[General Care] Nutrition questions

[niko1]

One of my snake about 5'4 seems to be under weight, now i dont know exactly how much she weighs but i know for her lenght she should be quite a bit thicker. Ive have been told that feeding guinea pigs sparingly is good for thickening up boa because they have alot of fat. is this true or what can you recommend. right now im feeding rats every friday. Tips anyone.

[shogun678]

Re: Nutrition questions

Jumbo rats every 7 days. She should fatten up.

[JKReptiles]

Re: Nutrition questions

IMO, high fat content is not good (I could be wrong here). If you need to put some weight on your snake, use appropriate sized rabbits. I however have not had a problem with rats to keep to a healthy size. Make sure your rats are the proper size. The rat should be about the diameter of the thickest part of your snake. Two smaller size rats are better than an over sized rat. Once a week is fine, general rule is every 7 - 10 days. Overfeeding otherwise known as power feeding is not good for the health of your snake so do not rush bulking it up for the sake of breeding, it's better to wait another year to gradually put on size rather than rushing things.

Good luck and pictures with something to compare size to would be helpful.

[niko1]

Re: Nutrition questions

IMO, high fat content is not good (I could be wrong here). If you need to put some weight on your snake, use appropriate sized rabbits. I however have not had a problem with rats to keep to a healthy size. Make sure your rats are the proper size. The rat should be about the diameter of the thickest part of your snake. Two smaller size rats are better than an over sized rat. Once a week is fine, general rule is every 7 - 10 days. Overfeeding otherwise known as power feeding is not good for the health of your snake so do not rush bulking it up for the sake of breeding, it's better to wait another year to gradually put on size rather than rushing things.

Good luck and pictures with something to compare size to would be helpful.

well ive been a snake owner for about 6-7 months now so i know about appropriate sizing and everything like that but now that i have this snake thats a female and really should be thicker than what she is, i was wondering if feeding her a guinea pig that is comparable to a large rat. a jumbo rat is a bit too big for her....i dont want to power feed. im far from being ready for breeding

[bebowebb]

Re: Nutrition questions

I don't have personal experience with feeding guinnea pigs or rabbits to my boas, but from what I understand a rabit would be the preferred larger prey item.

The hair on a guinnea pig is a little thicker and more coarse and is harder for the boa to digest.

I would probably stick with the larger rats or an appropriate sized rabit. Being a little 'undersized' is okay as long as the boa is healthy.

[Boa Amarali]

Re: Nutrition questions

One thing I noticed that's missing is an age on this Fem Boa ?

If she's under 2 years old ,she's probably not under weight


I'm against Guinea pig or any High fat content food item.

I would use 1 Jumbo Rat every 7 days , as it stretches them out a little also
which somehow aids in more growth.

I've been observing this process for while now

That Jumbo rat every 7 days will make her grow I promise

I've heard it said rabbits tend to spur growth in length not girth

I've never used rabbits though

[shogun678]

Re: Nutrition questions

One thing I noticed that's missing is an age on this Fem Boa ?

If she's under 2 years old ,she's probably not under weight


I'm against Guinea pig or any High fat content food item.

I would use 1 Jumbo Rat every 7 days , as it stretches them out a little also
which somehow aids in more growth.

I've been observing this process for while now

That Jumbo rat every 7 days will make her grow I promise

I've heard it said rabbits tend to spur growth in length not girth

I've never used rabbits though

I have heard the same about rabbits.

[niko1]

Re: Nutrition questions

One thing I noticed that's missing is an age on this Fem Boa ?

If she's under 2 years old ,she's probably not under weight


I'm against Guinea pig or any High fat content food item.

I would use 1 Jumbo Rat every 7 days , as it stretches them out a little also
which somehow aids in more growth.

I've been observing this process for while now

That Jumbo rat every 7 days will make her grow I promise

I've heard it said rabbits tend to spur growth in length not girth

I've never used rabbits though

she' s a little over 2 years old... her previous owners werent taking care of her like they were suppose to be... they just fed her and left her alone... and when we got her we found a couple mites on her and we get her treated and she good to go now.... i hope and pray that she doesnt have anything internal because that would devistate me.... but yea, she's over 2 yrs, and she is over 5' and pretty skinny.... i will post a picture when i get home....

[Boa Amarali]

Re: Nutrition questions

Another thing how long have you had her ?

How many meals have you given her ?

