Feeding Question about my new boa

[ssjsmits]

Mines got a long way to go. Still on pups.

[JuliusSqueezer]

I always hope for a poop out of most boids before a 4th meal but it's not uncommon now and then for them to go longer especially when fed smaller meals and or aren't getting much exercise. Night drops help keep them moving. Regardless of how your cage is set up or how your gradients are, there's probably a comfortable spot there somewhere and if they find it and like it, may not bother with the whole basking and cooling thing and just stay comfortable if the night and day temps are the same. This leads to some long term serious problems. They need to move. Night drops force them to move to the basking area to warm back up in the morning when the heat / lights come back on. Making them bask daily to thermo regulate rather than just after meals could also be something we all need to discuss

[razeraze]

Wow, more fun.

BW I said I know plenty of people with large colections none over 5years old (in other words none of their collection is over 5 years old). I know plenty of people with plenty of reptiles and the ones that do the poorest are the monitors. Many choose to keep them on concrete or with no substrate so they will never try and dump eggs. The bottom line being I look for exactly how people keep reptiles and what there credentials are, but having a lot of critters is never one of them. I am not bragging about the snake I have had for 6 years, I am stating who I get my information from and why I listen to them since that has been called into this court hearing as well. How ever I hope you got my list and check with them, perhaps they will be more inclined to talk to you since you are so vastly experienced and knowledgeable. I bet when you done they will contact me and say the no longer believe hotter basking spots will aid in large meal digestion.

Julius the gentleman who keeps the varanids and is the one responsible for the rattlesnake project simply keeps them with out substrate on strict schedules, in small cages and they do not grow, or have such a small growth rate it is not visible after 6 months-2 years. It seems now he is considering houseing them better but who knows, he is definitely more interested in venomous snakes. Working with them and being in charge of the re-release project are two completely different things (again these are the people I look to for answers, not just ones who keep the reptiles). Julius I was a terrible monitor keeper hence why I needed help. It took a long time to figure out how to keep a W/C stressed salvator from throwing up. How ever I figured it out and it had nothing to do with the hot temps I provided or the frequent large meals (I KNOW IT'S HARD TO BELIEVE SOMETHING ELSE COULD CAUSE REGURGITATION).

Again I have no problem with how snakes are kept what ticks me off is I have to sit here and defend myself and my cages time and again, because there is some unwritten cult that natural temperatures and enriched set ups is not allowed into.

So please stop wasting my time and check my sources and by all means get back to me. Let me know how natural surface temps of 100+F in no way benefit or aid digestion, it only contributes to thermal burns and snakes with cooked tissue. Find me the burned up regurgitating reptiles of the willd.

[Texas Rattlesnake]

Originally Posted by JuliusSqueezer

I always hope for a poop out of most boids before a 4th meal but it's not uncommon now and then for them to go longer especially when fed smaller meals and or aren't getting much exercise. Night drops help keep them moving. Regardless of how your cage is set up or how your gradients are, there's probably a comfortable spot there somewhere and if they find it and like it, may not bother with the whole basking and cooling thing and just stay comfortable if the night and day temps are the same. This leads to some long term serious problems. They need to move. Night drops force them to move to the basking area to warm back up in the morning when the heat / lights come back on. Making them bask daily to thermo regulate rather than just after meals could also be something we all need to discuss

I agree. We have about a 10 degree night drop. Never had a boa go so many meals before a dump until this one and she's never done anything like this before. She is ready to move to a bigger cage though.

[Texas Rattlesnake]

Originally Posted by razeraze

Let me know how natural surface temps of 100+F in no way benefit or aid digestion, it only contributes to thermal burns and snakes with cooked tissue. Find me the burned up regurgitating reptiles of the willd.

What's the harm of a 100+F basking spot in a large cage like Raze's cage? It seems like the boa would avoid the spot if it was too hot. I used a heat rock as the only heat source for my boas in the 80's and they were fine. I know heat rocks are not recommended anymore. Just curious.

[JuliusSqueezer]

How about you go show ME where I said surface temps over 100 in no way benefit or aid digestion...Actually some species can't take that kind of heat but the ones in question here can and should. I never said 100 surface temp was too hot. Show me where even ONCE I said that temps of 100+ only contributes to thermal burns and cooked tissue. CAN YOU FREAKING READ? Please get yourself a notepad. It might help you keep points straight if you took notes. BTW, 120 is too hot. 150 is way too hot but your snakes avoid that part of the cage anyway right? 100+ could be anything over 100 degrees...heck, the sun is 100+. Be careful how you word stuff like that when posting advice and care information. There are plenty of people that could read and not comprehend anything...kinda like some varanid keeper I know and just figure as long as it's over 100 it's all good. Heck...maybe 200 is better? I hope nobody thinks that way eek.

BW and I were talking earlier about your puking monitors. Neither of us have ever even heard of one spew. I've seen plenty of nasty diarrhea but never a regurge. Not even the trash at shows, wow.. I've never seen one puke at a freaking reptile show! I did see a nile that ground his whole nose off on a screen top once though. Sure you don't have hookworms or something going on there?

[BWSmith]

Originally Posted by razeraze

BW I said I know plenty of people with large colections none over 5years old (in other words none of their collection is over 5 years old).

Hi, I'm BW. Now we know each other. I can introduce you dozens more as well. As I said, you must hang out with alot of newbies because keepers with animals over 5 years old are not difficult to find.

How ever I hope you got my list and check with them, perhaps they will be more inclined to talk to you since you are so vastly experienced and knowledgeable. I bet when you done they will contact me and say the no longer believe hotter basking spots will aid in large meal digestion.

Again, your comprehension comes into question. Noone ever said that good basking temps are not vital to digestion. What thread are you reading? Honestly, you keep arguing points that noone is arguing.

So please stop wasting my time and check my sources and by all means get back to me. Let me know how natural surface temps of 100+F in no way benefit or aid digestion, it only contributes to thermal burns and snakes with cooked tissue. Find me the burned up regurgitating reptiles of the willd.

Again, noone said anything to that effect. What thread are you reading? Anything else your mind told you I said?

[razeraze]

I already told you boas have been temp gunned in the wild on surfaces 122F they did not cook (must be magic). I agree 150 is too high.

as far as the regurgitation read this:
Your one stop reptile community - Nile

Crocdoc is amazing with monitors and a great source for natural temperatures.

[BWSmith]

Originally Posted by Texas Rattlesnake

What's the harm of a 100+F basking spot in a large cage like Raze's cage? It seems like the boa would avoid the spot if it was too hot. I used a heat rock as the only heat source for my boas in the 80's and they were fine. I know heat rocks are not recommended anymore. Just curious.

Noone said a 100F was altogether bad for the species he keeps. He is reading things that just are not there. Paranoia and poor comprehension skills seem to be the primary issue.

[JuliusSqueezer]

In the wild, they work with what they have to work with. I bet they didn't sit there long. Is that what you base your theory that shorter time on hotter surfaces is better because someone hit a temp gun on a boa's basking spot one time? Heck, I've seen snakes on black asphalt that I'm fairly sure I could fry an egg on. I have no idea how long they had been there or how long they intended to stay and most importantly, it doesn't mean I want to use an electric skillet for a basking spot .