Help with Feeding for New Boa

[capsicum]

In about a month - 6 weeks I am aquiring a female salmon boa (I heard wrong, for those who read my post on the enclosure forum).

She is 5 1/2 feet long, 2 years old, and very tame with an excellent feeding response. I am not sure of her girth (haven't measured her). Right now the people are feeding her about 2 large rats per week. They have said that they know she should be on rabbits, so I am buying a few from a local breeder. My question is how big should the rabbits be, and how often should she be fed these? I was thinking they should be about 3-5 lbs, but just want to be sure. I am wondering if she should be allowed to eat a rabbit whenever she acts hungry, or if a stricter schedule is warrented.

I appreciate anyone's input :) I haven't had a larger snake before (though I did work with a burm previously), and just want to have everything ready before she comes home (hence why we are waiting, they have everything for her, but we are setting up a new enclosure at our new place). I greatly appreciate it!

Thanks in advance!

TK

[Ivan (NL)]

To my opinion a 5-6 weeks old rabbit (small sort of rabbit) has the same size as a rat.

Before I fed my constrictors rats, but the ate 4-6 rats each. The big ones sometimes took a rabbit but they prefer rats. Since 2 months all my constrictors take rabbits. They still prefer rats but I pay less for a rabbit than for a rat so the difference becomes to big. Now when they're all on rabbits, I take a prey one the size of the snake, so the big boa's get the big ones and the smaller ones get the smalles rabbits.

My smalles constrictor is just over 5 feet and the biggest one is 7 feet. I feed them 7-10 week old rabbits. The strangest thing is the little ones take a rabbit faster than the bigger ones. To my opinion my constrictors are verry lazy with eating and like small preys. Tried rabbits they could easily handle but the tried 2 or 3 times but stil found it to hard to get them inside.

The males normally refuse rabbits, why I dont know.

Excuses me for the worst englisch i've ever posted but it's late overhere and i'm verry tired :o

[LdyDrgn]

Two large rats a week is too much. One appropriate sized prey item every 14 days is what she should be eating.

[Linds]

5lb bunnies are much too large for a 5.5' boa. I breed my own rats, so I usually keep everyone on them for the most part since it's cheaper, except my one female Bcc gets 5 lb bunnies. She is only about 20 lbs and less than 7.5' in length, and they take her over an hour to eat and give her a giant lump for a week. At my old job, the big burms used to be fed 6 and 7 lb rabbits. These are as big as a housecat for size reference. Your boa should be fine on rats for now, but if you wanted to switch to bunnies, try a bit smaller. On average, 2 large rats = 500 grams = little over 1 lb.

[capsicum]

Thank you very much everyone....I just got back online and read all the posts :) Yes, I see now why rats would be better for her. Thanks for the heads up!

TK