Quote Originally Posted by dakski View Post
Good on tongs and good on tongs just for him. Good quarantine procedure.

If he's eating small mice now, keep on that definitely until he's really settled in. In general, you want the prey item to leave a small bulge in the body of the BCI, but have it be gone within about 1 day. Again, less is more. Behira, at 1,000G could eat a 100-110G medium rat pretty easily, but I am still feeding 75-90G small rats for now. I'd rather feed 7-8% of body weight (less important than snake width) than 10-11% for her. Easier to digest, and it only means a few grams less growth each feeding, but long-term is better for her. Also, because of rat maturity, fat content, etc. the larger you go with prey, the less frequently you need to feed (I'll lay it out in a second). When Behira does go to medium rats, she will eat every 3 weeks instead of every 2 like she is now.

Here's how I would feed a male BCI.

Small mice: 1X weekly.

Adult mice: 1X weekly.

When too big for adult mice, I would switch to weaned rats (30-50G but stay on the small side to start). BCI's will pretty much eat anything and switching over to rats should not be a problem. For ease and health reasons it makes sense to go to weaned rats from adult mice. Jumbo mice are fatty and not ideal. BCI's don't do great with fatty meals in general, and need lean protein while growing.

Weaned Rats: 1X weekly

Small Rats (60-90G): 1X every two (2) weeks.

Medium rats (95-140G): 1X every three (3) weeks.

Large rats (180-280G): 1X every 3-4 weeks, probably closer to 4.

IF he gets big:

Jumbo rats (300-400G): 1X every 4-5 weeks (I would recommend smaller and every 4 as opposed to a big one every 5 weeks).

They sell colossal rats too that are 400-600G or so. They tend to be retired breeders and are generally a little too fatty and harder to digest. I would recommend, on the off chance he gets over 5,000 grams, that you feed either two large rats every 4 weeks or so or one jumbo every 3-4.

As an adult, which will be a long ways from now (4-6 years if fed properly for a BCI to reach adult size/weight - probably more on the 5-6 year timeframe), you can experiment and see how well he's maintaining weight with less food and adjust. If he's losing, feed more often or bigger prey. If he's gaining, cut back. Captive BCI's can get heavy pretty quick and it's hard to take the weight off. Keep him lean and fit.

Regarding handling. I think most BCI's are a lot braver than your average BP. However, I would get a good two meals into him before anything other than necessary handling (tank cleaning, water bowl changes, etc.). I do recommend removing him and placing him in a holding container when cleaning. BCI's are curious and think about food a lot. Would hate for your hand to get mistaken for dinner. I always remove Behira before doing anything in her tank. I generally do with the BP (Shayna) as well, but it's only 50% necessary, and my corns really don't care too much what I do in the tank. However, to be extra safe, I usually remove them too.

When you do start handling him, after two good meals, I would take it slow, be gentle, and very short handling sessions. Once he's got 3-4 meals in him, you are home free and can stop working with him a lot more.

I hope this helps and don't be shy about asking for clarification, or any other questions. He's a stunner and has found a good home.

Additionally, the above is my opinion and what I have settled on after reading everything I can find on BCI's, talking to multiple breeders, vets, other keepers, and years on this forum. If anyone disagrees, please feel free to do so. Not the word of G-D, but I hope it's a good starting point.
Wow Dakski! Wouldn't expect anything less from you. It's a lot to digest but something that I'll find myself looking at often. Currently w/ my BP feedings, I'll feed in the dark and he'll retreat to his hide so I've never noticed the size of the bulge in his body but I guess I'll have to start taking notice w/ the BCI. The breeder said he was currently on Med/Large Mice which seemed a little large for a 4 month old BCI but I guess I won't know until I take receipt of him. Hopefully I make the right decision in ordering the right size food. As always, thanks for the the well thought out responses!