Dumeril's Boa

[reptiletalk]

Hey guys,

I am thinking of making my next step in my collection. I got bored of my ball python to be honest (very picky when it comes to food). It's been 4 months she eats every 3-4 weeks a medium-large rat. She is now approx 1.3 m and around 1400gr. I read in many websites that sometimes they reduce their food when they reach specific sizes.

My red tail boa on the other is a trash can. One medium-rat per week non stop. She is almost 1 years old, 1.3m and 1500gr (maybe little more) .

My idea was to sell the ball python with the first chance and get a dumeril's boa. Anyone has experience with this species ? I love their markings-coloration. My terrarium is more than enough for a female one.

[bigsnakegirl785]

You could try offering to your ball python sporadically, I've heard that works for some people. If your boa constrictor is ~1 year old, I'd say she's just about ready to step down to every 10-14 days. She's a bit large her age, so it definitely won't hurt her. Unfortunately I have nothing to offer concerning a Dumeril's as I've never owned one, but they seem like a good choice. :)

[UserNameIsValid]

A local pet shop by me has a Dumeril just a little under a year old. He's awesome. So docile and sweet. The lady who owns the shop, he son runs the reptile room and handles every single reptile there.

[Snakesitter]

I wouldn't ditch your ball. They can be fussy, but are good pets...and there is a chance a "quantity" breeder will scoop her up and use her for nothing but an egg factory. :-(

The best feeding tip I ever heard for balls was to change their viv (or clean out the old one to change the scent) when they went off feed...vastly increased feeding response.

However, as the poster above said, I'd offer meals less frequent to avoid obesity.

Good luck!

[reptiletalk]

I wouldn't ditch your ball. They can be fussy, but are good pets...and there is a chance a "quantity" breeder will scoop her up and use her for nothing but an egg factory. :-(

The best feeding tip I ever heard for balls was to change their viv (or clean out the old one to change the scent) when they went off feed...vastly increased feeding response.

However, as the poster above said, I'd offer meals less frequent to avoid obesity.

Good luck!

To tell you the truth in my country (Cyprus) the number of people that breed snakes is around the number of your fingers ;) . Most of the people keep snakes as single pets. If someone is interested i might consider pass her over...After i got the boa i understood the size of snakes that like more is 2.5 - 3 meters.....Best case scenario ball stays ( she is a lovely snake dont get my wrong) and a dumerils also comes along....:)

[marvelfreak]

Get the Dumeril they are awesome, mellow, and very active.

[Snakesitter]

Ah, in that case, do whatever works best for you, and good luck!

[R19Ses]

General Consensus is that a cross between a Live Bearer and an Egg Layer will not work.
However, I do know of species of which you get females that give live birth and another female of the exact same species which will lay eggs.
This leads me to think that the Python/Boa cross could work.

[reptiletalk]

General Consensus is that a cross between a Live Bearer and an Egg Layer will not work.
However, I do know of species of which you get females that give live birth and another female of the exact same species which will lay eggs.
This leads me to think that the Python/Boa cross could work.

Hey, what are you talking about?

[TurboChris]

Go for it dumerils are awesome! I know your feeling when they don't eat it can be very frustrating as my corn goes off food for a month every winter. But no fears with the dumerils as she is an eating machine and never refuses a meal, she had the shed starting to peel on her head during the last feeding and still ate right before shedding lol!
mine just turned a year old about a month ago and is about 1300 grams currently.
Good luck and I think they are a fantastic choice, and get a female so it will be bigger!
To help motivate you even further haha!
https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8652/15816954668_8f50801ad9_k.jpg

[reptiletalk]

Go for it dumerils are awesome! I know your feeling when they don't eat it can be very frustrating as my corn goes off food for a month every winter. But no fears with the dumerils as she is an eating machine and never refuses a meal, she had the shed starting to peel on her head during the last feeding and still ate right before shedding lol!
mine just turned a year old about a month ago and is about 1300 grams currently.
Good luck and I think they are a fantastic choice, and get a female so it will be bigger!
To help motivate you even further haha!


