Supplements for red tail

[swawnsymbiote]

I have a female red tail boa and she is perfectly healthy and growing/eating/shedding fine, I've had zero troubles out of her. I was just wondering does anyone dust their red tails food with any supplements before feeding them? She is about 8-9 months old now. I want her to reach her max size and be healthy. I've had other species and I had to supplement, but I'm new to red tails.

[ClockwerkBonnet]

I didn't do it when I had a gray-banded kingsnake because I read that the nutrition comes from the bones of the mouse, and I figured that would be enough for him. But that's just my experience.

[Motleyjungle]

I didn't do it when I had a gray-banded kingsnake because I read that the nutrition comes from the bones of the mouse, and I figured that would be enough for him. But that's just my experience.

This is my understanding as well. The quality of the feeder rat/mouse is more important to me. The more reputable suppliers are known for cleanliness as well as meeting the nutritional needs of the animal prior to killing in the most human way. I also look for a healthy appearance. Seen some pretty raggedy looking frozen rats that I doubt were very nutritious.
I have 4 boas and never read or heard of supplements. I know it’s common for some lizards or geckos but I have never dealt with those.

[bigsnakegirl785]

No need for any supplementation, the feeders should have everything they need. Adding supplementation risks overdosing on those vitamins.

She will get to "max size" on a proper feeding schedule, but boas grow slowly and it can take many years for them to get full-sized. Of course, none of us can estimate an individual's adult size, so if your boa maxes out at 6' and not 7'-8'+, that's just natural variation. I wouldn't go into feeding a snake (of any species) with the expectation they will get X size, and just feed them appropriately and let them get what size they get.