30 Years of Reptiles - First Boa

[Wingbeats]

Slower growth is healthier growth?

Sorry to randomly plop in on the discussion, but I'm new to snake-keeping and I hadn't heard this before. Why would growing more slowly initially be healthier? And how does one do this? (I'm assuming slowing down feeding or whatnot?) Does this apply to all boas, such as epicrates?

/torrent of questions

[bigsnakegirl785]

Originally Posted by Wingbeats

Slower growth is healthier growth?

Sorry to randomly plop in on the discussion, but I'm new to snake-keeping and I hadn't heard this before. Why would growing more slowly initially be healthier? And how does one do this? (I'm assuming slowing down feeding or whatnot?) Does this apply to all boas, such as epicrates?

/torrent of questions

When I say that, I don't mean underfeeding them. I mean giving them a more natural, slower growth by using a more conservative feeding schedule. I also mean that power feeding, for any snake or reptile species, is extremely unhealthy and can lower life expectancy.

For boa constrictors especially, a much healthier grow pattern looks like this: 2'-3' at 1 year, 3'-4' at 2 years and 5'-5.5' at 3 years, with them reaching 6'+ in their later years of 4-6 years old. That growth will look much different for a "dwarf" boa constrictor, with them growing much slower and staying much smaller. They can also be a little smaller or a little bigger than those ranges and still be healthy as long as they are fed properly. After all, snakes all grow at their own rate. The feeding regimen can also be adjusted a bit depending on your individual.

A feeding regimen for slow-growing a boa looks like this:

Up to 1 year old: every 7-10 days
1-3 years old: 10-14 days
3+ years old: every 3-6 weeks

I've been using the above schedule for my BRB for about half the time I've had him, and he seems to be doing well. He's not underweight or overweight, and he's got very very good muscle tone. He's growing steadily and is about the same size as my BCI was at a year, although the BRB is about 9-10 months old. So I'd say he's growing well, and is about where you'd expect him to be despite being fed slightly less often.

[trailblazer295]

I've heard from various sources that snakes keeping growing until they die. Now of course a young snake isn't going to grow the same rate as 20yr old. But also I doubt snake keepers are measuring the length of a 10yr old to 15 20 etc to see if they gained a few inches. To be honest would anyone of us notice our 6ft+ snake gained a few inches over a decade, of course not. By that age and size you aren't measuring that. I haven't even seen many measure weight at the size which is more important from my limited knowledge then just length. Breeding aside most don't weigh their snakes unless they go on a hunger strike and are weighing to monitor health and weight loss. Which means it's very likely snakes do keep growing slowly and we simply don't notice and because you see them on a regular basis you don't notice the change.

[eminart]

Originally Posted by trailblazer295

I've heard from various sources that snakes keeping growing until they die. Now of course a young snake isn't going to grow the same rate as 20yr old. But also I doubt snake keepers are measuring the length of a 10yr old to 15 20 etc to see if they gained a few inches. To be honest would anyone of us notice our 6ft+ snake gained a few inches over a decade, of course not. By that age and size you aren't measuring that. I haven't even seen many measure weight at the size which is more important from my limited knowledge then just length. Breeding aside most don't weigh their snakes unless they go on a hunger strike and are weighing to monitor health and weight loss. Which means it's very likely snakes do keep growing slowly and we simply don't notice and because you see them on a regular basis you don't notice the change.

Yes, it is a well-known fact that snakes continue growing throughout their lives. Actually, as far as I know, all reptiles do this. They just don't grow nearly as quickly once they reach adulthood.