View Full Version : Boa help needed
Slycooper
05-14-19, 05:59 PM
So I have had a boa for about 4 months and he’s had got to the bathroom twice and both times when he’s gone poop he’s gotten really skinny both times I would just like to know if that is normal ? I will post pictures of my boa if needed
EL Ziggy
05-15-19, 02:20 PM
Welcome aboard Sly. Let's see pics of your snake and setup when you can.
Veronica
05-15-19, 02:57 PM
And of course, a description of his set up, temps, and humidity would be helpful :)
Slycooper
05-15-19, 10:48 PM
I just tried posting pictures but it would not let me so I’ll give a description of his setup so he has 2 hides 1 on each side and I use a heating mat under the warm hide and I have a water dish for him always with water and the bedding I use is cypress mulch and I mist the bedding every so often so a couple of times a week. He has had 2 successful sheddings and he is normal when I pick him up he dowsing hiss at me. I feed him about every 10 days it’s just when he goes to the bathroom which has only been twice since I’ve had him he just really thins out to me. I have had him since February 1st
Slycooper
05-15-19, 11:03 PM
And for the heat mat I have the temp set to 92 with the thermostat
craigafrechette
05-16-19, 08:58 AM
How much does the snake weigh?
What size prey are you feeding?
Slycooper
05-16-19, 12:35 PM
Idk how much it weighs but I’ve been feeding it a fuzzy ever since I’ve had him.
craigafrechette
05-16-19, 03:29 PM
You may be under feeding. If thats the case that would explain the lack of poop. All the food may be used up to sustain growth so theres nothing left to poop out.
But, without knowing the snakes weight i cant say for sure
Slycooper
05-16-19, 05:01 PM
Okay well I just got another fuzzy today so after today the next time i feed him I’ll try a size up.
craigafrechette
05-17-19, 09:55 AM
Okay well I just got another fuzzy today so after today the next time i feed him I’ll try a size up.
I don't know if thats the answer without knowing the weight of the snake.
Slycooper
05-17-19, 12:22 PM
I thought about it a little more and the sizing up isn’t the answer it’s the waiting the 10 Days because I feed it every 10-14 days so do you think I should feed it just every 7 days instead of waiting the extra days ? Just to see if that changes anything.
EL Ziggy
05-17-19, 01:58 PM
Are you feeding rats or mice? If they're mice fuzzys then your prey item is too small. A mouse hopper or even an adult mouse would be more appropriate. If we had a picture for reference or the weight of the snake we could tell you which prey item would be best. Boas have slower metabolisms than pythons or colubrids so I typically feed my young ones every 10-14 days and increase the length of time between feedings as they mature. I'd suggest feeding slightly larger prey on a 10-14 day schedule.
Slycooper
05-17-19, 03:23 PM
A fuzzy mice, a hopper just looks too big for him, and I tried posting a picture but it says that the dementions are too big.
Slycooper
05-17-19, 03:37 PM
This is the best picture I could post since the dementions that’s the widest part of my boa.
EL Ziggy
05-17-19, 03:39 PM
If he's 6-7 months old a mouse hopper shouldn't be too large. My 2 month old boa was eating mouse hoppers. By the time she was 5 months old she was eating adult mice and rat fuzzys. She's 9 months old now and eating weaned rats.
Slycooper
05-17-19, 03:46 PM
When I see the widest part of the snake do I go from the side length or the top width?
EL Ziggy
05-17-19, 09:10 PM
I go by the width of the top of the snakes body.
Slycooper
05-17-19, 09:22 PM
Well next time I might try a hopper idk if you saw the picture I posted it’s not a good one but It seems like a fuzzy is the size.
Slycooper
05-18-19, 12:26 AM
So I found a loop hole to post the full picture of him.
Slycooper
05-18-19, 12:30 AM
Here’s another one, it’s the best I can do.
craigafrechette
05-18-19, 05:50 AM
The pictures show nothing for scale. But at that age there's no way a hopper is too big.
