And then there was 12 - Page 2

**Andy_G** · 02-23-17, 05:36 PM

Since you like bioactive, akane, my vote for you would be to hold out for garters because of how well they flourish in bioactive setups...too small to be destructive for most plants.

GyGbeetle · 02-23-17, 06:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Andy_G

I' ve learned not to assume good or bad...especially with adults, and also unfortunately I have learned that years of experience can mean very little sometimes, but that's not the case here. I'm certain they're in good hands and it sounds like you have a great handle on everything. Don't shoot the messenger.

Sorry, I'm sick and in a crappy mood and decided the internet was my friend

no shooting the messenger. I'm going to bed now....

trailblazer295 · 02-23-17, 06:40 PM

Very pretty addition, this is probably the worst place for NOT buying more herps. Terrible influences all over and El Capitan is Minkness. You'll be at a nice round 20 in not time

bigsnakegirl785 · 02-24-17, 02:17 AM

She actually doesn't look underweight at all, although I'm sure she'll need some TLC in other departments, even female boas don't need all that much girth to be healthy. (In fact the idea females need big fat reserves and huge girth can be damaging to their bodies and longevity: fit, trim, and muscular should always be your goal.)

I also would talk with your husband about the breeding...just because he has a male snake doesn't necessarily mean he has to find a mate for him. Many of the babies in a normalxnormal (at least I'm assuming normalxnormal) will be unwanted, and they will go into the exact same situations you have been rescuing the females from (or worse!). As long as he doesn't actually go through with breeding them, I suppose it's ok for him to entertain the idea, but breeding shouldn't be done just because you think a snake shouldn't be a virgin (not that such a thing exists anyways). Keep in mind boas can have 10-30 babies on average and I've heard of 60+. You would have to house, care for, feed, and rehome all of those babies. If they're all normals, you're likely going to be selling them all wholesale somewhere for a pittance.

Skipper7 · 02-24-17, 08:37 AM

I second the above. You'll also probably have to invest in a rack system to house/heat babies. You will have to care for them for a least a while until they are feeding consistently. Also, consider who you can sell them too. Will that work in your current situation?

I'm not trying to attack you, your husband, or your husbandry. Sorry If I am stating the obvious. I considered breeding beardies at one point but decided against it due to a lack of space and funds. I also knew that I wouldn't be willing to sell them to inexperienced keepers... and the experienced keepers are probably looking for higher end morphs anyhow.

GyGbeetle · 02-24-17, 09:23 AM

Skipper/BSG: I agree with you both. I don't want to breed, because I want to ensure we are selling them to capable homes, lifetime homes for them. All too often I see posts about people saying they are on to the next project, and want to unload snakes or do a trade. Or they are just tired of the snake and want to try something new. I'm not sure why but it rubs me wrong. And then there's the fact that I may not want to get rid of any of them, so we'll end up with the entire clutch of babies. We have a loooooooong way to go yet; he won't breed anyone for the first year we have them. We want to make sure both parties are healthy.

BSG: She doesn't outwardly look skinny, but you can feel every bone in her body. It definitely doesn't look like they fed her every 2 weeks like they said. We do our best to keep healthy and fit snakes; had an issue with a couple of our babies getting bigger than expected, and had to reduce their feedings to every other week earlier than our research indicated. They aren't even a year yet, but they got really round. Same thing with Fang, our big guy. We were feeding him every week when we first got him, and in 2 months he got round. So we reduced it, and now he's fit again.

She's doing well today. She's still pretty curious, but has been hanging out in her new hide. We have to modify her enclosure; it's all chicken wire on the top and the front, so all the moisture is escaping. It doesn't appear to be affecting her though.

**Andy_G** · 02-24-17, 09:46 AM

I'm glad you will be modifying the cage as you couldn't have a worse material for nose rub than chicken wire.

GyGbeetle · 02-24-17, 09:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Andy_G

I'm glad you will be modifying the cage as you couldn't have a worse material for nose rub than chicken wire.

I'm not sure if it's chicken wire, but it looks gross. It's metal.

What do you think about plexiglass on the inside? That's what we were going to do, and try to get some seals on the side. Otherwise, we may just go out and buy something else for her, either glass or plastic enclosure like the others. I have no experience with wood or this stuff

**Andy_G** · 02-24-17, 10:06 AM

Plexiglass is a good choice and one of the less expensive routes to go.

Skipper7 · 02-24-17, 12:58 PM

hahaha! That was my next issue with breeding. I knew I would wind up keeping WAYYY too many!!

I feel the same way about people deciding to "move on" to new animals. It bugs me as well. Sorry if I sounded like a prick!

GyGbeetle · 02-24-17, 03:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Skipper7

hahaha! That was my next issue with breeding. I knew I would wind up keeping WAYYY too many!!

I feel the same way about people deciding to "move on" to new animals. It bugs me as well. Sorry if I sounded like a prick!

