Reptile & Amphibian Forums

hello,
Another question ,
what would the appropriate weight for a 5'6" Boa be or ideal weight? my Boa weighs between 7 and 8 pounds but i have noticed there are 10 foot boas weighing in at 60 pounds or more. Acording to that measure a boa half that size should weigh between 30 or 40 pounds is that correct??
would my boa be under weight ?? should i start moving over to Guinea pigs to fatten her up? right now she eats 2 medium rats every 10 to 12 days.
thanks in advance ,
joe
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il serpente e u saggi cumpagni

It sounds to me like your boa is a healthy weight. Some snakes are much thicker bodied and would be much heavier than others. It might also depend on if it is a male or female and if you plan on breeding it. Males don't need to be big and heavy, while a female might need a certain amount of fat stores for a healthy pregnancy.
I think it also depends on the boa itself. For example, a 4 ft corn snake weighs much less than a 4 ft boa. They have different body types. Well, different boas can have different body types as well.
Look at your boa, is it firm, strong and healthy? If your answer is yes, then don't worry about how much it weighs. If it is baggy and you can easily feel its spine and ribs, then fatten it up.
And remember, fat is not healthy, whether it is in a person, dog or snake, obesity will remove years off of its life.
Just because they will eat doesn't always mean they should.
Now where did I leave that donut? LOL
Kathy

hello,
Thank you by those standards shes fine,
Shes a BCI about 5-6 years of age. i purchased her about 4 years ago. And always fed according using the prey item being as large as the thickest part of her body and have never had problems.
its just i saw pics of 9 ft and 10 ft boas weighing over 60 and was wondering if my boa was being underfed. Maybe those guys are power feeding which i woudlnt do anyway id like my boa to be around another 10 or 15 years.
thank you,
Joe
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il serpente e u saggi cumpagni

I have this 13 yearold thats 10.5 ft and she only weighs 40 lbs.

She is Beautiful Columbian BCI ?
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il serpente e u saggi cumpagni

I did a dorsal scale count and came up with 84. That would make her a BCC.