Reptile & Amphibian Forums

i was given a boa yesterday, he told me the boa is a 7 year old suriname. its only 5' i know it should be bigger and i think its a male (based on the "bulge in the pants" i noticed). how big should i expect it to grow once now that its eating regularly? is it possible it wont start growing aqain?

today i gave it its first meal in 6-8 months. i gave it a small rat pup.

this was the last of his snakes (thank god) but he told he told me he plans on getting some small ones when his son gets older. i realy hope he doesnt because in m opinion he isnt "cut for the job" of being a snake keeper based on what ive seen from him
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Jake Barney

snakes
1.1.1 ball pythons
0.2 corns

aquarium
0.0.1 Typhlonectes natans (aquatic caecilian)
0.0.1 common pleco
0.0.1 albino clawed frog
0.0.? feeder fish/ shrimp

First,
Congratulations on your new boa. I'm sure you will take very good care of it.

Now, about it being 7 years old and only 5 feet....

I think his size if fine for his age. Sure he could have been fed more and have gotten larger, but he's not that small.

As to how quickly/large he'll grow.. That's hard to say. He could "eventually" grow to be 8 feet or more. It could be he won't make it past 7 feet. I have no idea how quickly he'll grow.

I have a 12 year old female that's only 7 feet. She's been eating one 3 1/2 pound rabbit, every 2 weeks, for the last 5 years. She's only grown 12 inches in the last 5 years. I've been told that Surimanes can grow slowly, but my girl must be going for the record for "slow growth".

It's good that you gave him a meal. They really do need to be fed more often that every 6 to 8 months. BTW why has it been so long since it's last meal?? Was he "off his feed"?? Was he in breeding mode??? Did the previous owner just not feed him????

I guess it doesn't matter, but I am curious as you why you gave a 5 foot snake such a "small meal"??? At the very least, he should have gotten a "large rat".

I would go very slowly on feeding and make sure he's not dehydrated before feeding again. The small rat IMO would be better for the snake at this point. I'd wait another 2 to 3 weeks before offering another prey item and move up one size at a time to avoid a reguritation and/or obstipation.

as for the reason the snake was off feed in summer: dereck was busy with an 11 month old son and snakes can go up to a year without food so its ok to just not feed him even th the snakes a great feeder and there was rats in the freezer.

wouldnt we all do the same? i know from my personal experience that when my life gets busy i just stop eating for weeks so i can focus on more important things like drugs!

the snake was getting thin but now that the rat pup has been digested "pedro" is much more lively and energetic. i just can wait for him to get the rest of his shed off. i got him when he was starting to shed, i have 75% of it off but its thin and in about 1000 pieces. is it possible that the lack of food has an effect on the thickness of the shed too?

the shed is the reason for the small meals. i would just wait but i just felt so bad and wanted him to get some nutrition and energy. ill atempt pics when he puts on some wieght.

thanks for all the replies,
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Jake Barney

snakes
1.1.1 ball pythons
0.2 corns

aquarium
0.0.1 Typhlonectes natans (aquatic caecilian)
0.0.1 common pleco
0.0.1 albino clawed frog
0.0.? feeder fish/ shrimp

Take it slowly. As long as it isn't thin, the size is fine. 5 feet is on the small size, but nothing to worry about. Keep it warm and always make water available.

Post a pic or two and we'll all tell you whether its a Suri or not.