Reptile & Amphibian Forums

She's still fairly young and small but since I'm more familiar with my little sausages (AKA ball pythons) I'm not sure how to tell if my boa is getting fat, or at a good weight for growing. I know with some species of reptiles (and animals) you DO want to feed them as much as they can eat, because they'll convert the energy to growing, but boas apparently don't do that, they get fat instead?
I've only got this one, and I adore her, so I want her to grow healthy and hang out long enough to see me hit my midlife crisis in 20 years. I started wondering if she was getting fat when I noticed on her card today after weighing her that she's gained about 100 grams a month since I got her.

Anyway, here's some pictures of her. She's extremely strong for such a small snake (she's only about 3 feet), and her feeding schedule has been rather erratic - every 7-14 days, depending on when I pick up feeders, but usually she gets a very small rat every 10 days.

The pretty picture:

Her side while climbing - you can see the line of muscle going down

Stretched out:

HAI! (I was trying to get a picture of that U shape but right when I snapped the picture there was her nose!)

Thanks for any input!

~jenny
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"We call them dumb animals, and so they are, for they cannot tell us how they feel, but they do not suffer less because they have no words."
- Anna Sewell (1820-1878)

thanks!
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"We call them dumb animals, and so they are, for they cannot tell us how they feel, but they do not suffer less because they have no words."
- Anna Sewell (1820-1878)

Jenny:

I'd say that your boa looks just about perfect.

Brian
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Brian Gundy

www.for-goodness-snakes.com

Looks good to me. Just a theory of mine, but I think it is important to give them enough room to grow. By that, I mean if their space isn't enlarged to accommodate the new growth, they do become pudgy and "short" due to lack of exercise. I got a fat little '07 boa in the other day that had the body of a Blood Python. Looked like she had been kept in the same deli container for her first six months. Almost no growth in overall length. Fat and pudgy with fat globules under her skin and absolutely no muscle tone. Just stuffed with fatty non-nutritious pinkies and no supplements. She will require special care to correct the damage done in her first six months. If maintained as previously, doubt she could breed successfully, if she even lived that long. Just like a stuffed goose.
Yours is a very good looking Bci.
jsc
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"As hard as I've tried, just can't NOT do this"
John Crickmer

I agree with you John room makes a difference with growth in Boas.I used to be able to take Boas outside,no neighbours type thing.Those Boas would get huge amounts of exercise crawling around,Climbing bushes and trees.They would eat and grow putting on pure lean muscle.The more cage space makes a similar difference. Lar M
Boas By Klevitz

Yeah, she's in a 4 ft by 16" tub for now until I figure out what I'm going to keep her in until she grows some more. She gets out regularly, I just wasn't sure how much weight she should have on her to grow properly without getting fat.

Thanks!!

~jenny
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"We call them dumb animals, and so they are, for they cannot tell us how they feel, but they do not suffer less because they have no words."
- Anna Sewell (1820-1878)