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How often ?how much?

scram May 17, 2007 10:45 AM

I feed my boas on bye the gram(rodent) I am just checking to get some opinions on how many grams and how often to feed them.
My female Suri is almost a year old and Fed every 7 to 9 days.
My Albino female is roughly 7 months old and fed every 5-6 days.

TY

Replies (2)

iheartboas May 24, 2007 07:01 PM

Well, i dont feed by the gram, but I have an 11 month old hogg isle, she's about 3 feet long, and I feed her 1-2 "hopper" mice (the little 3 inch long white mice) once a week. Sometimes she wont take it, sometimes she does. she is one tempermental snake though.

iamsnakeshack Jun 12, 2007 12:51 PM

“11 month old hogg isle, she's about 3 feet long, and I feed her 1-2 "hopper" mice” That’s an awful small food item for a 3’ 1year old boa! I fed my corn adult mice at that age and I am by no means a power feeder. How big around is your hog at its widest point? I hope at 3’ and 11months it’s smallest diameter is bigger around than a hopper mouse!

The rule of thumb, is a pray item (I prefer rats even if they are pups and pinkies) slightly smaller than the widest point on your snake or two smaller items that add up to the same mass, about 7-10 days for the first year and more days in between as they get older according to how the snake looks. I don’t count calories (for me) and I don’t count grams, for my snakes.

One thing that I am very aware of is the propensity to over feed, or power feed; this shortens life span and can kill in the first year of life, but don’t starve the little bugger!

To scram: I believe it’s less of a science and more of an art. Just look at your snake and see if it looks healthy. In the wild they eat when they can and down and kill and will fit.

If you really want to micro manage your boas, keep records of how often they shed, what their weight is, when you feed them, and when they defecate. It’s not a bad idea if you have to visit the vet or if you have a lot of snakes.

Good luck!

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