going to get my first boa!!!!

[erebus45]

Well as I am still currently waiting on my t8 and my boa.... I have been doing alot of research (everyday more and more research). Ok I know a boa can be over fed easily but Im hearing ppl say don't feed them till after they poop is that really ok? Or is their a better way of going about it? Thank you

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[Sauzo]

I don't go by the poop method as each snake poops differently. My guideline is anything up to 1 year old, I feed once a week. Then from 1-3 years, every 2 weeks. After 3 years old, if its a male, then once a 3-4 weeks. If its a female, once every 2-3 weeks. But those are guidelines. You also play it by sight. If your boa is starting to look chunky, back off the food. If its constantly hunting for food, then maybe feed it a bigger meal.

Also some people will quit feeding them in the winter to mimic the wild. That works fine too but me personally I just feed them the same but might extend out the feeding a little in the winter but generally the same.

[erebus45]

I don't go by the poop method as each snake poops differently. My guideline is anything up to 1 year old, I feed once a week. Then from 1-3 years, every 2 weeks. After 3 years old, if its a male, then once a 3-4 weeks. If its a female, once every 2-3 weeks. But those are guidelines. You also play it by sight. If your boa is starting to look chunky, back off the food. If its constantly hunting for food, then maybe feed it a bigger meal.

Also some people will quit feeding them in the winter to mimic the wild. That works fine too but me personally I just feed them the same but might extend out the feeding a little in the winter but generally the same.

ok thank you I will do exactly that and as for the winter time feedings I don't think I would feel right not feeding him through the winter time so I might just expand his feedings too. now with the size off food....correct me if Im wrong but I want to look for something that is the same size as the widest part of him, right? trying to make sure iv got this down pat cuz I don't want to over/under feed him/her. I want to make sure that it has proper care ...... hot spot 90 warm side 85 cool side 75? humidity 50-70% 75% in shed? like I said iv don't countless hours of research from all different kinds of sites/videos so hopefully it wasn't all for nothing...thank you

[cchardwick]

Hey, I just saw this boa thread and also noticed on Rodent Pro dot com that they had a warning about feeding boas retired breeder rats, apparently they can't digest all the fat? Never heard of that and was surprised to see it on a rodent site.

[erebus45]

Hey, I just saw this boa thread and also noticed on Rodent Pro dot com that they had a warning about feeding boas retired breeder rats, apparently they can't digest all the fat? Never heard of that and was surprised to see it on a rodent site.

Thats good to know eventually I will be breeding rats once my snakes need that size lol hopefully a couple years from now lol

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[Sauzo]

ok thank you I will do exactly that and as for the winter time feedings I don't think I would feel right not feeding him through the winter time so I might just expand his feedings too. now with the size off food....correct me if Im wrong but I want to look for something that is the same size as the widest part of him, right? trying to make sure iv got this down pat cuz I don't want to over/under feed him/her. I want to make sure that it has proper care ...... hot spot 90 warm side 85 cool side 75? humidity 50-70% 75% in shed? like I said iv don't countless hours of research from all different kinds of sites/videos so hopefully it wasn't all for nothing...thank you

Pretty close. You are correct on the feeding part, you want food about as thick as their thickest part.

Hot spot is good. Warm side is good. Cool side I would try and bump up a little. I prefer to keep cool side around 78-80F. Humidity I would bump up. I try and keep their humidity between 60-70% and for sheds I don't raise anything. They all have perfect shed in that 60-70% range.

Also if your boa is under a year or 2, I wouldn't quit feeding in winter. Some people do it for adults but like I said, I usually just slow their food but I don't quit feeding.

[Sauzo]

Hey, I just saw this boa thread and also noticed on Rodent Pro dot com that they had a warning about feeding boas retired breeder rats, apparently they can't digest all the fat? Never heard of that and was surprised to see it on a rodent site.

Surprised they said that. Its true and pretty known. Pretty much any "jumbo" sold is a retired breeder be it mice or rats. Also avoid feeding boas guinea pigs as they are very fatty. They are fine for pythons but not boas. Rabbits are good for boas as they are lean meat and lower in fat content. Plus they are dense so a little goes a long way with them.

[erebus45]

first off, i just want to thank everybody for the great advice it is all VERY helpful. one a side/unhappy note thanks to the holidays coming up it will be even longer before i get my baby bci.........the suppliers of my local pet store will not be shipping anything till the end of the month i wish their was more breeders around me (i don't really like the thought of buying a animal online i haven't even got to see or hold) i don't know maybe its a good thing im having to wait longer i know my t8 is due to arrive tomorrow i have everything i need to set it up so hopefully this weekend ill be able to start getting it all warmed up to where it needs to be...anyways just thought i would share my frustration lol... thank you all once again for all the advice