Boa constrictor feeding schedule - Page 5

bigsnakegirl785 · 06-20-13, 04:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NCHornet

Also how are feeding him? Do you leave the lights on and want to watch him? Do you use tongs and wave it in front of him? Try placing it on a plate and shut off all lights and leave the room and check it in the morning, I bet it's gone. Many people stress their snakes out by leaving lights on and movement in the room with TV on etc....... No wonder their snake won't eat.

I took so long writing...lol But I used to put him in a glass feeding tank. I would set the rat on the tip of his nose, and he'd rip them out of the tongs. Then I'd walk off and let him do his thing, without lights on, and check on him every few minutes to see how he's doing. Then, either when he's close to being done swallowing, or a few minutes after I would move him back into his tub. With my trusty snake hook. lol I didn't use it to hold his weight, just to pull his head out of the tank and over the tub, and he'd crawl in for me.

rocknhorse76 · 06-20-13, 07:27 PM

At nearly 5 feet, I'd say that a large rat every two weeks is just about right. My 3 y/o female Argentine is a little over 5 1/2 feet and eats an XL rat every 2 weeks unless she's in shed.
Oh, and just feed him in his enclosure. Mine are all fed in their enclosures and never strike at me.

NCHornet · 06-21-13, 10:01 AM

Do you have any idea where these rats are from? I have used all the major suppliers and have seen quite a huge difference in sizing. A large rat from supplier X might be smaller than a medium from supplier Y. That is why most in the hobby go by weight. It may be the photo but that rat looks like a jumbo!!!!! As I said before, feeding one large rat is better than 2 medium. But if you are still seeing a bulge after day 5, and by looking at your photo it looks like a very large meal for him. After he eats does he prefer to be on the warm side of the cage?
I would continue with the large rat every two weeks, if you are concerned about it being to big maybe you can hand pick a rat from the pet shop that is in between a medium and large? That is another plus with Rat Deli, if you order large rats they will all almost be exactly the same size and weight, and the quality is top shelf. I would also highly recommend changing your feeding habits. It is very stressful to handle your snake right after consuming a meal. Try my method of feeding in the enclosure on a plate with all the lights off and no activity in the room and see if the rat is there in the morning. There is no need to check on them every ten minutes to make sure they aren't choking or something. Doing it this way removes that stress and could affect how the snake eats and when.

rocknhorse76 · 06-21-13, 12:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NCHornet

Do you have any idea where these rats are from? I have used all the major suppliers and have seen quite a huge difference in sizing. A large rat from supplier X might be smaller than a medium from supplier Y. That is why most in the hobby go by weight. It may be the photo but that rat looks like a jumbo!!!!! As I said before, feeding one large rat is better than 2 medium. But if you are still seeing a bulge after day 5, and by looking at your photo it looks like a very large meal for him. After he eats does he prefer to be on the warm side of the cage?
I would continue with the large rat every two weeks, if you are concerned about it being to big maybe you can hand pick a rat from the pet shop that is in between a medium and large? That is another plus with Rat Deli, if you order large rats they will all almost be exactly the same size and weight, and the quality is top shelf. I would also highly recommend changing your feeding habits. It is very stressful to handle your snake right after consuming a meal. Try my method of feeding in the enclosure on a plate with all the lights off and no activity in the room and see if the rat is there in the morning. There is no need to check on them every ten minutes to make sure they aren't choking or something. Doing it this way removes that stress and could affect how the snake eats and when.

^This.

Anytime I buy frozen rats from a shop, I have them weighed so I can be sure of the size, although over the years I've gotten pretty good at judging by sight. A large rat should weigh somewhere between 175-275g, and a rat this size should produce a decent lump for a few days after feeding.

bigsnakegirl785 · 06-21-13, 03:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NCHornet

Do you have any idea where these rats are from? I have used all the major suppliers and have seen quite a huge difference in sizing. A large rat from supplier X might be smaller than a medium from supplier Y. That is why most in the hobby go by weight. It may be the photo but that rat looks like a jumbo!!!!! As I said before, feeding one large rat is better than 2 medium. But if you are still seeing a bulge after day 5, and by looking at your photo it looks like a very large meal for him. After he eats does he prefer to be on the warm side of the cage?
I would continue with the large rat every two weeks, if you are concerned about it being to big maybe you can hand pick a rat from the pet shop that is in between a medium and large? That is another plus with Rat Deli, if you order large rats they will all almost be exactly the same size and weight, and the quality is top shelf. I would also highly recommend changing your feeding habits. It is very stressful to handle your snake right after consuming a meal. Try my method of feeding in the enclosure on a plate with all the lights off and no activity in the room and see if the rat is there in the morning. There is no need to check on them every ten minutes to make sure they aren't choking or something. Doing it this way removes that stress and could affect how the snake eats and when.

That's why I said "used to," now that he WILL eat in his tub, I'll feed him in his tub. Well, his new enclosure, anyway, now that it's almost done! As far as the sizing, next time I get one I could measure it. I don't have any way to weigh it, though. I guess I could weigh it at the vet's maybe, they let me take Cloud and Bud over there to weigh them free of charge. I have two full-grown rats that I would guess at being jumbos, and they are larger than the ones I get from the pet store. I'll also compare their sizes, as I thought one of them would be small enough for him, but as it turns out, it was larger than I thought and he couldn't get it down, so it's in my freezer now. When he eats, he changes between his hot and cool side normally, changing positions maybe once or twice a day, with a little bit of variance. When it gets close to the time he poops (a day or two), he spends most of his time in the basking area. When I check on him, I don't move in front of him or anything. The tank is about 5-6 feet away from the door and I just poke my head in. I would check on him because I didn't have the top to the tank, so I had to make sure he didn't climb out.

