Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Am I the only paranoid one?

OK, so I have been breeding Boas for a while. A long while. More than 20 years. I have produced quite a few animals and yet... Every single time I feed my animals, while I have females gravid, I am always a little weirded out fearing that something bad could happen with one of my gravid females while I'm feeding the other animals. Does anyone else worry about this? Now mind you, nothing has ever happened of a negative nature ever. It just has never happened. But! I still worry about it. I mean think about it. In the wild, Boas are never subject to the intense aroma of FOOD that they are subject to in captivity. A single animal that happens by in the wild, with the whole wide world to dilute the smell, means that the intensity of that smell is so minute, there is no way we could smell it. Now fast forward to my place. I'm dragging about a 30 gallon trash can half filled with fresh killed rats. About 200 of them at a crack and there is absolutely no missing the pungent odor that permeates every cell of my body. It STINKS! So the smell is overwhelming! Now, the gravid animals that are due soon are not fed. This though most would happily take a rat of two. So I worry they will do something wrong or that in the excitement of smelling all those tasty morsels that they might hurt themselves banging on the door or that they may deliver their unborn babies prematurely.

Nothing of this sort has ever happened. Ever. I have never had a female give birth on the day of feeding. That just has not happened either. I have had a female give birth the day after feeding everyone else. So nothing bad has ever happened. I don't think it will but, I still find myself worrying about it. Does anyone else do this?

Hey Jeff, If nothing bad has ever happened...it will or is OK...but in my place I don't have that many boas...but when I thaw rats I always thaw them in a seperate area...cause the smell makes them a little crazy...I would guess open the windows and get some air flow...or maybe put all your gravid boas in a seperate room...Just my 2 cents... Andy
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You have a lot more boas than the average person.

I'm sure the aroma from your large amount of feeders is a bit over powering. LOL. If I was in your situation.. I might be a bit paranoid about something happening too.

BTW how many of those bags of rats do you go through a week??

How do you thaw such a HUGE quantity of rats?

I believe Jeff has had to breed his own rats for a long time now...
So the question would be how many of those 30 gallon pails FULL does he go through?

I bet he still uses more PAILS than anyone of us uses BAGS!

I would think before he even gets to finish one feeding, those first fed are ready for their next feeding!

I get dizzy just thinking about it! lol

-Joe
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Thanks and take care - Joe Rollo
'Tis not the stongest of the species that will eventually survive, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change' Charles Darwin

This was a thawed pile of rats:

Doesn't that make you hungry!

That pile would last my boas for 6 MONTHS or longer!!!!

Yeah, I think you have LOTS AND LOTS more boas than the average person.

I can help alleviate your feeding issues Jeff

I can pay shipping charges too
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Thanks and take care - Joe Rollo
'Tis not the stongest of the species that will eventually survive, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change' Charles Darwin

I'd be happy just to have a chance to be there on feeding day. I'd gladly help feed them. It would be fun being able to peek into the black hole.

that just doesn't sound right. Maybe we should rename Mr. Ronne's basement. Just a thought.

Phil Goss

Dirty Jobs with Mike Rowe!!

Damn that's one huge pile o' rats.
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Thanks,

Dave Colling

www.rainbows-r-us-reptiles.com

0.1 Wife (WC)
0.2 kids (CBB)

LOL, to many snakes to list, last count:
10.22 BRB
10.15 BCI
And those are only the breeders

lots.lots.lots feeder mice and rats

i do understand your point with the GRAVID females BUT me I alsow worry when,, feeding the NON BREEDERS wile courtship and breeding is still going on with the YES BREEDERS that the big females will smell the rats and then in a respons get triggert to attack and eat the SMALLER male.

toine
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toine plompen,,,holland

WWW.PUREBOAS.COM

I don't worry about that because; I never ever feed when I have pairs together any more. I did long ago but no more. I have had one animal grab another when I have not been feeding too. Just my movement walking by the cage was enough to get on to strike at the other. It is maddening but something that does happen. If you have not had a male grab a female yet, or visa versa, when you have animals together and are feeding, you will. It isn't much fun for anyone. Let me tell you because I have had it happen.

