Honey - Kahl Sunglow Jungle

[Bogertophis]

I'm with dakski on NOT feeding jumbo rats. The only large boa I've kept was a female "BCI" "Mexican Boa"- and she grew to about 8' or so over many years. She started off very nippy (a yearling that was rehomed many times before coming to a patient owner- me- that showed her she was now safe- nothing to fear) & she grew into a total sweetie that liked to snuggle around me & "watch movies" for a few hours. She didn't want back in her enclosure afterwards, but the solution was a soft-sided pet carrier with a towel inside that she saw as her "cave" when she was out & about (supervised, of course! I was always nearby when not wrapped up, lol) & that way, she was easily returned to her home when needed, & the carrier later removed once she came out on her own.

Far better than trying to out-muscle & out-maneuver a big strong snake, ya know?

About supervision- the one time I was folding laundry & she was on my bed watching me, I left the room for a couple minutes max, & she disappeared! A big snake is hard to hide, but they're GOOD at it- it's instinct- She had headed right into an open dresser drawer trying to claim it as her own. Hissed up a storm when I quickly found her- it was hilarious, but memorable...you can't drop your guard on a snake that's free to move about. (After that incident, I started using the soft-sided carrier to give her a more secure feeling when she was out- a free-access hiding place- when not being held by me. She clearly loved it.)

I hope you have many enjoyable years with all your snakes- I'd guess eventually a 6' enclosure would be the best, but that can wait until you obviously need it, & maybe you never will. I just know that my boa's growth slowed & she stayed around 6' for quite some time before another growth spurt happened & she gained a couple feet. On nothing bigger than med-large rats, which I raised, btw. Large-jumbo rats ARE too fatty, & the only one I ever tried feeding her, she obviously had trouble digesting. Never again.

[bcr229]

One word of caution from what I have heard repeatedly and from people I trust, as well as researching nutritional content of prey, etc. Avoid jumbo rats for Boas. They struggle with digesting fat and aside from the digestion issues, it will put the wrong kind of weight on them. They thrive on lean meals.

This is true. I'm fortunate to have two local meat rabbit breeders who are willing to sell their culls to me as whole prey, as an 8-16 oz rabbit is much leaner than the same size rat. I also get their retired breeder does for my retics, as apparently they're too big/old/tough to provide sale-quality meat.