NCHornet · 06-21-13, 04:38 PM

When you get him in his new enclosure try my method and see how it goes. You can buy a cheap scale off Ebay for under $20. You may want to look into buying your feeders from another source than the pet shop, it would probably save you some money as well. I was at PetCo the other day getting the special cat food my wife's cat has to eat and I asked the dude how much for a XL Rat and almost choked when he said $8.00 . I can get three Jumbo's for under $9.00. I order a years worth of food at a time so even with shipping it is far cheaper and better quality than going through a pet shop. If you have another person in your area that keeps snakes you can combine orders and save even more on shipping. Just thought I would mention it.

bigsnakegirl785 · 06-21-13, 04:54 PM

It's not even $2, with tax, for a large rat, so they're pretty cheap. They're a small-time, family-owned shop, so they aren't as expensive as the chain pet stores. The chain pet stores around here don't even carry anything larger than a small rat anyways. I literally know no one personally, anywhere, who has a reptile of any sort, so I wouldn't be able to combine orders. This is only temporary, though, as I like to breed my food, so once I get breedable females, I won't buy any of my snake food. At some point I'll get a scale, but completing the new enclosures is first priority right now.

NCHornet · 06-23-13, 02:51 PM

I told you that I would post some pics of my BCI that is within a couple weeks of yours, but mine is a female. She is 64" long and I used my fist to show her girth, about 3" to 3 1/2" inches. She slams a XL rat every two weeks and after they are gone I will be bumping her up to jumbo and slowly extending feedings out to 3 weeks. I hope this may ease some of your worries about your boa.
Enjoy:

Mark Taylor · 06-23-13, 03:01 PM

That's a very nice looking and healthy bci.

Ddub · 06-23-13, 04:31 PM

Sorry a bit of reading just answered my question

Starbuck · 06-23-13, 04:38 PM

Ddub, its so that YOU as a keeper know what you are feeding, and wont be duped by an unusually fluffy feeder. Also, is person A advises the OP to feed a 'large rat', and the OP goes to the pet store for a 'large rat', the pet store sells them a 800 gram rat.... while person A's 'large rat' is about 500g. Stating weights is a more sure weigh to give advice.
That being said, i dont weigh my feeders.

bigsnakegirl785 · 06-23-13, 08:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NCHornet

I told you that I would post some pics of my BCI that is within a couple weeks of yours, but mine is a female. She is 64" long and I used my fist to show her girth, about 3" to 3 1/2" inches. She slams a XL rat every two weeks and after they are gone I will be bumping her up to jumbo and slowly extending feedings out to 3 weeks. I hope this may ease some of your worries about your boa.
Enjoy:

She's very pretty!

She's got a bit more weight to her than Cloud, just judging by the photos, but I guess that's just to be expected with her being a girl. I'll try to get more info on the feeders when I get them this week. If I can, I'll also get Cloud weighed again.

Amadeus · 06-23-13, 10:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NCHornet

I told you that I would post some pics of my BCI that is within a couple weeks of yours, but mine is a female. She is 64" long and I used my fist to show her girth, about 3" to 3 1/2" inches. She slams a XL rat every two weeks and after they are gone I will be bumping her up to jumbo and slowly extending feedings out to 3 weeks. I hope this may ease some of your worries about your boa.
Enjoy:

I agree with others a nice healthy looking BCI =]

moshirimon · 06-26-13, 08:03 AM

Beautiful tail on that girl!

bigsnakegirl785 · 06-26-13, 02:53 PM

Well, I got two more large rats. They seem to be smaller than the ones I was getting before. Ditzy me forgot to ask the guy for the weight. But I guess I'll see if the vet will let me measure 'em. I put one of them next to the male of mine that I killed...they're about the same size, but mine's just really fat, so that would explain why he had trouble with it. I won't be giving it to him tonight, as he's going into his new enclosure, but at least I have them ready for him.

The fatter rat above the other one is mine, the smaller one below is the pet store's.

And here's outdoor photos from a few days ago. I took both Bud and Cloud to be weighed yesterday. Bud was 3lbs even (he's gained almost a pound! That is, if my last weight measurements are correct, I'll try to remember to double check next time. He has gained quite a bit, though, because the vet remarked on it, and I've visibly noticed it, too), and Cloud was 4lbs 6oz! I haven't measured his length yet, but he's probably grown a bit. I only measure about once a month - every 2-3 weeks - so I'll measure him at some point. I don't know if you can see it in the photos, but the last two successful feedings have definitely helped! He's got a little bit more meat to his bones. :P He also pooped this morning, so it looks like the length of time between his poops might be starting to lengthen out.

I did the fist thing like NCHornet, but just keep in mind my hands are tiny. lol

All stretched out - it was difficult to get a decently clear photo because he barely fits in the frame. XD

Cloud curled up from above.

Cloud curled up from the side.