Feeding Question

[bcr229]

My two adult Boas are fed differently. Elenore gets a jumbo rat instead of mediums more frequently because it eliminates cage/feeding agression with HER. If I feed her small meals she tends to slam into the glass as I walk by sometimes. And then she does the hover S and tracks me. If I feed her a jumbo rat, she is peaceful for 4-6 or 7 weeks...

The previous owner of Punch was feeding him 2 jumbo rats every 10-14 days. While his shape is good, I bet a dollar to the donut that he has fatty organs. I only feed him one jumbo rat every 3-4 weeks...

If you can get rabbits that weigh the same as the jumbo rats you're feeding now I would urge you to switch both of them. Rabbits have heavier bones, more lean muscle, and much less fat than similarly-sized rats, and jumbo rats in particular are often old, retired breeders with a high fat content. I've also noticed mine seem to be satisfied longer with a rabbit than a jumbo rat of the same weight, I'm guessing because it takes longer for those thicker bones to get digested.

Rabbits do have some fat - about 10% - enough to encourage the boa to slowly process extra fat they're retaining without the massive dump associated with suddenly putting a critter with fatty liver disease onto a low fat diet (this is more of an issue with cats IIRC).