Reptile & Amphibian Forums

So all the research I've done on boas and the keeping of boas says that when feeding them, you should offer a second prey item. Now I've offered a second prey item to my boa, and she ALWAYS takes it. My concern is this: as i move up to larger prey items, should I still offer a second? I mean, goldfish will eat themselves to death. My BCI is not even a year old yet.. should i offer the second prey item? Will a boa ever refuse the second prey item? Thanks loads!
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0.1 BCI- Pheobe

I find Pheobe to be the most agreeable female I have ever come across. Dinner is cheap, she never wants to eat out, she can't talk, she's deaf and she doesn't care if I see other women.

It really depends on the size of a food item and how big your snake is. Some snakes are little piggies and will just keep eating, causing them to become obese. Plus, overfeeding at a young age (called powerfeeding by some) can negatively impact the health of your snake.

So if you are moving your snake's meal size up, start with just one at first, and as the snake grows, you can start offering two again.

However, don't think you HAVE to always offer two items. You don't. As long as the boa is getting a meal that is appropriately sized for it, it doesn't matter if it's one or two items. Snakes are pretty flexible and opportunistic - they can survive for many months without meals if necessary (as they do in the wild if nothing comes along), so some people like to feed bigger meals every 3-4 weeks, some feed every two weeks, and some people offer smaller meals every week, it just depends on what you feel is right. Just be aware of the risks of overfeeding!
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Lauren Madar - OphidiaGems.com
1.0 BP, 1.0 Hog Is., 1.1 Hypo BCI, 1.1 Surinam BCC, 0.1 GTP

Not sure where you read that, but you should not be offering more food. Just because they will eat does not mean they should. Odds are anytime you offer your boa food it will eat, all this will do is lead to a fat snake that doesn't breed and has a shorter life.
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http://www.GilbertBoas.com/

I read it in The Boa Constrictor Manual by Philippe de Vosjoli. I was made to understand this book was quite accurate re: husbandry. At any rate, I only ever offer her two prey items if the first one is inordinately small. I've always been afraid of power-feeding (because she is a pet for me. I'm not a breeder), and I want to have her around for as long as possible. My biggest concern is that she doesn't seem to be growing as rapidly as I think she should. She's 11 months old and about two and a half feet long... I just want to make sure she's healthy. If none of this seems out of the ordinary, than I'm going to keep doing what I've been doing. Thanks very much for the info folks!
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0.1 BCI- Pheobe

I find Pheobe to be the most agreeable female I have ever come across. Dinner is cheap, she never wants to eat out, she can't talk, she's deaf and she doesn't care if I see other women.

Well if you want a comparison I have a 12 month old that is just eating rats at the age that they open their eyes. I have seen similar aged boas eating Medium rats, but that doesn't mean it is good for them.

I do have that book and for the most part it is good, but don't take everything in there for gospel. If you are looking for a new book Vin Russo just finished The Complete Boa Constrictor.

Also, Gus Rentfro has some excellent information in regards to feeding and properly raising boas for breeding on his website. RioBravoReptiles.com
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http://www.GilbertBoas.com/

Alright, well from what I'm hearing, it seems like I'm doing alright with her. Thanks for the additional sources, I'll check them out!

-Jord
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0.1 BCI- Pheobe

I find Pheobe to be the most agreeable female I have ever come across. Dinner is cheap, she never wants to eat out, she can't talk, she's deaf and she doesn't care if I see other women.

Here's a good baseline to experiment with. Feed your boa it's meal and then wait until it defecates before feeding again. You can get a really good feel for how your boa processes food by doing this for a few feedings. You will find that larger meals will take longer to digest and smaller meals will be passed in shorter time (DUH!). You can then tailor the feedings with whatever schedule you like such as smaller meals every 5-7 days, or maybe one larger meal every 7-10 or even 14 days. Keep in mind that this will definitely change as your snake matures and possibly seasonally as well.

With most of my snakes, this is the only way I do it, especially with some that are prone to regurge from overfeeding. With my boas, I find this to be a good way to keep them at a healthy weight and growth rate.

Billy