mean about their strength; my boa can easily cut off circulation to my hand when she wraps around my wrist. They're powerful animals for sure.

Dont push feeding with boas. Just cause they are a heavier bodied snake dont mean they require large meals leaving bulges in their stomachs. This is the main problem with beginner boa owners.

Overfeeding is VERY easy to do with Boas. You wont know it till its too late and you end up with the pinhead effect. Feed smaller meals weekly and slowly, average adult bci boa needs nothing larger than large to xl rat weekly.

x2 When it comes to boas, a slow feeding schedule / smaller food items weekly is by far the healthiest way to go. I think yours could handle medium rats, but if you choose to go that route, I would slow down the frequency of feedings. When my first boa graduated to medium rats, I slowed her down to 1-2 feedings per month. Bci have potential to be fairly large, but this should happen over the course of many, many years. Yours will reach her genetic potential eventually, but if you start stuffing her with food, her lifespan will be significantly decreased.

[Wh00h0069]

Well being that she's almost 3 years old and is still this small I want to put some size on her. I don't know what a full size BCI is supposed to weigh but she just seems so tiny. Next feeding I'll take a picture of her with a small rat in her belly.

At three years old, she should be quite a bit larger. I would bump her up to medium rats every ten days.

[Jay_Bunny]

Thanks. Yes, she should be a lot bigger than she is. Does anyone know about what weight adult female boas are at? With ball pythons it is pretty easy. Most females are 1500g+ by the time they are 2 years old, but with boas, I have no idea how much she should weigh or how long/big around she should be.