Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I have a female hog island boa that is just short of 2 years old. She has been a great eater since I got her as a baby and never refused a meal. I currently have her on small f/t rats and a 5 day feeding schedule. But now, even though the food still looks to be the right size and I'd rather not move her up to larger rats just yet, she seems to get hungrier sooner than before.

Usually right after finishing the rat she is immediately ready for another. And within 3-4 days now she is also waiting in her feeding spot ready to eat again. (she does have a particular spot in the cage she prefers to use when it's feeding day.) Before, she would be ready after 5 days, which is why I bumped her from 7 to 5. I've considered one of 2 options, 1. Feed 2 rats consecutively with the possibility of dropping back to a 6-7 day schedule if she seems content for a longer period. or 2. Move her up to a 4 day feeding schedule.

So my question is, which would be more beneficial and better for her health, more food at once or just a shorter time in between feeding days?

Try giving her as many rats as she wants to eat every five days (or whenever she starts looking for food again). One rodent generally isn't enough to keep most snakes satisfied for more than a few days... It isn't unusual at for a boa of her age to want three or more appropriately-sized rodents every feeding period, and I have three 2007 Kenyan Sand Boas that eat 3-4 hoppers every week. Growing snakes need a lot of food to fuel their growth (and it's instictive to try to find a lot of food), so offering her more rats will keep her satisfied longer.

Hope that helps.
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- Natalie
(San Francisco Bay Area)

Welcome to the world of boas. Boy do they eat with enthusiasm.

I have heard that in the wild, boas often do not get regular meals, or that they may feed like gangbusters when food is plentiful, then conserve energy when food isn't.

This may account for their tendency to eat and eat and eat in captivity. In the wild, they need to be this way to survive the lean times.

The more you feed, the faster she will grow. That is fact. Are you in a hurry to get her big? When I raised my boas, I shot for adult size in like 3-4 years based on the advice of others with more experience raising boas.

Many boa breeders have gotten longer lifespans and better overall health from their boas when the feeding was kept to a schedule such that the boa maintains a good weight (one can just tell by looking) without growing too fast too soon. Apparently, boas raised more slowly have been living longer lives in captivity. I'm no authority on this, but alot of people who are authorities generally support this view.
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Mark

Yes, that does seem to be what I've discovered while researching the feeding habits as they differed so much from the ball python I had. And I did see a lot of the great debate over power-feeding for the purpose of getting them to breed-able size faster, which would result in the shorter lifespan. For me I'm glad she's growing so fast and willing to eat so well, and though I do have plans to breed her once she is of proper age and size I definitely don't want to over-feed her just to get there a little sooner.

She's already at approx. 5'2" with nice muscle mass, doesn't have any skin folds, and also doesn't have any fat rolls. So I believe thus far I'm keeping her at almost the right diet to allow her to be just where she needs to be health and weight wise.

That is why I would like to feed her on a nice steady schedule like I have been without possibly over-feeding her. And the rats that I am currently feeding her are the same girth as the widest part of her body. So if anything I might go with the 2 rats in one feeding thing and see how she does. And then drop her back to a 6-7 day schedule if she is willing to go a little longer between meals. Because I definitely would not want to do anything to shorten her lifespan even the smallest amount, breeder in the future or not, she is my baby.
And thanks for the responses thus far, I would really like to hear what others think on this subject too.

It's hard to say very much without seeing the size of your rats relative to the snake, but feeding two rats at once is most likely reasonable. Unless they are very large compared to the snake, feeding 3, less often, would probably be fine and save you some time.

I've never really seen a boa have a problem from eating too much at once like some snakes do. I have one that is around 5.5 feet and will readily eat 5 large-jumbo rats in a sitting without a problem. Of course, I don't usually do that, but he's my garbage disposal when I thaw out too many rats for the other snakes. I just wait a little longer before feeding him again.
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What goes up must come down...unless it exceeds escape velocity.

If you dont think your feeding her enough try one rat maybe a little bigger than what your feeding now.I keep 20 boas of all sizes and my big girls only feed once every 2 weeks my babies and yearlings once a week. If you would like more info you can always try the boa forum so many experianced breeders on their that IMO would have alot of good advice just my .02 and that is a beautiful hogg

I've got a female Hogg as well. She's a fantastic eater. I purposely feed a lil less, because snakes don't eat all the time in the wild. They are opportunistic hunters. However, I keep mass up, basically what you have done in terms of examining her body traits.

However, based on your description of feeding behavior, it is clear she is ready for another growth spurt, or going into one very soon. Mine did the same thing..one day she's eating fine..the next, she's wanting more food, more frequently, and she shed frequently, then it slowed down a bit and tapered.

Some people give one large meal, others smaller ones over the course of a day or two. I usually give one several rodents. If she's still hungry the next day or two, I will give her only 1-3 more. Usually 1 or two...then she quiets down and doesn't pace around thinking I'm going to feed her.

Great to see a pic of her

I did end up deciding on a 2 rat every 5 days schedule and she seems a lot more content with this. After her first she's immediately ready for the second and once that's down she seems a little less interested and heads back to her hide a short while later. And she's no longer waiting for more food after 3 days, and seems to have no issue with waiting until her next feeding.
She's been an amazing eater and has had so many growth spurts, I don't even know when to expect her to stop, I wouldn't be surprised if she ends up being a bit on the large side for a hog, definitely no complaints if she does.