Boa Feeding Schedule

Will's Reptiles · 07-06-16, 07:31 PM

Hi,
My BCC will be two years old in November and about a month ago I switched him over to small rats and have been feeding him one rat, once a week. Now it seems like he is getting just a little chunky so I'm just wondering what you guys feed your 1-2 year old BCCs and on what schedule. Is it better to feed little and often or a lot but less frequently. Thanks!

bigsnakegirl785 · 07-06-16, 09:45 PM

At 2 years, I'd feed every 2-3 weeks. Imo it's best to feed smaller meals less often, especially for B(C)C. At a year, you start spacing their feedings out to 14 days, and continue to space it out over the years until they're eating every 5-6 weeks.

Birth - 1 year: 7-14 days
1-3 years: 10-21 days
3+: 4-6 weeks

The only thing different from B(C)I is that B(C)C take meals almost half the size, but they eat just as often.

**Andy_G** · 07-07-16, 07:11 AM

Every 2 weeks would be fine for a while.

DLLNP · 07-07-16, 09:43 AM

Agreed with what's said above (obviously I do... Andy and BSG have given me most of my husbandry advice haha!)

I'm surprised to hear that B(C)C's (I like BSG's nomenclature for the most recent species classification... Or at least I assume that's what you're doing!) eat such small meals, interesting!

@Will: I've recently been reading some academic papers that showed ectothermes such as snakes can use as little as 10% of the energy to thrive when compared to mammals due to the fact they don't need to produce their own body heat. So you can imagine how little food they actually need to live and also how easy it would be for them to gain unhealthy weight, even when only being ever so slightly over fed. And I think this is even exaggerated in boa's.

I would be curious to know how you guys feed during the winter?

bigsnakegirl785 · 07-07-16, 02:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DLLNP

Agreed with what's said above (obviously I do... Andy and BSG have given me most of my husbandry advice haha!)

I'm surprised to hear that B(C)C's (I like BSG's nomenclature for the most recent species classification... Or at least I assume that's what you're doing!) eat such small meals, interesting!

@Will: I've recently been reading some academic papers that showed ectothermes such as snakes can use as little as 10% of the energy to thrive when compared to mammals due to the fact they don't need to produce their own body heat. So you can imagine how little food they actually need to live and also how easy it would be for them to gain unhealthy weight, even when only being ever so slightly over fed. And I think this is even exaggerated in boa's.

I would be curious to know how you guys feed during the winter?

Boa constrictor eats smaller meals than Boa imperator because their digestive system is a lot more delicate. They are prone to regurging if they eat too big of meals, so they have to eat much smaller meals. This is why they grow so much slower. Some may be able to handle larger meals, but it's still best to keep their prey size small.

Snakes can thrive on half of what the average owner feeds them, even gravid females don't use that much energy. On average, our animals grow much more rapidly than they would in the wild, and they succumb to fatty liver disease quite often. They eat leaner prey in the wild, they eat less often, and they exercise more. Snakes don't necessarily have to get big within a couple years.

As far as how I feed during the winter, I don't feed my boa constrictors. I'm feeding my younger ones throughout the year, but I'm thinking of starting Tirel and Nymeria's fasts either this winter or next. Right now, just my 5 year old Cloud gets fasted, and this will be the 4th fast I've put him on iirc. I give him his last meal for the winter in November, and then fast him for 90 days. 2-3 weeks after he eats, I drop his hot side temps and lower his ambients slightly, from 88F to 85F and 85F to 80F, and then I raise them again 2-3 weeks before his next meal. This means the next time he eats is late February/early March. Vin Russo has extensively studied and bred boa constrictors for years. He advises winter fasting periods, or at least feeding them sparingly, as they help to shed excess internal fat stores, build muscle mass, and can instigate breeding behaviors.

He also states in his book The Complete Boa Constrictor, that boas grow best when not eating. Limiting their food to a healthy amount, and giving them time off of food will allow boas to grow at a more healthy rate, and build proper muscle mass. He goes in more depth in his book, so I'd advise anyone who owns a boa to buy a copy and read it.

DLLNP · 07-07-16, 03:39 PM

Yes, I just ordered Vin's book two weeks ago. Almost done it! It's excellent. He just never really states at which age he starts fasting his boas at. I will definitely cool mine down (probably even colder than 80, my winters are freezing here), just wasn't sure if I should fast at such a young age (both mine will be 1.5 years). I think for this winter I'll just feed sparingly (3-4 weeks... Maybe more?) and next year go for a full 2 month fast or something around that.

Panntyman · 08-05-16, 04:07 PM

I've had 3 bcc boas and I know that they don't process food as fast as big boas but at 2 years old switching over too small rat's trust me I am not knocking u on your feeding regimen. But you was really holding back on food intake 1 of my suri females at 2 years old was on 2 pound rabbits but too each his own I'm hear to learn and listen and give some of my experiences and and what I've learned and have failed at thank you

**Andy_G** · 08-05-16, 04:26 PM

I would say 2 pound rabbits at even 3 years old for a BCC to be an unnecessary amount of food. Saying that...probably more towards medium rats at 2 years of age depending on the individual...I suppose my opinion falls between BSG's and Panntyman's. Could some take that size? Definitely...but that doesn't mean you should do it. Boas could practically eat themselves to death if you let them. If you grow them a bit slower, they WILL live longer. Not tearing anyone down, just food for thought.