Thanks for the tip. :)

[metalcopper]

I did the same thing you are wanting to do; my friend was interested in getting his first snake, so I sold him my Ball python, and then I bought a Dumeril's. She's a great snake, still a baby, but I really like her. She's calm, never bites, but is a little nervous at times.

[Dan84]

TurboChris,

Sorry to hijack, but are you sure your dumerils is only a year old. I have one as well that I bought at 3 months at 145g and is now a year old, 500g and 3ft. I have been trying to find growth data but there is not much out there. I feed approximately 12% body weight every 10 days. She is now on small rats.

To the OP, get a dumerils, they really are quite laid back for a snake. Mine will not even strike at me nor at food. I have to leave food in the tank and walk away.

[TurboChris]

From what I was told by the breeder she was about 1-2 months when I got her and I got her in January so I estimate her as a thanksgiving baby :-)
She was about 120 grams when I got her beginning/mid January of this year if I remember correctly on the weight.
They told me she was taking rat pups so that is what I started on and has been on a 7 day feeding schedule since. Although I am now backing it down to 10 days as well. She never has refused a meal and will eat even in shed.
Did you just switch yours over to the small rats? My girl has been on them for a little while now and I definitely have noticed a huge increase in her growth since.

[Dan84]

I just switched to small rats for the last three feedings. Mine has only refused once when she was just about to shed, but she has eaten during shed before. I'll look forward to the growth spurt coming soon.

[TurboChris]

7 day feedings vs 10 day feedings will be 52 vs 36 feedings a year without missing a meal will be 16 meals difference in a year between the two. It's a pretty substantial difference of about 45% more feedings in a years time.
I switched mine over to the small rats at just about the same weight as your boa and she definitely took off from there. Forgive my speratic record keeping, I mostly kept track of meals for the most part.
1/30/14 weight 133 grams
3/28/14 263 grams
4/6/14. 304 grams
4/25/14. 320 grams
5/22/14. 445 grams
8/21/14. 828 grams
Now about 12/14/14 right about 1300 grams.
Some other notes to go alone with that that I have to share are,
5/20/14 switched from rat pups to weaned.
6/21/14 switched from weaned to small adults (my smalls are 50-65 grams that I get typically).
And now I just switched her over to mediums which are weighing in at 95 grams from the ones I've weighed and that's why she is going to 10 day feedings for me now as well, these are only 8% of her body weight which is why I'm going with the 10 days instead of 14 day increments and I will watch how she does. They seem to still leave a nice sized lump in her so I don't want to go any larger and the next size up is quite a jump.

[TurboChris]

The other thing I like to do when I size them up since the weight range of the rats get so large for each size is I weigh out the entire bag of rodents 1 at a time and separate them into 2 groups and I feed the smaller ones first to help with the transition.

Dan, it sounds like your dumerils is growing just fine and I wouldn't change a thing. Now that your onto the small rats she is going to make very quick gains from here as you can see from my notes it doesn't take long to break the 1000 gram mark once you get to the small rats.
Share your records I'd be very interested in hearing her growth rate now that she is on small rats as well from the 500g-1000g range as well on 10 day feedings. It makes me wish I had kept better records for that as well where I kind of fell off. Maybe we can get a nice little database going here.

[Snakesitter]

Solid record keeping. I wish more owners did this.

[Dan84]

I started a new thread for others to post their dumerils growth data.

http://www.ssnakess.com/forums/general-boa-forum/107734-dumeril-s-boa-weight-data.html#post944406

[Snakesitter]

I would keep your ball. They make nice pets...and if you do part with her, chances are she will be picked up by a breeder who will run her into the ground producing babies. It sadly happens. I'm a member of a large LA Herp Society, and we almost never see female balls come in for adoptions due to this. :-(

[Snakesitter]

OK how odd. The entire thread history of this post is missing on my computer, which is why I replied as if it were a new question...anyone else? I can't even view my just-made reply to edit it. :-(

[marvelfreak]

OK how odd. The entire thread history of this post is missing on my computer, which is why I replied as if it were a new question...anyone else? I can't even view my just-made reply to edit it. :-(
Nope it all here.For now anyway.:suspicious: