Prey size for new Boa

[Evenstar]

You don't want to use the 10-15% rule with boas. That's for balls. You want to feed a prey item that will not leave a noticeable lump, or a barely noticeable lump. You also only want to feed every 7-10 days.

This is exactly right. If you're going to use a percentage, stay at 10% or less for boas. But I just eyeball it. Smaller is better for boas and I prefer to feed an item that does not leave any noticable lump in my boas' bellies at all. Feed only every 7-10 days - even for tiny babies. And I would stick to the mouse hoppers or maybe possibly weanlings. Boas tend to grow better (and still slowly) on mice. Rats can have too much fat content. I don't switch my boas from mice to rats until they are big enough to eat a rat weanling (they are on large/jumbo mice by this time, so the rat should be a comparable size). The smaller mice have more bone content which is better used by the snake for growth and nutrition. The fat in rat pinks/pups can cause complications in boas by stimulating growth and causing digestive upset.