many questions brought a question to me.

nick654377 · 12-30-12, 06:13 PM

So there has been alot of questions on feeding on here. It has made me wonder about how i feed rocky. right now she is on a 7 day scedule. she weights 180-200 grams. last time i weighed her 2 weeks ago she was 180 empty. she hasnt pooped yet and ate 2 weened rats.

the weened rats are all around 41 grams where i get them from. should i move her to a 10 day feed since i am feeding a larger prey? the food lump stays for 48-60 hours and she looks like she is starting to get plump.

switching to rat pups i dont think would be a good idea because they are all around the size of a small adult mouse/hopper.

so should i switch or should i keep her on the 7 day. she doesnt hesitate to take the food on a 7 day. it is gone within 5 minutes of being in the tank.

rmfsnakes32 · 12-30-12, 06:51 PM

What kind of boa? How old is Rocky? If young enough for weaners I would stay on a 7 day feed schedule until a year or 2 old. Thats how it was recomended to me to feed and I have boas ranging from 3 months old to 6 years old and all are healthy weight I up their prey size when the food bump disappears or isnt noticable at all good luck

nick654377 · 12-30-12, 06:56 PM

Shes a dums. Dont know her age. I would guess 6 months

KORBIN5895 · 12-30-12, 07:27 PM

Leave her in weekly feedings til eight months to one year depending on the size of prey. I never weigh my snakes but I switched gabby ( bci) to big weekly feeding at 8 months but I was feeding her 80g rats.
At a year and a half she is the size of my 3 year old male and eating XL rats biweekly.

Snakesitter · 12-31-12, 03:49 PM

Good question, Nick. Overfeeding seems to be a common issue with snakes, and you hear autopsy stories all the time of animals whose organs are riddled with fat due to extra meals from well-intentioned owners. I've cut back on feeding frequency as I've learned more. I generally feed my animals weekly up until they hit one year of age (end of babyhood), then slowly transition to every other week. From about 18 months to 30 months (the juvenile phase) they are fed on that schedule. I then slowly transition to every third week, which is where they stay for the rest of their lives (unless tapped to be a breeder, in which case they get more before and after, and less during). I'd err on the side of caution: if you think she is starting to look plump, skip a meal and see what happens. These animals are designed to go long periods without food, so it won't hurt her any...and may save her life. Good luck regardless of what you decide!

KORBIN5895 · 12-31-12, 06:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KORBIN5895

Leave her in weekly feedings til eight months to one year depending on the size of prey. I never weigh my snakes but I switched gabby ( bci) to big weekly feeding at 8 months but I was feeding her 80g rats.
At a year and a half she is the size of my 3 year old male and eating XL rats biweekly.

The bold should say biweekly.

nick654377 · 12-31-12, 09:16 PM

im going to switch her to 10 days. the only thing is she didnt eat during her last shed so it may go 10 days, 10 days, then nothing 15-20 days. we will see how this goes. like i said my last snake was a ball and it ate every 4 days like a monster while i had her. still new to boas.

Jendee · 12-31-12, 10:49 PM

I would feed her weekly until 14 months, then every 10 to 2 yrs then every 14 for example my 2012s are on fuzzies, my 2011s small, my 2010s are on med every 14 days. slower is better you want a prey lump to show for 24 hours and your boa should still be able to coil good luck!!

Snakesitter · 01-02-13, 03:00 PM

She'll be fine on that schedule at her age. Good luck!

nick654377 · 01-02-13, 08:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Snakesitter

She'll be fine on that schedule at her age. Good luck!

so stick with the 7 days or move to 10?

Snakesitter · 01-04-13, 02:52 PM

At six months, you could leave her on weekly. If she looks chunky, however, cut back to every ten days for a month and see how it goes. Feeding is a case-by-case practice, adjusted to be conservative.

nick654377 · 01-04-13, 06:44 PM

she looked and felt thinner today. i tossed another 40g rat in and it was gone. the lump is starting to be slightly bigger than her. so im going to stick to a week feeding untill she is onto small rats then i think im going to hop to 10 days.