New[ish] Red Tailed Boa

[BeansTheDerp]

don't forget the snake hook!

[BlueOrleans1290]

the snakes aren't the only ones! what would we do without your awesome sense of humor and wonderfully friendly personality Blue?

Thats so sweet I can't even awwwwww

[nikkubus]

What gives you the idea he was powerfed? 17 seems quit a long time for a boa who was powerfed to live, and I see no reason to powerfeed a male even by greedy-for-money standards, after a snake has reached sexual maturity and breeding size. Feeding more food than necessary is absolutely a waste of money, and males don't give any benefit at all from being larger, in fact it makes it worse for fertility. It really sounds like you harbor some misconceptions about breeding. I would not make any assumptions that this animal is going to die within a few years and plan for him to be around a good long while.

8' is pretty darn large for a lot of male boas, but it's certainly not unheard of for a BCC who was fed properly (slowly) and isn't a designer animal bred for morphs. I would still gather he probably isn't that big, because people almost always over exaggerate the size of large snakes and they aren't exactly the easiest things to measure because they don't like to sit still all stretched out lol.

I also agree, I wouldn't have your hopes up that his behavior is going to change, that he is probably set in his ways. That doesn't mean he can't be a great animal, but it's important to manage your expectations and be aware that he may be very difficult to handle in order to clean his enclosure and things. You will certainly need another adult to help you as a safety backup whenever you need in his enclosure for any reason, including feeding and changing water. If that is not something you can provide now and expect to provide indefinitely, I would not take him in. This is the very reason I do not own a mainland retic as much as I adore them, and am willing to provide them a large enclosure with plenty to climb on, and all the best things every retic deserves. You need to think long and hard how you will handle this snake in 5, 10, 20 years from now because he could live a long time if the correct husbandry is provided.

[BlueOrleans1290]

Okay so. We had this snake for the first 10 years. I only think he was being powered because he was being fed every single week even at adult size.. I could be wrong, so excuse me. But I don't agree with it either in breeding. I just know it's something that some snake breeders do

[nikkubus]

Okay so. We had this snake for the first 10 years. I only think he was being powered because he was being fed every single week even at adult size.. I could be wrong, so excuse me. But I don't agree with it either in breeding. I just know it's something that some snake breeders do

I cannot fathom for the life of me why a breeder would powerfeed a 10yo male boa D: and yes, that is way too much unless it's seasonal to bulk them up for breeding season where they have to expend a LOT more calories than any pet boa and really need that extra intake.

[Bogertophis]

Okay so. We had this snake for the first 10 years. I only think he was being powered because he was being fed every single week even at adult size.. I could be wrong, so excuse me. But I don't agree with it either in breeding. I just know it's something that some snake breeders do

Yeah, feeding an adult boa every week- I'd call that power-feeding too. I've heard of ppl who power-feed to get young snakes to breeding size sooner (which is a lousy idea), or maybe the females they're breeding, but never heard of anyone feeding a 10 y/o male boa every week? Maybe that was their idea of a "snake pacifier", so they could change the water bowl while he was "busy"?

[nikkubus]

Yeah, feeding an adult boa every week- I'd call that power-feeding too. I've heard of ppl who power-feed to get young snakes to breeding size sooner (which is a lousy idea), or maybe the females they're breeding, but never heard of anyone feeding a 10 y/o male boa every week? Maybe that was their idea of a "snake pacifier", so they could change the water bowl while he was "busy"?

I guess that's a possibility. Seems a lot more trouble than just blocking his head with a roll of paper towels or a tub lid or something. I know boas behave a lot differently than a BP or retic when it comes to territorial aggression but good grief. Some people should not keep snakes, let alone breed them D:

[Bogertophis]

I guess that's a possibility. Seems a lot more trouble than just blocking his head with a roll of paper towels or a tub lid or something. I know boas behave a lot differently than a BP or retic when it comes to territorial aggression but good grief. Some people should not keep snakes, let alone breed them D:

Yeah, really! Poor snakes... we'll likely never know what their thinking was.

[WrongPython]

Being fed once a week at adult size is definitely too much. While I'm not sure if it meets the formal definition of power feeding or not - "power feeding" implies some sort of purposeful intent - that's definitely overfeeding. In general, an average adult male common boa should only need to eat an appropriately-sized meal about once a month.

... I wouldn't have your hopes up that his behavior is going to change, that he is probably set in his ways. That doesn't mean he can't be a great animal, but it's important to manage your expectations and be aware that he may be very difficult to handle in order to clean his enclosure and things. You will certainly need another adult to help you as a safety backup whenever you need in his enclosure for any reason, including feeding and changing water. If that is not something you can provide now and expect to provide indefinitely, I would not take him in. This is the very reason I do not own a mainland retic as much as I adore them, and am willing to provide them a large enclosure with plenty to climb on, and all the best things every retic deserves. You need to think long and hard how you will handle this snake in 5, 10, 20 years from now because he could live a long time if the correct husbandry is provided.

Couldn't have said it better myself, nikkubus. And I feel you on having to take a pass on cool species due to long-term size and handling concerns - I'm looking at you, Morelia bredli and Boa constrictor occidentalis.

I agree with what everyone else has said on this front. In general, you should have a second person around if you're dealing with a snake that's greater than 6'/2m in length. It's a downright necessity if you're dealing with something in the 8' neighborhood. Even if Thor isn't truly defensive and his striking stems from an overzealous feeding response, accidents do happen, and a feeding bite from a snake of his size may not be something you can handle on your own. Remember: safety is paramount. Long-term care ability is right behind that, at least in my book. If you're seriously considering keeping Thor for the long haul, I think a good first step would actually be sitting down, having a honest conversation with yourself, and determining if you'll realistically be able to provide him with the care heneeds during that time period. I've personally put myself through this mental exercise multiple times (including today), and it's stopped me from taking on new snakes, which I think will ultimately be for the better.

[BlueOrleans1290]

Ah yes.. well I do know that my dad would be right there every time I need to do anything with him. Honestly.. I just really want him to be my old grumpy man. I wanted him to come back home, and if I can't handle him that's alright. As long as he is happy, I'm happy