If she is really skinny and not taken a meal from you yet

A Jumbo Rat is a dangerous meal to offer, could kill her

If you have not fed her yet and she's really skinny

I suggest a small rat for the first meal

Then a sml or medium on the next meal

[Linda]

Re: Nutrition questions

she' s a little over 2 years old... her previous owners werent taking care of her like they were suppose to be... they just fed her and left her alone... and when we got her we found a couple mites on her and we get her treated and she good to go now.... i hope and pray that she doesnt have anything internal because that would devistate me.... but yea, she's over 2 yrs, and she is over 5' and pretty skinny.... i will post a picture when i get home....

OK,
Going by her age and size... I'd say that girl has been "well fed" her entire life.

BTW How "thick" do you think she should be??

Boas are a slower growing animal. They generally take 3 to 3 1/2 years to reach 6 feet. Sure some grow faster and some grow slower, but "on average" they take 3 to 3 1/2 years.

Now, your girl is "a little over 2 years old". She's also over 5' or 5' 4", in your first post. So, you're girl is actually growing fairly quickly. Since she's grown so large as quickly as she has. She hasn't had a chance to "bulk up" yet.

As Boas mature and start to "slow down" on growth, they start to get "muscle mass". Boa's don't really get "thick" they get "muscular"(not sure if that's what you meant by thick).... They will be long and slender looking. They'll have a "squareness" to their bodies and they be "very muscular" as they mature. BTW boas aren't suppose to be "round". They're suppose to have a "square look" to them.

So, I agree with everyone else on the "G Pig" thing. Not a good idea.

You'd be better off giving her large rats. Allow her time to grow more "slowly". She's already been on the fast track to growing, now it's time let up on the gas. Give her time and she'll bulk up. She's still a young animal and there's no need to rush things. All she really needs is rats and time.

[satyra]

Re: Nutrition questions

from what i have read from others high-fat meals and boas do not mix well.....they dont seem to be able to handle alot of fat the way pythons can eat anything and keep it down. rabbits are good meals for snakes that are big enough IMO. i feed bunnies to all my snakes as soon as they are big enough, the rabbits that are 1lb and bigger really make them grow, and they satisfy their hunger longer than a big rat would....at least thats my experience with them. ive been feeding one of my hypo females bunnies for about 8-10mo now, shes 2.5yo, eats a small bunny once a month and shes close to 6ft i have another non-hypo female thats about 5.5ft, same age as the hypo and same feeding schedule only she eats smaller rabbits than the hypo cause shes still smaller. they are both long and lean, very nice looking boas IMO

can you post a picture of your snake? some people think boas should be huge and round like a burmese.....but they are more slender and have a nice muscular look to their bodies.

[niko1]

Re: Nutrition questions

from what i have read from others high-fat meals and boas do not mix well.....they dont seem to be able to handle alot of fat the way pythons can eat anything and keep it down. rabbits are good meals for snakes that are big enough IMO. i feed bunnies to all my snakes as soon as they are big enough, the rabbits that are 1lb and bigger really make them grow, and they satisfy their hunger longer than a big rat would....at least thats my experience with them. ive been feeding one of my hypo females bunnies for about 8-10mo now, shes 2.5yo, eats a small bunny once a month and shes close to 6ft i have another non-hypo female thats about 5.5ft, same age as the hypo and same feeding schedule only she eats smaller rabbits than the hypo cause shes still smaller. they are both long and lean, very nice looking boas IMO

can you post a picture of your snake? some people think boas should be huge and round like a burmese.....but they are more slender and have a nice muscular look to their bodies.

my computer from work wont allow me to log onto my photobucket so i have to wait until i get home.... but ill not only take pictures ill make a small video so you guys can really see her.... maybe you all are right... i dont think she should be as big as a burmese but i do have a feeling that she is underweight.... ill let you all be ther judge

[niko1]

Re: Nutrition questions

Another thing how long have you had her ?

How many meals have you given her ?

If she is really skinny and not taken a meal from you yet

A Jumbo Rat is a dangerous meal to offer, could kill her

If you have not fed her yet and she's really skinny

I suggest a small rat for the first meal

Then a sml or medium on the next meal

ive only had her for about a month now and she has takin 4 meals from me all successfully.... she never refuses.... like i said be for she was not handled alot by her previous owners. they just fed her and cleaned her tub..... and that was it... so when i got her, she was jumpy and very shy and defensive..... she is getting better now because i try to handle her like 2-3 times a week....... giving her some good excersize.

[satyra]

Re: Nutrition questions

sometimes when they are younger like that they will grow long before they put girth on....that may be why you think she might be underweight lol. i think it was missy (one of my females) that was like 5ft long already but she was barely as big as my wrist (which is pretty thin lol). lately she has put on a little girth, but shes nowhere near being big and girthy just yet, im expecting she will still be growing alot for another good year or two.

[kgb346]

Re: Nutrition questions

Are you sure its a she? maybe its a male and is a little thinner?