How often should I be feeding a 2 1/2 year old red tail?

[BP Newbie]

Like the title says. I've had her 2 weeks and I've fed her one rat. I feed my BP once a week, and I wanted to know if that was ok with a rtb.

[I-KandyReptiles]

Boas digest a lot slower than ball pythons. They eat a lot less often, and do not follow the typical 10-15% body weight rule most use for ball pythons.

Give your boa a rat that does NOT leave a noticeable lump every 7-14 days.

A lot of people tend to over feed their boas. Boas should not be chunky like ball pythons, but lean and squarish in body shape.

[DooLittle]

At that age I would put her on a two week feeding schedule. I do believe I have heard some do 3 weeks at that age. And feed a prey item that does not leave a noticeable lump. Congrats on the boa!

[Evenstar]

Boas digest a lot slower than ball pythons. They eat a lot less often, and do not follow the typical 10-15% body weight rule most use for ball pythons.

Give your boa a rat that does NOT leave a noticeable lump every 7-14 days.

A lot of people tend to over feed their boas. Boas should not be chunky like ball pythons, but lean and squarish in body shape.

At that age I would put her on a two week feeding schedule. I do believe I have heard some do 3 weeks at that age. And feed a prey item that does not leave a noticeable lump. Congrats on the boa!

This! Totally. I feed my 2011 boas (about 2 yrs old) every 2 weeks. They do great. Less is more with boas and they should NOT be fed like ball pythons.

Congrats on your new baby! But be warned - boas are like potato chips. Bet you can't have just one!!

[Gio]

This may differ slightly from some of the opinions you hear, mostly the "noticeable lump" mentioned. This BCC guide will work fine for a BCI as well.

It's written by one of the most respected boa person's in the business IMO.

http://www.riobravoreptiles.com/care_raisingboas.htm

Just throwing it out there.

[Evenstar]

But if you actually talk to Gus about that care sheet, he'll tell you 2 things. First, it needs to be updated with the current thinking and proven statistics and also it was written with adult boas in mind, not babies. I wish he was more specific about the babies since that's where most people start with new boas....

But I agree with you - Gus is one of the most respected folks in the boa community. So is Vince Russo, from whom I also had the opportunity to learn a lot.

[Gio]

But if you actually talk to Gus about that care sheet, he'll tell you 2 things. First, it needs to be updated with the current thinking and proven statistics and also it was written with adult boas in mind, not babies. I wish he was more specific about the babies since that's where most people start with new boas....

But I agree with you - Gus is one of the most respected folks in the boa community. So is Vince Russo, from whom I also had the opportunity to learn a lot.

I think Gus and Vin are best friends or if not very close friends.

Jonathan Brady of Deviant Constrictors also has some good info in his blogs about feeding, and type of prey. http://www.deviantconstrictors.com/b...r-my-boas.html

There is also a great post by Gus on Redtailboa.net that explains proper feeding and size. Longer living boas are the biggest he says.

The message was power feeding makes them big fast but they die early and never reach their true potential size.

Lean, muscular and long snakes are the goal.

I think the idea of conservative feeding is the best approach and agree Gus is in need of a little update on his web page. I think he does it all himself and that can be hard to do when making the snakes the main priority. It's still one of, if not my favorite boa page.

Apologies I did not know we were talking about baby boas here I was thinking a mature snake.

[Evenstar]

I think Gus and Vin are best friends or if not very close friends.

Jonathan Brady of Deviant Constrictors also has some good info in his blogs about feeding, and type of prey. http://www.deviantconstrictors.com/b...r-my-boas.html

There is also a great post by Gus on Redtailboa.net that explains proper feeding and size. Longer living boas are the biggest he says.

The message was power feeding makes them big fast but they die early and never reach their true potential size.

Lean, muscular and long snakes are the goal.

I think the idea of conservative feeding is the best approach and agree Gus is in need of a little update on his web page. I think he does it all himself and that can be hard to do when making the snakes the main priority. It's still one of, if not my favorite boa page.

Apologies I did not know we were talking about baby boas here I was thinking a mature snake.

Oh no worries - I totally agree with you!! And yes, Gus and Vin are long-term friends and business partners. I like Gus's page too, despite needing a few updates. He has a lot of really good info there including some breeding tips and more specific care information. More than what many other breeders include.

I think boas, in general, can handle larger prey than what we usually recommend. The thing is, newer keepers tend to overfeed. And boas can pack on poundage more quickly than other species thanks to their slower metabolisms. So conservative feeding is like erring on the side of caution - feed less so you don't accidentally feed too much. But since they do so much better when slow-grown, it's beneficial on multiple levels.