Feeding schedule change and sudden aggression?

[BCS]

If he is a rescue boa then I would bet that they had his age wrong. Not that it plays into his aggression issue at all, but rescues are notorious for getting the age and sex wrong. Likely he was underfed as a hatchling and was super small for his age, leading the rescue to inappropriately set his age too young. He could have been malnourished, and associated that with mistreatment and reacted aggressively. Once you acquired him and brought his food intake up he likely calmed down and the aggression dissipated. Spreading out his food schedule could likely bring back the association of neglect. If he isn't overweight on the weekly food schedule then why change? Every snake is distinct in its growth and metabolic rate, so weekly feedings might be right for him.

The babies were a surrender. The owner of the mother did not know he bought a pregnant snake. So they know that the birth date was around June. I got him in August. He snapped really hard at me this morning to the point hitting the door with suck force my husband that I dropped something.

[CloudtheBoa]

4' is rather large for a yearling, they're normally 2'-3' (mine was 2.5'), but 4' at a year old isn't too unheard of. Males grow a bit faster than females.

Some snakes do react negatively to having their feeding schedules spread out. I haven't experienced it in any of my snakes so far, luckily, but I've heard others say they did. I would say double-check your husbandry as well.

What is your set up like? A 5'x2' enclosure is a bit large for a 4' boa, housing a snake up to 7', so maybe for some reason he now feels he's too exposed? You could try adding some hides and fake plants if you feel it's a bit open.

I second the hook option. It will keep him away from you while still alerting him to your presence, which may give him enough time to settle down before reaching in for him.

[JoshSloane]

I still think you should just go back to your original feeding regimen and continue it unless he becomes overweight. Personally I would rather have a fed, satiated and happy snake than save a few bucks on rats, but have an angry and unmanageable animal. The set feeding schedules that others on here use don't have to apply to your situation. Each animal is different and requires unique care. Just cause others feed on a 10 or 14 day interval doesn't mean you have to. Just take the size of the animal you would normally give at 14 days and just break it into two feedings that occur weekly. Keeps your animal at a healthy weight and satisfied.

[BCS]

I still think you should just go back to your original feeding regimen and continue it unless he becomes overweight. Personally I would rather have a fed, satiated and happy snake than save a few bucks on rats, but have an angry and unmanageable animal. The set feeding schedules that others on here use don't have to apply to your situation. Each animal is different and requires unique care. Just cause others feed on a 10 or 14 day interval doesn't mean you have to. Just take the size of the animal you would normally give at 14 days and just break it into two feedings that occur weekly. Keeps your animal at a healthy weight and satisfied.

I hear what you are saying but the next size under a small rat here is a rat pup (petsmart food, what can I say?), that is the size of his tail. I would rather have a healthy snake and feed aggressive snake then an obese snake that may one day cost me hundreds of dollars in vet bills. I am not feeding less to save money, believe me... I have a bunch of other snakes and the boa already costs me less then some of the other snakes I have so that is not the issue. My boa is a healthy weight for his size as far as I know but he is huge. 4ft for a boa whose first birthday next month is very big. Over feeding a boa is more risky then over feeding a ball python for example. I am moving him to a ten day schedule and eventually back to a 14 day schedule and we will do this gradually to get him used to it. If he is still aggressive with ten day feedings then that is how it will be. I will love him just the same and care for him just the same.

[JoshSloane]

No offense but I think you are overplaying how much a 7 day feeding schedule will induce obesity in snakes. When people power-feed an animal into obesity they are giving it multiple large prey items every 3-4 days. An appropriately sized prey item every week is not going to make it obese. Especially for a young growing boa. If this was a 5 year old adult I would say to slow back on food. Youre overthinking this.

[Chaoticpythons]

I have a almost two year old female. I would say she is 3 1/2-4 feet. I feed her every 7 days on weaned f/t rats. I have tried moving her to 10 and 14 day schedules. YIKES!! If you want to handle her at all, you keep her on a 7 day schedule. That being said, she is not fat at all. Some snakes just need more frequent, and as long as you watch their weight there is nothing wrong with it.

[anicatgirl]

Realize that they are also more active than say, BPs. If snake is grumpy is hungry. 7 days is pretty normal for at least a couple years to my understanding.

[bcr229]

I hear what you are saying but the next size under a small rat here is a rat pup (petsmart food, what can I say?), that is the size of his tail. I would rather have a healthy snake and feed aggressive snake then an obese snake that may one day cost me hundreds of dollars in vet bills. I am not feeding less to save money, believe me... I have a bunch of other snakes and the boa already costs me less then some of the other snakes I have so that is not the issue. My boa is a healthy weight for his size as far as I know but he is huge. 4ft for a boa whose first birthday next month is very big. Over feeding a boa is more risky then over feeding a ball python for example. I am moving him to a ten day schedule and eventually back to a 14 day schedule and we will do this gradually to get him used to it. If he is still aggressive with ten day feedings then that is how it will be. I will love him just the same and care for him just the same.

Look into buying bulk frozen feeders online, especially if you have a lot of snakes. Even with shipping costs included you will likely save some money. Also, I've noticed that the Petco/PetSmart "Arctice Mice" brand tends to run their feeders on the smaller side of the range, where when you order bulk frozen you get a mix of smaller and larger feeders within a range. So, your boa could handle a large-ish small rat or a small-ish medium rat, rather than the always small-ish small rats from the big box store.

If you do go back to 7 or 10 day feedings but are still concerned with your boa getting overweight, get him out and handle him a bit more each day, take him outside to roam around in the grass, etc. In the wild these animals would be getting a lot more exercise than they get in captivity, especially in the days leading up to a meal, as they would be out hunting. And yes, you're right that many boas in captivity are fat if not downright obese, so I applaud you for trying to prevent it with yours.

[JoshSloane]

I have a almost two year old female. I would say she is 3 1/2-4 feet. I feed her every 7 days on weaned f/t rats. I have tried moving her to 10 and 14 day schedules. YIKES!! If you want to handle her at all, you keep her on a 7 day schedule. That being said, she is not fat at all. Some snakes just need more frequent, and as long as you watch their weight there is nothing wrong with it.

Agreed! My lipstick albino adult female is about as puppy dog tame as it gets. She wont even strike at the feeders, just slowly investigates and begins to ingest them. I once had to wait an extra week to feed her due to traveling, and the second the rat entered the room she began to strike the glass. Point is, the feeding response is by far the most well developed of all traits in snakes. Especially in boas it seems to rule their every move. Keeping them on the hungry side only sets you up for issues. Like bcr said, just handle the snake a bit more and you will be fine. Obese snakes result from ridiculous feeding schedules paired with feeders that are way too big.

[blackfish707]

He has that loaf of bread look to him.

Best description ever.