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hello there,
my redtail is a fierce eater but sometimes wont be interested in his food until the next day. i usually leave the thawed rat in his feeding tank with him for up to 24 hrs. can a 1-2 day old rat (thawed 36 hours previously) be harmful to a snake? like stale food to a human? i doubt its bad just wondering what you guys had to say
thanks, best!
Yes, it can be potentially bad for your boa. The longer a thawed animal is out and thawed, the more it putrifies. The stomache/internal organs will turn green and it will "STINK". This can cause a build up of bad bacteria. This bacteria can potentially kill your boa.
I normally give my boas about....... 30 seconds to grab a thawed meal. I dangle the food item in front of their face with a pair of tongs. It they take it, I'll leave them alone for 30 minutes to see if they've eaten it. If they have "great". If they don't, then they're not hungry. That means they've missed their meal for this feeding session.
Since your boa is used to having "more time" to find/eat it's meal. I'd say toss it after 2 hours.
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