-I think that boa has a large amount of central american bloodline involved. Your snake will be a bit on the smaller size as an adult.
- I don't think your snake is overly skinny, but I do think it is ready for a bump up in size.Boas have rather slow metabolisms and I would feed even a bit more conservatively than what others have suggested here. I think that hoppers would be an appropriate size. I would suggest keeping that snake on a hopper every 7-10 days for a little while.
Slycooper
05-18-19, 09:25 AM
Yeah he’s a Central American boa and I’ll use the advise and try a hopper next time since now I posted a picture and you guys still think a hopper is a good size and next time he goes to the bathroom if he’s skinny again I’ll post another picture of him, because he doesn’t look so skinny like he does at the beginning when he goes but thanks everyone for there help.
EL Ziggy
05-18-19, 11:35 AM
Nice looking boa. It's hard to judge it's actual size but a mouse hopper definitely isn't too large of a meal. Here are my 2 boas.
This male boa is 645g. He eats small rats and chicks every 14 days.
http://i.imgur.com/OXLqUGH.jpg (http://imgur.com/OXLqUGH)
http://i.imgur.com/Tp6zJTi.jpg (http://imgur.com/Tp6zJTi)
This female boa is 300g. She eats 2 mouse hoppers or a weaned rat every 10-14 days.
http://i.imgur.com/GaGGbfc.jpg (http://imgur.com/GaGGbfc)
http://i.imgur.com/cA4NLzn.jpg (http://imgur.com/cA4NLzn))
Slycooper
05-18-19, 04:53 PM
Thanks and yours look nice also and I’ll just have to try the hopper out in a couple days and hope it’s a good size for him.
Slycooper
05-18-19, 07:22 PM
Here’s another 2 I just took which might help with judging the size.
richardhind
05-19-19, 02:49 AM
i agree with Ziggy that the prey is way too small. most baby boas when born start off on fuzzies mine did and at your boas age should be on large mice at least, so i would definitely up the prey size but dont go straight to massive as long as the prey is the same or slight fatter than the thickets part then that will be fine and you should be able to up the prey size every 6-8 weeks
your baby boa is pretty much using every bit of the fuzzie hence not much waste
nice looking boa i can see the pics now
definitely be able to take small mice at least
Slycooper
05-19-19, 01:32 PM
Thanks and I will definitely feed him a hopper in the next couple of days and see how that goes.
Slycooper
05-23-19, 12:48 PM
So today I went to a petco and a petsmart neither had hoppers, so I got a small mouse. Is that considered a hopper?
EL Ziggy
05-23-19, 01:20 PM
A small mouse is a little larger than a hopper but it still shouldn't be an issue for your boa. Do you always buy your feeders from the pet store? You may want to consider ordering in bulk to save a little cash. Even with the shipping charges it's more economical.
Slycooper
05-23-19, 01:57 PM
Before I feed my snake ima take a picture of the small mouse because the only thing that seems diffrent thru the bag is that it looks longer not bigger in size and yes I always buy from the store.
Slycooper
05-23-19, 02:06 PM
Here’s it, couldn’t find the hopper at the store.
EL Ziggy
05-23-19, 02:14 PM
My bad Sly. I got my threads confused. I'm sure the small mice won't be too big. How much are those small mice btw?
Slycooper
05-23-19, 02:35 PM
She eats fine every time I was just hoping it’s not too big and like $2-3
EL Ziggy
05-23-19, 07:45 PM
$3 for one small mouse? If she eats once every 10 days or 3 a month a six month supply of (18) mice would be $54. You can get (25) small mice for $18.75 from Perfect Prey. Shipping is approximately $30 so a total of $48.75 for an 8 month supply. And you don't have to make all those trips to the pet store. :)
With nothing in the picture for scale it's impossible to judge his size. Can you put a familiar object in the picture with him like a dollar bill or a golf ball or something?
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