Feeding Question about my new boa

[Texas Rattlesnake]

Originally Posted by razeraze

Again though you are following advice and not answering questions. What was it, high temps, large cages? too much handling? This all needs to be addressed not just lumped together..

I can't answer this because I do not know. So, I'll give you the Before and After, and you can draw your own conclusions.

The three dead BCCs' husbandry details--Large cage with plenty of hides and natural substrate. Overhead basking spot in the high 90's/low 100's. Fed weekly following the "girth rule." Animals were young (i.e. one year or less). Handled frequently, but no sooner than 3 to 4 days after meals.

20 plus healthy BCCs- Smaller cages or tubs, temps from mid 70's to low 90s. Never handled within a week of feeding, but handled frequently. Fed every 9-21 days depending on the age and size of the animal. Animals are fed items smaller than girth. All alive and thriving.

[razeraze]

Do you have a picture of the old cage? Were they all kept together or all kept in separate large cages? Was there a screen top? What were the surface temps and the cool side temps? What was the humidity? How was the substrate taken care of?

[Texas Rattlesnake]

Here's another personal observation for you Raze. The neat thing about keeping lots of boas is that you never seem to be lacking personal observations.......

I have a Suriname boa produced by Rio Bravo. Actually, I have quite a few produced by Gus. This one in particular though has never given back a meal. She's well-established now and about a year and a half old. She's been on rat pups for a while now and I recently fed her a large mouse. It was her first mouse ever under my care. Guess what? She gave it back about 5 days after she ate it. It was mostly digested, but still a regurgitation.

	Boa Constrictor Constrictor

[Texas Rattlesnake]

Originally Posted by razeraze

Do you have a picture of the old cage? Were they all kept together or all kept in separate large cages? Was there a screen top? What were the surface temps and the cool side temps? What was the humidity? How was the substrate taken care of?

No photos. Kept separate. Screen top, partially covered. I've given you the temps. Humidity 60%. We are in Florida. Not sure what you are asking about the substrate, but they didn't have mites.

[razeraze]

Could the size of the meal have been too big for the provided basking temperatures? This seems to be the popular idea among the herpetologist I talk to. The bigger the meal the more heat it is going to require for digestion.

Monitors can be very delicate reptiles to keep and demand a ton of "figuring out" this is one of the reasons I go to monitor keepers for snake advice. Many of them also keep snakes or started with snakes because snakes are much easier. I was suggested feeding smaller meals to my water monitor, I tried it and she just threw up more and was not growing much. Once I provided the large filtered pond it was like night and day. She kept food down and grew like crazy.

[razeraze]

Originally Posted by Texas Rattlesnake

No photos. Kept separate. Screen top, partially covered. I've given you the temps. Humidity 60%. We are in Florida. Not sure what you are asking about the substrate, but they didn't have mites.

Was the substrate replaced at all, or was it a bioactive substrate? 90-100F was the ambiant temps? I would say that was your problem.

[Texas Rattlesnake]

Originally Posted by razeraze

Could the size of the meal have been to big for the provided basking temperatures?

I lumped everything together because it could have been a single cause, or a combination of causes. Personally, I believe improper temps, stress and overfeeding are the primary causes of regurgitation issues with BCC.

	Boa Constrictor Constrictor

[Texas Rattlesnake]

Originally Posted by razeraze

90-100F was the ambiant temps? I would say that was your problem.

90-100 was the basking spot temps. My ambient temps remain unchanged.

The substrate (aspen) has not changed either.

[razeraze]

Well I don't keep BCC but I agree with the first two whole heartedly, they also are the cause in monitor regurgitation as well.

	Boa Constrictor Constrictor

[razeraze]

Originally Posted by Texas Rattlesnake

90-100 was the basking spot temps. My ambient temps remain unchanged.

The substrate (aspen) has not changed either.

This was the surface temperatures in the basking area checked with a temp gun?