Looking at bigger snakes

[ratchet]

I can't say on a Dum sadly. I only have experience with BCIs

I think most boas benefit from being fed once every 2 weeks when they are older, but I don't have anything to back that up.

Okay! I'll dig around some more then, thanks!

Sorry, don't mean to take the main conversation off topic!!

I can't wait till my Dum is bigger. She is such a sweetheart and hangs around my neck and shoulders like a champ. She's my favourite when it comes to carrying a snake around the house, my king snake doesn't hold still long enough to hang around nicely and my ball pythons don't seem to like it as much (still working on that, cause by golly, they'll learn to like it, gosh darn it ;P). I know I'll have to get her a larger cage than any of my other snakes, but that doesn't bother me. Having a longer and larger girthed snake is going to be sweet, I know she will be my favourite to show off. Being my first boa, she's been amazing since day one at 2 weeks old when I got her.

[bcr229]

So HVani, with my almost two year old Dum, would it be better if I fed her once every two weeks? I have been looking at her and thinking she may be a bit on the chubby side, haha. I need to weigh her here soon, but it's hard to not forget that she's not my little baby anymore and so maybe she doesn't need to be fed as often.

Once mine hit a year old they're on a ten day schedule, and at two years they go to a fourteen day schedule. My adults also don't get a prey item big enough to leave a lump, usually a 6-7 ounce rat or young rabbit is plenty.

Remember Dums prefer a lower temperature than ball pythons - 75*F to 85*F - and they have correspondingly slower metabolisms so they digest slowly and don't need to eat as often. Like BCI's they should also be square, not round, even though they are heavy-bodied.

Honestly I'm surprised they're not more popular with people who keep snakes as they're remarkably easy to maintain, have a nice food response, don't get insanely huge, and aren't difficult to handle (think lap snake).

[ratchet]

Once mine hit a year old they're on a ten day schedule, and at two years they go to a fourteen day schedule. My adults also don't get a prey item big enough to leave a lump, usually a 6-7 ounce rat or young rabbit is plenty.

Remember Dums prefer a lower temperature than ball pythons - 75*F to 85*F - and they have correspondingly slower metabolisms so they digest slowly and don't need to eat as often. Like BCI's they should also be square, not round, even though they are heavy-bodied.

Honestly I'm surprised they're not more popular with people who keep snakes as they're remarkably easy to maintain, have a nice food response, don't get insanely huge, and aren't difficult to handle (think lap snake).

Thanks!! Yeah, I'd say she is more chub than lean, this should help. And thanks about the temp reminder, it's hard not to get so wrapped up in the temps and include her with the balls. That must be why they are said to be slow growers, with the slow metabolism.

I had never heard of them until I went to my first expo. My husband was the one that noticed them. I loved her rosey pink with the dark. It amazes me how much she mellowed out, she tagged me a few times as a young one, haha.

[JoshSloane]

Obviously everyone has their own method for feeding. I feed appropriately sized items every week, from baby up through adult. I always have fit, lean, muscular snakes that are happy.

Some of the time I do intentionally vary their food intake. If I am going to have a busy week, or be on vacation, I might feed a larger food item, and then let them go two weeks. Usually only do this for an animal at least a year old. Sometimes the most growth comes in their fasting period.