You didn't at all

I really don't want to breed, unless we have an "educational" resource (zoos and traveling educators), but even then, I just don't trust hardly anyone, especially with animals. And babies are too cute; I'll end up falling in love with them all, name them, and never want to say goodbye. And then there's the issue with slugs. I don't think I could handle it.

bigsnakegirl785 · 02-24-17, 05:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GyGbeetle

Skipper/BSG: I agree with you both. I don't want to breed, because I want to ensure we are selling them to capable homes, lifetime homes for them. All too often I see posts about people saying they are on to the next project, and want to unload snakes or do a trade. Or they are just tired of the snake and want to try something new. I'm not sure why but it rubs me wrong. And then there's the fact that I may not want to get rid of any of them, so we'll end up with the entire clutch of babies. We have a loooooooong way to go yet; he won't breed anyone for the first year we have them. We want to make sure both parties are healthy.

BSG: She doesn't outwardly look skinny, but you can feel every bone in her body. It definitely doesn't look like they fed her every 2 weeks like they said. We do our best to keep healthy and fit snakes; had an issue with a couple of our babies getting bigger than expected, and had to reduce their feedings to every other week earlier than our research indicated. They aren't even a year yet, but they got really round. Same thing with Fang, our big guy. We were feeding him every week when we first got him, and in 2 months he got round. So we reduced it, and now he's fit again.

She's doing well today. She's still pretty curious, but has been hanging out in her new hide. We have to modify her enclosure; it's all chicken wire on the top and the front, so all the moisture is escaping. It doesn't appear to be affecting her though.

Yes, adult boas should be eating every 4-6 weeks, so it isn't surprising he got chubby on a weekly feeding schedule. As far as the babies, that's also why I start my babies out eating every 10-14 days as opposed to the usual 7-10 days. I've gotten great results in the 2 I've raised this way so far! As I start breeding, I'll probably do more experimenting on that matter.

I would just go ahead and feed her something appropriately-sized every 3-4 weeks, she should gain any weight she needs on that schedule. If you can get your hands on small enough rabbits, throw in a rabbit every other feeding. Rabbits are very dense and help to pack on the pounds. If she's under 7' I wouldn't go over maybe 9-10 ounces. If she's around 7' I wouldn't go above 1 lb, and 1/2 or slightly larger may be better. If she is underweight, you want her to gain weight at steady pace and not all at once. It's easy to overfeed on rabbits.

**Aaron_S** · 02-27-17, 10:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bigsnakegirl785

Yes, adult boas should be eating every 4-6 weeks, so it isn't surprising he got chubby on a weekly feeding schedule. As far as the babies, that's also why I start my babies out eating every 10-14 days as opposed to the usual 7-10 days. I've gotten great results in the 2 I've raised this way so far! As I start breeding, I'll probably do more experimenting on that matter.

I would just go ahead and feed her something appropriately-sized every 3-4 weeks, she should gain any weight she needs on that schedule. If you can get your hands on small enough rabbits, throw in a rabbit every other feeding. Rabbits are very dense and help to pack on the pounds. If she's under 7' I wouldn't go over maybe 9-10 ounces. If she's around 7' I wouldn't go above 1 lb, and 1/2 or slightly larger may be better. If she is underweight, you want her to gain weight at steady pace and not all at once. It's easy to overfeed on rabbits.

What does length have to do with weight of a prey item? Wouldn't it be best to weigh the snake and use a percentage of that to figure out what size meal to have? You can have a length-y "fat" build or a length-y "skinny" build, it's still relative to the weight of the prey item.

Personally I'd use about 15% of the body weight of the snake on a 3 week schedule.

GyGbeetle · 02-27-17, 10:52 AM

BSG: The boas were babies when they got big. Neither of them are even a year yet! They just really like to eat. So your suggestion of feeding babies every 7-10 days I think will be helpful. We have 3 more babies that we've been feeding every 7 days (all of our babies are fed every 7 days, so I don't know what happened with these 2. But they're leaning out now, on every 2 weeks feed, so that's good).

For the new one, Hennessy, I'm worried about throwing in a rabbit. Will she go back to rats once she gets a taste for the better stuff? I don't want to confuse her at all. She's had 1 feeding with us, and she took it like a champ, no regurg or issues. It was a jumbo rat, which is what her previous human claimed to be feeding her. Honestly, I don't think he really was. We picked her up from ... I can't even describe it. They smoked inside the house. She had no heat source. Her enclosure was filthy, and she was curled up in a spot in the this HUGE cage, almost in fear. Still angry about it. So I take what he said her feeding schedule was with a grain of salt. All I can control is what we give her moving forward.

I just found a good online rat source. Do you know of a good online rabbit source?

**Andy_G** · 02-27-17, 11:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Aaron_S

What does length have to do with weight of a prey item? Wouldn't it be best to weigh the snake and use a percentage of that to figure out what size meal to have? You can have a length-y "fat" build or a length-y "skinny" build, it's still relative to the weight of the prey item.

Personally I'd use about 15% of the body weight of the snake on a 3 week schedule.

*nods in agreeance*