Feeding Question about my new boa

[JuliusSqueezer]

How do we even know our snakes are "hungry"? Because they are roaming the cage? While indeed that is a sign of hunting, it may vary what they are hunting for. A way out of the cage? A cooler or warmer place to hang out? Just because they are on the move doesn't mean they are seeking rat...though many probably are as soon as they aren't full anymore...I think. I don't believe anyone can really know what goes on in those little pea brains

[Texas Rattlesnake]

You fellas are talking in circles with Raze.

I'm one of those uneducated "nut jobs" that keeps his boas in racks and stacked cages. Believe it or not, we get a pretty nice gradient in our cages and by controlling our boas' food intake, they are not obese like Charger.

[razeraze]

BW reptiles are opportunistic but they do not gorge themselves into obesity or vomiting. Many retics, anacondas, crocodilians boas eat themselves full and do not eat again for months. Monitors tend to eat more frequently but when they gorge themselves on a large meal they do not eat for weeks later. This also was discussed because I feed my monitors large meals instead of small meals more often. The end result no difference just longer digesting time. My monitors eat every week instead of every 2-3 days based on their behavior. My snakes eat every 2 weeks to every 2 moths depending on their behavior. They turn down food all the time.

My guess is you have yet to offer food like I do, if you did you would find they will stop eating when they are full. In the wild some reptiles get obese according to appearance but there is no BMI or calculation to determine what appearance have to do with over all health.

I could say you look fat but it really would not mean anything.

I am not going to sit here and re- explain myself over and over again. You can feed a snake when it is hungry with no ill effects just as you can a monitor or a crocodile given the cage provides proper exercise and the meals are not high fatty meals.

Yes anyone can write an article as just as anyone can comment on a post and speaking with you two has left with an even more distaste in my mouth for snake keepers lack of understanding.

Proper temps can be found outside, proper cage set ups can be found outside, proper diet and "appearance" can be found outside.

When you have any evidence of longevity and appearance or weight by all means pass it on to me. If you do not and only speculate these animals will eat themselves sick or until they have heart attacks from obesity then do not waste my time. I have fed a snake every 3 days, I have fed a snake not for 3 months the difference is I did not decide when the reptile was full, it did.

[BWSmith]

Originally Posted by Texas Rattlesnake

You fellas are talking in circles with Raze.

This is true, granted I only had one post on the subject. But some people seem to dole out advice ad nauseum with little or no experience. Raze is more than welcome to his opinions. But I sincerely hope that this instance of his feeding recommendations is chalked up by the masses as poor advice. In my opinion, it is dangerous, ill-advised, and demonstrates a lack of experience. Husbandry lends itself to a wide spectrum of methods and philosophies and there is a great amount of leeway in both that are conducive to successful keeping. But "feed it when its hungry" is just plain irresponsible husbandry in my opinion. Luckily, I feel confident that the sweeping majority of readers recognize the folly of this feeding regiment.

[JuliusSqueezer]

Really? Maybe if you want to keep your snakes alive, you should learn to tolerate us snake keepers and stop assuming that all reptiles are the same. Snakes are not legless varanids.

The reason your advice is bad and dangerous is...you leave way too much open for interpretation...

You say "feed your snakes when they are hungry" Then later y7ou say, you feed your snakes every 2 weeks to 2 months. I see A LOT of people on these sites that think their snakes are hungry every time they so much as twitch. "OH LOOK Sparky's crawling around...he must be huntin food". Your advice could easily have someone new stumbling in here feeding their boas every 2 or 3 days. Also, you make no reference to age. Young boas starting out really need to eat every week for at least the first year. BUT...You don't really limit it to boas. You just say "snakes". All snakes of all species, size and age? Really? Sorry but...fail.

[BWSmith]

Oh, and as a quick note, I have personally seen the effects of powerfeeding on the hearts of both colubrids and boids during necropsy.

[razeraze]

My snake was considered powerfed and not supposed to live 5 years, she is now 6. Baby lived for 27 years as the world's heaviest python 403 lbs.

Appearance does not mean longevity. Popeye lived for 40 years and was fed when hungry. When the reptiles turn down food you should make them wait longer.

Proper hot basking spots and cool retreats will help aid in digestion so fat does not just build up. Do you think it may have been caging or temperatures and not diet? It easily could have. I know plenty of monitor keepers who keep snakes like monitors. One is even going to be breeding his Boelens pythons which he keeps much like his crocodile monitors (both found very similar areas).

It is possible with no ill effects, just because it can't be done in small cages does not mean it can't be done.

[Texas Rattlesnake]

You can get a nice gradient in smaller cages by lowering the ambient temps in your reptile room. Our cages generally range from the mid 70's on the cool side to the 90's in the warmest spots.

[danktat]

I have stressed before that I am for a more conservitave apporach to feeding as it relates to boa constrictor ssp. I am "forced" to use this approach as I keep a subspecies (locality) that is much more sensitive to frequent or large feeding than even other localities of boa constrictor. I did, however, keep reticulated pythons and burmese pythons at one time almost exclusively. Thier husbandry was quite a bit different as to what helped them to thrive. The trick to ANY good animal husbandry is to find what works for the SPECIFIC species in question and work within those basics. Sometimes husbandry aspects of different species of animals has some overlap. Sometimes it DOES NOT. A house cat's diet is nothing like that of a domestic dog. Though they could "survive" on the food of the other, the nutritional requirements and feed regimine are different and one species will eventually suffer if fed like the other.

Since this thread started out asking about feeding for adult boa constrictors, I feel that the feeding schedule of the previous owner was appropriate. If the animal in the origial pix was the one in question I would have to say that the health of that animal speaks for itself. Low body fat deposits and good muscle tone. It looks alert and active. Whatever he was doing was working. Why change it?

JMO.

[razeraze]

Originally Posted by Texas Rattlesnake

You can get a nice gradient in smaller cages by lowering the ambient temps in your reptile room. Our cages generally range from the mid 70's on the cool side to the 90's in the warmest spots.

Can the whole snake fit on these? One of the things I found asking about burns and high temps is the basking surface should span the length of the reptile. If it is focused on a tiny spot (heat rocks and spot halogens are famous for this) the snake will burn it's self trying to raise it's body core temperature to aid in digestion (monitors do this as well).

When I set up a basking or cooling area I make sure the snake is completely away from one or the other. So if the snake wants to bask at 110F it should not be touching any cools pots, if the snake wants to retreat from the heat it should not be touching any hot spots. My air temperatures range from 80-90F but my surface temperatures range from 76F- 110F, now in the monitor cages ambient is the same but surfaces range fro 70F- 140F