BCC regurge

[Special_Ed]

I'll toss a bomb into this thread.. :laugh:
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Consider that Boa in the wild go through natural (probably yearly) cycles where their available body reserves in the form of fatty tissues are either building or being used (metabolised). This is especially true of reproductive females which at some times may have virtually zero stored body fat.
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This contrasts with boas in culture allowed little seasonality and purposely fed on a frequent and regular schedule towards increasing mass and length (actually, a healthy boa will grow quite well even if it misses some meals, but thats' for another thread).
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Boas and other snakes do not rid their bodies of toxins or the by-products of infection or cell-loss in the same way that mammals do. Instead much of those potentially bad things are stored in their adipose tissues (fat).
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Without a lean cycle your boa could then potentially have stored in it's body a lot of harmful stuff, including medications it may have been given.. in contrast a wild boa has little except what it may have ingested or produced in a couple of seasons. I think it will be proved at some point that this cycle (or lack of it) is a main reason captive boas die of cancers, recurring infections, renal failure and even old age-related symptoms before their time. Simply put, people feed their boas too much, too often. How much too much? probably 30-50% IMO..
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Use this link:
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http://www.riobravoreptiles.com/care_raisingboas.htm
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That's my dissertation on raising true red tails, it's been up on line for years but is still quite relevant. It will contain a lot of new ideas to many keepers who have not been exposed to more than most care-sheets.
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Have fun!

	IMO In My Opinion

[trendkill]

Gus, do you know how often obese (those with extreme excess fat, not just a little extra weight) boas are found in the wild?

On the regurgitation and temperature information.. I agree. Low temperatures often don't allow for proper digestion, and slow the digestion process down. Going a week or more with a large amount of food still in the stomach can also allow more time for stress, handling, or other issues to come into play, increasing the chances of that regurgitation. Extremely high temperatures can have the same effect, causing presumable rapid digestion (too fast for these boas to handle apparently) and again an increase in stress.

How much stress affects digestion at cold temperatures is hard to say, though stress has been largely blamed for boas kept at ideal temperatures and in good care regurgitating, so I would say it could be relevant and play a significant role in many situations leading to a meal throw-back.

I've never had a BCC regurgitate. My first BCC boa was a fresh import, and a small, scared baby to boot. I sought out guidance from experienced keepers, and I raised her very slowly. Though the odds were still against me, I never had a problem with her. I apply her care and feedings to all the boas I keep now, even though they were produced in captivity. I keep average temperature gradients of 75-90 degrees in every cage, I feed moderately.. skip meals occasionally when the boa is in the shedding process or is holding feces for a longer amount of time, and I give them complete privacy during digestion. I don't take pictures of the boas, handle them, clean their cages or change anything in their enclosures when there is still a meal in their stomachs. Furthermore, I regularly expose my animals to environments outside of their enclosures (indoors and out), to human contact, and even vibrations and the scents of other pets. I do this with all boas (on empty stomachs obviously), and in my opinion, the earlier they learn they're in a world in which they don't have to worry about predators or harm so much, the better. The more comfortable they are with human contact and everything around them, the less likely they'll succumb to environment-related stress. But I have no doubt that if you feed a calm and easy going BCC a meal that is too large, or feed it too frequently, it will regurgitate. Stress aside, over feeding and very large prey items are the next most common factors blamed for the issue.

I did make the mistake of feeding a few boas before going on vacation, then coming home to find that the heat had gone out on a couple cages (thanks a lot to my boa sitter for paying so much attention). The meals were still visible in the stomach as if they had just been fed, so that tells me the heat went out almost right after I left. I was sure they'd regurgitate and I was actually preparing for it. But I increased their temperatures VERY slowly and steadily, covered the cages and gave them complete privacy, left them alone.. only peaking in so as not to be noticed to check for any problems, kept all light fluctuation and vibration out of that room, and they were ok and digested their meals. Thank God. Were these well established animals better prepared to handle this mistake? Or was I just lucky? I can't answer that.

	Boa Constrictor Constrictor

[Special_Ed]

Originally Posted by trendkill

Gus, do you know how often obese (those with exteme excess fat, not just a little extra weight) boas are found in the wild?

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In my experience and that of people I know.. never. Even many females gravid with good litters do not even show or look big or exceptionally heavy.
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Be good.

[trendkill]

Thank you.

[Texas Rattlesnake]

Originally Posted by trendkill

I've never had a BCC regurgitate. .

You know what.....I do not think that is luck or good fortune.

You get it, and your investment of time has really paid off. You can tell from your photos that you are doing a great job with your animals. Keep up the good work.

[danktat]

Originally Posted by Texas Rattlesnake

You know what.....I do not think that is luck or good fortune.

You get it, and your investment of time has really paid off. You can tell from your photos that you are doing a great job with your animals. Keep up the good work.

I would have to agree here

[ssjsmits]

Good job to EVERYONE, who is raising these boas healthy. Keep up the great work to everyone here.

[razeraze]

Originally Posted by Texas Rattlesnake

. Yes, you can raise a one or two BCC without any problems, but raise 15 to 20 and you'll find that some individuals are less hardy than others and need a little more precision on your part to get it right.

There is a huge problem with this statement. I doubt anyone has the space to house 15 or 20 snakes the way I do. Setting the cage up correctly is more important than size of the cage.

When reading about parasites I learned how important a fever is to a mammal. I have seen sick reptiles ( monitors, snakes, and crocodiles) search out hot spots to break down parasites or viruses or rapidly metabolize food. This is what brings me to believe more studies on surface temps in these animals home ranges need to be done. I find more people who keep crocodilians and monitors have gone and temp gunned these animals in the wild on basking surfaces, than any snake keepers. Why are recordings only from our cages?

Gus you are one of the few who have checked surface temps in these animals home range what have you found? Are climates for BCCs hotter in their native range than BCIs? Again this is a reptile I have never learned about because I have never had a problem keeping snakes. I have found people who have this problem turn to breeders instead of field researchers which is the complete opposite thing I did when having problems with my monitors.

[trendkill]

Originally Posted by razeraze

Why are recordings only from our cages?

Likely because this is captivity, an the cage temperatures almost all BCC keepers provide are crucial to the sucessful keeping and even captive reproduction of this sub species. Parasites, viruses and diseases shouldn't be found in a healthy captive boa. A higher surface temperature will be of no use, and potentially cause more harm than good, to an animal in good condition.

A very sick reptile on the other hand can be disoriented and sluggish, and most will agree that a slight increase of cage temperatures can aid in their recovery. However, the risks of common medications to cure advanced infection or rid of parasite infestation are far less than the risks of exposing a sickly animal to temperatures that can burn, cause internal damage or death, or stress the boa into a downward spiral of regurgitation.

	Boa Constrictor Constrictor