Making your boa big?

[msubigdawg]

I have seen some stuff that I am curious about. I have seen folks say that you can feed your snake more and it will get bigger. Does this only mean in girth or can you make it longer also by feeding it more? I want to know what people know about this or think about it.

[C.m.pyrrhus]

Personally, I feel it is best to feed a more 'natural feeding routine" if you catch my drift. For instance, my larger boas get a good sized rat every 10-14 days respectively. Of course, having one that just dropped a few young, she has been a bit hungrier and more need of nutrients, so therefore is being fed smaller rats every 5-7 days until she obtains her normal healthy size once again..

Now, some are pro and some con on the subject of heavy feeding. There is no real hard evidence either way that heavy feeding will deminish a snakes health, but IMO is not something I perseive as good, other than some small factors, such as recovering after a clutch, coming out of brumation, etc, etc. If you want your snake to simply just get bigger quicker, I would recommend a bit of patience, as with a healthy feeding routine it will eventually in due time, get there.

But to answer your question. More feedings in general will result in faster growth, both by girth and length. But take into effect the husbandry and whatnot that goes along with your captives. More food does not generally mean it will get bigger. Some snakes also have a faster metabolism than others. Garters being one, they can pound down a lot of food and digest it quickly being as active as they are. Larger snakes such as some of the boids will consume larger prey and are not as active, thus food intake comparably is less so to speak. Some grow faster, some have a smaller period of when they feed. So on and so forth. There is a lot when it comes to feeding .