Feeding schedule for red tail

[swawnsymbiote]

My red tail boa is a little under a year, and I have been feeding her once every 5 days, but she still acts like she is starving (constantly searching tank, showing feeding behavior) after like 2 days. Her mice are the right size, should I feed her more often?

[thealien]

How much does your Boa weigh? Weight of the mice? Pictures? If you are not sure invest in a scale they are inexpensive.

My Boa is 10 months old and 600 grams. He is down to 1 rat at 10% of weight (as close as possible) every 14-15 days. He is thick, muscular, and seems to be thriving.

Some snakes just have an appetite while others wont eat?

[dangernoodles]

A good rule of thumb is if you can't tell that your snake has just eaten (no visible lump) it's time to move up a prey size.

[chairman]

Originally Posted by dangernoodles

A good rule of thumb is if you can't tell that your snake has just eaten (no visible lump) it's time to move up a prey size.

That isn't always true for boas. Adult boas have very slow metabolisms and their meals shouldn't leave noticeable bulges. Some juvenile boas will regurgitate meals that leave noticeable bulges. Boas aren't like pythons, you can't feed them a meal that is 150% of their girth and not expect an issue.

I would check your temperatures. It is entirely possible that the enclosure is too hot and your snake is attempting to find a place to cool down.

[dangernoodles]

Originally Posted by chairman

That isn't always true for boas. Adult boas have very slow metabolisms and their meals shouldn't leave noticeable bulges. Some juvenile boas will regurgitate meals that leave noticeable bulges. Boas aren't like pythons, you can't feed them a meal that is 150% of their girth and not expect an issue.

I would check your temperatures. It is entirely possible that the enclosure is too hot and your snake is attempting to find a place to cool down.

Ah. I'm more educated on pythons than boas, I apologize.

[Aaron_S]

Originally Posted by swawnsymbiote

My red tail boa is a little under a year, and I have been feeding her once every 5 days, but she still acts like she is starving (constantly searching tank, showing feeding behavior) after like 2 days. Her mice are the right size, should I feed her more often?

You likely need bigger prey at a year old boas should be on rats.

[bigsnakegirl785]

Imo, no rodent-eating snake should eat more often than 7 days. Even my checkered garter got pink halves every 7 days. For baby boas, I stick more to 10-14 days, 7-10 is the most often I'd consider going. Feeding every 5 days keeps their metabolisms maxed out, and they'll never get a rest from digestion. Snakes also have feeding modes, where they'll eat anything they come across even if they're full. Smell, or meals, can trigger these modes where they'll attack anything that moves from anywhere from a few hours to a few days. Some individuals also have higher feeding responses, just like how some cats will nibble here and there and some will inhale food. We need to know what's best for our animals, and feed them accordingly, and ignore their begging if we know they aren't hungry: they're incapable of telling.

[EL Ziggy]

I'm not sure how large your boa is but at a year old I'd be feeding it every 10-14 days. It may be time to transition your snake to rats. Do you have a picture of your critter? What are your temps like?

[skaukatt]

My 7 month old suri female is on rat fuzzies every 10-14 days. She'll soon be on rat pups, I'm taking it very slow to avoid regurge issues. She's fine with that from all appearances.