Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi all, I'm new to this forum as I am also new to snakes in general. I have 11 years experience with iguanas and thought it would be nice to finally get a snake. I got a colombian red tail normal about a year ago. I got him when he was 8 months old so he'll almost be 2. I'm just wondering if he's the size he should be at his age, he seems a little small to me. How much or less should I be feeding him? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Omec

Hey Guy welcome to the Boa Forum! There are a lot of cool cats that post on hear so be sure to ask away on any questions. Very nice boa and good pics by the way. I would feed her a small rat every week.

Jake

He seems to be grown slow, but there nothing wrong with that! He doesn't look dehydrated or unhealthy in the pics! A overall check up at a good Herp Vet is always a great idea once a year!

Good Luck

I think your boa is a perfect size for a male at 2 years of age.

Ask yourself if you want a small or large adult boa first.

If you want a small boa (4-5 feet), then I'd recommend feeding him one food item every 3 weeks, and I would never offer anything larger than a medium rat.

It you'd like a large boa, then you might try feeding him one food item every two weeks that leaves a little bulge in him. Depending on how he grows, you may be able to feed him rabbits in his older years.

Males typically stay smaller than females, but I have had males that were 19 pounds and could easily eat a small rabbit.

Large boas are not my personal preference. I only feed my big girls one jumbo rat every 2 weeks, and they stay around 7 feet long and between 15-20 pounds.

Best of luck with him. I hope this helped.

-Anthony

I agree with everything Anthony said below and would just like to add that when comparing two boas, one male and one female, of exactly equal length, the female will be the more robust of the two. Males are generally leaner.

Additionally, of the larger constrictors, boas are fairly trim and should have a "bread loaf" look to them. The healthiest boas will have a lines running from head to tail down their dorsum along their spine and lines running the length of their bodies on their laterals as well. Those lines are the muscles protruding. This is an EXCELLENT sign of a boa with good body composition (minimal fat, lots of muscle). Inch for inch, boas are the strongest of the constrictors and a healthy specimen should show it.

jb

>>I think your boa is a perfect size for a male at 2 years of age.
>>
>>Ask yourself if you want a small or large adult boa first.
>>
>>If you want a small boa (4-5 feet), then I'd recommend feeding him one food item every 3 weeks, and I would never offer anything larger than a medium rat.
>>
>>It you'd like a large boa, then you might try feeding him one food item every two weeks that leaves a little bulge in him. Depending on how he grows, you may be able to feed him rabbits in his older years.
>>
>>Males typically stay smaller than females, but I have had males that were 19 pounds and could easily eat a small rabbit.
>>
>>Large boas are not my personal preference. I only feed my big girls one jumbo rat every 2 weeks, and they stay around 7 feet long and between 15-20 pounds.
>>
>>Best of luck with him. I hope this helped.
>>
>>-Anthony
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What's written above is purely my opinion. In fact, MOST of what you read on the internet is someone's opinion. Don't take it too seriously

Jonathan Brady
DeviantConstrictors.com Site received a complete makeover! Check it out!

Thanks Jake, Anthony, & Jonathan. You guys gave me some great advice. I didn't really have to give it much thought on whether I want a big boa for my first snake. I think 4-5 feet is good for a first time snake owner. according to you guys I have been feeding him correctly he just might not look that big being that he is a male. Once again, thanks for the help guys, I really appreciate it.

-Rob