A little confused - Page 2

Joelb922 · 07-20-17, 10:30 PM

And actually, quick question, my guy is about 4 1/2 feet long, the breeder i bought him from said he has eaten frozen jumbo rats before, i fed him on Monday, its now Thursday, he had a rather large bump from the meal and its gone down a little but not nearly as much as i had expected, his temps during the day are 90-91 hot side and 82-84 cold side, is this digestion normal for a young boa?

**Andy_G** · 07-21-17, 09:19 AM

Jumbos are in my opinion too large for that boa. I'd be doing mediums. They have a slower metabolism and take longer to digest than some other species and as a result they don't need as much food. Your temps sound fine.

Joelb922 · 07-21-17, 10:45 AM

Okay, so just wait until he poops and then stick with medium rats? How long do you think itll take for his large bump to go away?

bigsnakegirl785 · 07-24-17, 05:32 AM

At 4.5' long I'd do a small rat every 3-4 weeks or a very small medium rat every 4 weeks at the very most. Jumbos are likely either the absolute largest meal he can physically swallow, or they're too large for him to swallow.

I made the same mistake with my boa Cloud when he was younger, he was eating large rats at 4.5'-5' and they were barely small enough for him to swallow. When I tried to get a jumbo down him, he couldn't swallow it and spat it out. After a few feedings he started to refuse to eat every week, opting to eat every 2 weeks and then every 3 weeks until I fixed his diet. The damage had already been done to his body, though. I know better now, and don't feed my boas as large of meals.

This is him at 4'9" eating a large rat.

(The bulge goes all the way from his neck down to where his tail goes over his back, and the rat's tail was sticking out of his mouth - not visible at this angle.)

This is him at just a few inches over 4' long after eating a medium rat. Still way too large of a meal, it left a sizeable lump in his belly.

4'9" trying to eat a jumbo rat - he didn't even make it past the shoulders before he had to give up.

Joelb922 · 07-26-17, 09:36 AM

My guy just pooped last night, he was able to get the jumbo down but ill stick with medium rats every few weeks, i noticed his chin skin stretched a little, that should go away with time though right?

Joelb922 · 07-26-17, 09:43 AM

This is my first boa so i still have plenty to learn about them, as it goes for housing, i think hes pretty happy with the size of his house

bigsnakegirl785 · 07-26-17, 02:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Joelb922

My guy just pooped last night, he was able to get the jumbo down but ill stick with medium rats every few weeks, i noticed his chin skin stretched a little, that should go away with time though right?

I would go with a small rat every 3-4 weeks, not mediums.

Considering how much larger jumbos are than what he needs, give him at least 2-3 months off of food before you offer anything else. His body needs time to recover.

As far as the stretchy skin, I have seen boas retain that when fed oversized meals. If it's been more than a few days and it's still there, it may remain. Just give it time and see, it could go away.

Joelb922 · 07-26-17, 05:03 PM

Okay, it doesnt seem to bother him any, hes still behaving normally and all, thats a really pretty boa by the way.

bigsnakegirl785 · 07-26-17, 05:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Joelb922

Okay, it doesnt seem to bother him any, hes still behaving normally and all, thats a really pretty boa by the way.

Regardless of his behavior, his body has gone through extreme physiological changes, and will maintain that for a long time. When snakes eat, their heart and intestines can double or triple in size, and it takes time for them to shed off the excess tissue and everything return to normal. I would wait a minimum of 2-3 months, if not more.

Thanks! He was my first boa, I've got 6 now, these guys are by far my favorite species/group of snakes.

Joelb922 · 07-26-17, 05:50 PM

Like i said, i still have a lot to learn, the breeder i bought him from said it was good, and now from experience i can disagree, i actually caught him cruising around his tank last night, ive only had him for about a month so i think hes starting to get used to his new home

Joelb922 · 07-26-17, 05:53 PM

Imgur: The most awesome images on the Internet
This is his house as of now, its 4' long, 2' deep and 2' tall