Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I met a guy yesterday and we bagan talking boas. I told him I fed my older females one good size meal (enough to leave a lump)every other week. My younger ones I feed once a week until they are about a year and a half. My males after a year I feed once every 14 to 20 days. He then said that I'm not feeding my females enough especially if I'm raising them to breed. They should be eating every 7 - 10 days (and here's his theory) because if not, their metabolism will slow down resulting in possible unsuccessful breedings. My question is , is there any truth to that? I only have four girls now my two youngest 8 mo.,one at 2 years, and the oldest just turned 3 years of age. I want to keep them healthy, happy and on track to a successful pairing someday.

Thanks,
Andrew M.

Your feeding regime is just fine and will lead your Boas to a longer , and healthier life. Too often people try to feed their boas meals that are to big and to frequently. They may be able to get a litter a year earlier, but the gamble is those litter are often heavy in slugs/premies, or super small litters. Plus it will shorten the life span of the adults. A boas metabolism slows down on its own , and feeding more often won't change it.
I feed a little more often than you, but its close. I feed adult females every 10-14 days and males every 14 days.
The guy that got me hooked on Boas had 14 yr old female, and a 27 yr old male. He fed the female every 3 weeks, and the male about 10 times a year, and they were still good breeders having litters in the 30's-40's consistantly. He only bred them every other year, which I think is another factor to consider for longevity.
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Snake room janitor

Yes and no. My Boas have a choice between 78-130 degrees. That 130 basking spot allows my adults to process a large/jumbo rat in 3-4 days. Meaning they can be fed more and not become obese. Boas that are given a lower basking spot aren't able to process food like that, so they have a tendency to become obese if fed more. Reptiles depend on heat to metabolize what they take in; If they don't have the ability to get their body temps up past a certain point, they cant properly metabolize and therefore become flat tires on a beefed up feeding regimine.