[Feeding Issue] No food for boa! need to ASK something !

[danielmangion]

Hi Guys,

Would it be a problem if i won't feed my 1year and 3months boa for a whole month ?
Because my pet store doesn't have rats to sell me for a month the reason was that rats won't breed this month.
The guy in the store told me that he'll have in the end of this month.

Would it be a problem for the boa ?

[natieb]

Re: No food for boa! need to ASK something !

Generally speaking, the older the snake, the longer they can go without eating. They'll survive without food for a month and probably won;t have any issues, but the 3 month old should really be eating every 7-10 days. If the local pet store is unreliable, you should try to find an alternative source for the future. Where are you located? Maybe a local member can lend you a couple of rats, or maybe there's a retile show in the area where you can pick a couple up a la carte.

[Noelle7206]

Re: No food for boa! need to ASK something !

Hi Guys,

Would it be a problem if i won't feed my 1year and 3months boa for a whole month ?
Because my pet store doesn't have rats to sell me for a month the reason was that rats won't breed this month.
The guy in the store told me that he'll have in the end of this month.

Would it be a problem for the boa ?

The way I'm reading this question is that you have ONE boa, that is one year & 3 mos. of age? If so, I'd say going a month without a rat (esp. in the winter) is no problem at all. But may I suggest that you only
feed dead prey items, either freshly pre-killed or frozen-thawed-warmed slightly, to your boa? Then it's EASY to have a food supply on hand in the freezer for the times when petstores fail to have what you need. Most
boas readily take dead prey...use long tongs to offer (to keep your warm wiggling hands out of the way, LOL)...and it's MUCH safer for your snake. Sooner or later, they WILL get injured by live prey...prevention of ugly
scars and infections is just much better...

[Jrock23]

Re: No food for boa! need to ASK something !

You should find another pet store for the 3 month old boa

[Kung Fu Joe]

Re: No food for boa! need to ASK something !

I agree that a more reliable source for food would be your best option. I live in an area where purchasing rats requires a fair amount of travel, and the sources are unreliable. Feel your pain. Fill your freezer.

[jOHNNY t]

Re: No food for boa! need to ASK something !

Feel your pain. Fill your freezer.

I agree, maybe you can find someone that you can piggyback on a order of frozen rats.

[britt3591]

Re: No food for boa! need to ASK something !

Let em run the house

[weird_science04]

Re: No food for boa! need to ASK something !

Honestly, it will be fine. In the meantime, I would locate another source of rats. I also read this that you had 1 boa that was 15 months old. I had a recent circumstance that I was not able to feed my boas for about a month and (not due to not having rats) the babies were fine. Would I do this all the time? No. However, once in a while, it isn't going to hurt. A boa will not be on a schedule in the wild. You might be able to find a rat breeder locally. They usually charge the fraction of the cost. If you live close enough to a place that sells frozen rats, that would be best; however, shipping for 1 snake usually is not the best price. Regardless though, you would have piece of mind when it came to having rats in your house whenever you needed them.

Star