Shedding question

Brently · 07-13-12, 08:27 PM

I have read that a general schedule of shedding for a young boa is about every 6 weeks. My girl Athena seems to shed about every 8 or 9. I know that isn't a big difference. She is healthy and has grown a great deal since I have gotten her. I am just wondering if the disparity in time could be caused by me. Or is it just her natural rate. She eats once a week, small rats about 60-70 grams, she is about 700-800 grams approximately 2 3/4 ft long. She is a very good eater who never turns down food. I am not sure if she is bcc or bci. Sold as a red-tail of course. I am not worried about her, this is more a question for the sake of education. Also I would like to figure out subspecies specificity if possible any tips?

lumpbump · 07-14-12, 05:26 PM

Seems like she is kinda heavy for only being 2 3/4 foot. I dunno if overweight snakes shed more or less, but it would be something id look into. The boas I have that weigh 700-800 grams all are in the 4 foot range. I just weighed a yearling new to my collection yesterday after she shed and shes right around 32'' and weighs approximately 230g. Got any pictures to post? Shes not round like a python is she? As far as finding out her locality a good place to start is the breeder you got her from. If thats a dead end you could always make an educated guess bassed on scale counts, general appearance, saddle counts ect. Post some pics and perhaps people could help you guess at what she is.

Brently · 07-14-12, 11:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lumpbump

Seems like she is kinda heavy for only being 2 3/4 foot. I dunno if overweight snakes shed more or less, but it would be something id look into. The boas I have that weigh 700-800 grams all are in the 4 foot range. I just weighed a yearling new to my collection yesterday after she shed and shes right around 32'' and weighs approximately 230g. Got any pictures to post? Shes not round like a python is she? As far as finding out her locality a good place to start is the breeder you got her from. If thats a dead end you could always make an educated guess bassed on scale counts, general appearance, saddle counts ect. Post some pics and perhaps people could help you guess at what she is.

Well I don't think she is over weight at all but I am hardly an expert. I think she has a nice build to her. I will get a recent pic soon so you can judge for yourself. As far as the breeder goes that is a dead end. I was looking more for tips and specifics on scale counts and so on. Is the ultimate answer going to end up being a guess?

Brently · 07-15-12, 12:17 AM

These are the most current photos a little before the last time I weighed her and she was at 737g. That was about 3 weeks ago.

Brently · 07-17-12, 07:05 PM

Just a quick update, I weighed her today after a big dump and it turns out she is 720 grams.

Wildside · 07-17-12, 08:19 PM

She looks good to me but I would bump her up to medium rats

lumpbump · 07-18-12, 07:13 AM

She's pretty brently. With out genetic info on her I could call a very aberrant boa. Hard to approximate a saddle count due to the aberrancies and the strip on her tail.

The girl in this picture is apprapproximately 4 ft and weighs 540 grams as of last week. She eats 50 to 90g rats depending on how heavy she looks. I look at their lower abdomen to see how full they are. Its approximately 1 90g rat to every 2 50g rats. She eats every 14 to 21 days also depending on how heavy she appears. I also track weight of snake prior to feeding so I can keep them growing but not getting over weight. I have 6 boas.

lumpbump · 07-18-12, 07:47 AM

Here's another pic of one of my girls that im trying to slim down a bit. I think she had been over fed by her previous owner. She is approximately 4 ft and maxed out at 736g. Shes lost 36g prior to her last feeding and she is still pooping like she's wasting alot of the food she's eating. She's getting 50g rats every 14 to 21 days until her back half is less rounded. I think for her length and age she should weigh about the same as the salmon in the previous pic. She just looks a little heavy in her back end. Ill see about getting better pics to illustrate what im talking about later.

KORBIN5895 · 07-18-12, 08:06 AM

She looks like she has a real nice build Brently. She has an amazing pattern!

Brently · 07-18-12, 09:37 AM

Well thanks guys. I really think that she is not over fed. She doesn't poop alot and her rats don't leave much of a lump for more then a day. Maybe I could extend her schedule a bit. I feed every 7 days as she is only a little over a year old. I guess I could change to 7. But she is so eager to eat at 7 days. I'm not sure.

Wildside · 07-18-12, 11:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Brently

Well thanks guys. I really think that she is not over fed. She doesn't poop alot and her rats don't leave much of a lump for more then a day. Maybe I could extend her schedule a bit. I feed every 7 days as she is only a little over a year old. I guess I could change to 7. But she is so eager to eat at 7 days. I'm not sure.

Looks like you are doing a good job. If it ain't broke don't fix it.

Jendee · 07-22-12, 10:32 AM

I go by age lol what yr is she??? and shed times all vary it really depends on your feeding regimen if your feeding your snakes alot they will grow and therefore shed alot if you feed them slow and steady they will grow slower...I prefer slow and steady