YEAH! Nothing beats the smell of thawed rodents before feeding. Or warming a rodent too long before feeding and seeing firsthand what their insides look like... That would be awesome for that show!

my animals would go crazy with that many meals in the same room as them! lol
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I'M IN SKIN!!!

after seeing all them rats I would hate to see some cleaning day pictures.
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True Redtails

..

I often think about this too Jeff.. so you're not alone.

Now mind you, Ihaven't had much time to dedicate to breeding boas lately, but I have been slowly collecting some other 'wretched species' that practically breeds itself... lol

So, I have these cool black racks I got from some 'big shot boa breeder' (lol) and I do have both boas, and those other wretched things in there too...

So, like I said, those other wrethced beasts practically breed themselves.. and it seems like everytime I check the cages, or during feedings, I notice another female sitting atop a pile of eggs (damn, wretched beasts..), and i've had great luck with undisturbed maternal incubation inside these fancy black boxes... soooo
Whenever feeding time comes around, the smell and the sight and the movement around them seem to disturb them a bit.
Many times, they half-uncoil off the eggs as if they are getting defensive or are just plain hungry, waiting for that rat, and this always bothers me a bit... guess you can say i'm always worried they'll abandon the pile of eggs after that... but it hasn't happened yet!

So all's well that ends well!?

Hey Jeff, will we be seeing you this year in that big fun house they call the NRBE in Daytona Beach?

Take care, Joe Rollo

coming soon ---> www.BciJoe.com/.net/.org/.biz/.info

Doh!

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Thanks and take care - Joe Rollo
'Tis not the stongest of the species that will eventually survive, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change' Charles Darwin

I can't make myself leave all the critters that long. Plus I am addicted to sniffing glue. I have to stay here and sniff glue by the bucket! What brain cells?

.
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Thanks and take care - Joe Rollo
'Tis not the stongest of the species that will eventually survive, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change' Charles Darwin

you'll be posting colubrids up in here. For shame. For shame. For shame. Don't they regulate this place? I must cleanse myself with a giant pic of a small boa. Ah, that's better. Am I in Daytona yet?

Phil Goss

.
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Thanks and take care - Joe Rollo
'Tis not the stongest of the species that will eventually survive, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change' Charles Darwin

I didnt think there were any of them left anymore lol. Thats a pretty cool pic Joe I haven't really heard of anyone using maternal incubation on bp's. Later V

and maternal incubation has been catching on a lil more lately on 'that' forum.

I think the reason most don't do that is so they can have their females ready again within a few months for the next litter. Maternal incubation means about 2-3 months without food, and so many of these won't make it to breed again that season.

Thanks, Joe
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Thanks and take care - Joe Rollo
'Tis not the stongest of the species that will eventually survive, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change' Charles Darwin

I couldn't believe it, man!

.
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Thanks and take care - Joe Rollo
'Tis not the stongest of the species that will eventually survive, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change' Charles Darwin

Ah!!! gotta keep the bp machine going no time for incubation lol. I love seeing the pics of GTP's with little red and yellow heads popping out everywhere. Hopefully we will see more of it with bp's.

maybe they could use your situation in a new febreze commercial.
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1.1.0 Colombian Redtail Boas (normals)
2.1.0 Sumatran Blood Pythons (normals)
1.0 Dumeril's Boa (normal)
0.1 Coastal Carpet Python (normal)
0.1 Jungle Carpet Python (normal)
1.1 Surinam Redtail Boa (normal)
0.1 Roommate (sigh...okay, she has a corn snake)

my breeding pairs while feeding the other boas. Whenever I bring rats into the room most all of them perk up and start searching the doorline. I have observed my breeding pairs go into that feeding mode (jittery/quick movements) in which they will watch each others movement like a hawk... I always get worried that they will tag each other. I havent had it happen yet but I hear about such scenarios quite often. I'd hate for my little motley het albino male to get tagged by my beefy arab het female next season!
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Take Care,

-Ryan Homsey

www.topnotchboas.com

luckily we have enough space now in our home, that I will be moving all of the non breeders into another room during the "season"
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Chris & Alliey
www.bloodyleopard.com
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