Panntyman · 08-05-16, 09:13 PM

With any reptile especially snakes you feed them less or more often with smaller prey items it is a fact that they have a longer and healthier life people pound there snakes with food so they can breed them quicker I know with bcc you have to wait I think it is 5yrs for female and 3 for male. But power feeding to me you should not even own any reptile it is very wrong but your feeding schedule shows you have a bcc for many years enjoy can you tell me if it's suri, Peruvian,guyana

bigsnakegirl785 · 08-05-16, 10:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DLLNP

Yes, I just ordered Vin's book two weeks ago. Almost done it! It's excellent. He just never really states at which age he starts fasting his boas at. I will definitely cool mine down (probably even colder than 80, my winters are freezing here), just wasn't sure if I should fast at such a young age (both mine will be 1.5 years). I think for this winter I'll just feed sparingly (3-4 weeks... Maybe more?) and next year go for a full 2 month fast or something around that.

No he doesn't. I think I heard him say in an interview he starts them on their first winter, or at least halves their food intake during the winter of their first year. I personally want to wait until they're 2 or 3 and completely fast them.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Panntyman

I've had 3 bcc boas and I know that they don't process food as fast as big boas but at 2 years old switching over too small rat's trust me I am not knocking u on your feeding regimen. But you was really holding back on food intake 1 of my suri females at 2 years old was on 2 pound rabbits but too each his own I'm hear to learn and listen and give some of my experiences and and what I've learned and have failed at thank you

Your boas have been power fed and are dangerously large for their age, please refrain from giving such terrible advice (in response to the 2 year old on 2 lb rabbits). Not even my 5 year old is eating 2 lb rabbits....he's 6.5' eating a large rat or 4-6 ounce rabbit...the snake would have to be well over 8' to be reasonably eating 2 lb rabbits, and if a snake is 8' before it's 6th b-day something is wrong. (Small rats at 2 years old is perfectly reasonable, but not 2 lb rabbits.)

dannybgoode · 08-06-16, 08:56 AM

+1 to BSG. A rabbit that size for a 2 yo Bc or Bi is just plain silly.

**Andy_G** · 08-06-16, 05:23 PM

@Panntyman

This doesn't happen all that often it seems...but I gotta agree with BSG

. I had a nearly 50 pound over 8 foot het albino BCI around 10 years old and even she didnt even eat rabbits and she was much larger than a lot of adult BCC that I have been in contact with or seen. She produced some very nice large litters for me. She did eat a few guinea pigs but they weren't 2 pounds. At 2 years old, smalls...maybe mediums as I said depending on the specific individual would be what I deem appropriate. So unfortunately you're doing the exact opposite of what you are advising in your last post when it comes to power feeding...

Also...suriname and guyanan BCC are one in the same and aren't even separated geographically as it's just a small body of water running between the 2 localities. Just an fyi.

Panntyman · 08-07-16, 09:26 AM

Everyone has there opinion towards what is too much food intake on certain species of snakes and lizards whats hot whats cold i posted pictures of my surinames dont none of them look power fed if you know what one looks. Like all of their heads fit their body ive been keeping snakes monitors tegus since 91 and if your from that time you know there was hardly any captive bred reptiles the way ive learned was not reading a book and quoting after it i learned through trial and error and many teeth and you can see me and my uncles snakes in my album and you tell me do any of them look powerfed lol powerfed in my day was to tie 2 or 3 rats together or rabbits and he or she would keep swallowing. Now from my experience far far away from that boas.especially bcc are not ravage eaters on the flip side in my experiance every one that ive had in my care were picky raters except one and she was not pure 50% Colombian %50 suri and she is pictured in my album and on this thread she was pushing 6 feet eating 2"pound rabbits and she was not the only one now did i say they was eating this a week no because in my experience i know when they have taken large meals iits a while to digest and i know through experience thatim wasting food. Because they are not the ravage eaters retics are. My lavender that i have posted is pushing 6 ft and eatingv3 pound rabbits and she just took her first one a month1/2 ago she got respiratory infenction and through my experiance not reading a book or watching nat geo she got cured and ate her first meal since falling ill and it was a 1pound rabbit just a. Fyi

bigsnakegirl785 · 08-07-16, 10:21 AM

It's not a matter of opinion but fact, it is not your opinion that something is too much. If a certain amount of food causes unnatural growth, unnatural fatty deposits, and negatively affects their health it doesn't matter that you think it's the proper amount it is too much. If a 2 year old is eating 2 lb rabbits it is power fed, there is no other option. At 2 years they should be 3'-4', 5' max (and I'd consider that overly-large myself). None of those snakes are even remotely large for a 1 lb rabbit let alone a 2 lb rabbit.

I also don't care how long you've been keeping them, if it's been incorrectly you aren't as experienced as you think you are.

A 6' boa should under no circumstance be eating a 2 lb rabbit, period. Even 1 lb is way too large. Hence why my 6.5' boa is only eating 4-6 ounce rabbits. I fed him 1 lb rabbits when he was 6' and he put on an entire pound in weight after 2 meals spaced 2 weeks apart. It took a year of dieting for him to shed that weight, he was overweight and if I continued to feed him that way I would probably lose a decade or two of time with him. I would be lucky to see him to his 10th birthday, if not his 6th.

Not even my 6.5' RETIC is eating 1 lb rabbits, let alone my boa. She's barely as big around as my arm, and the rabbit is at least 2x my arm's girth. She weighs 2,025 grams last I weighed her, making a 1 lb rabbit a whopping 45% of her weight. That's absolutely ludicrous to be feeding her in any capacity. So I'm just amazed you're feeding your retic 3 lb rabbits.

If a 6' boa could even physically get a 2lb rabbit down, it should be given it's next meal 2-4 months later.

Panntyman · 08-07-16, 11:12 AM

Go look at my photo album and show me one power fed snake I look at yours and feel sorry for them their keeper is Martha stewart hope you like the photos there is more for you to see through experience one finds out knowledge and that was for Andy G and that other Danny b Goode you guys some real character