Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hello. I just recently aquired my first columbian redtail boa. I have a question for those of you who feed small rabbits and guinea pigs to your snakes. Is it safe to feed them live? I have always heard horror stories about how dangerous rats are. They seem to be the most infamous. Right now my freezer is stocked with frozen mice and rat pups. I usually don't feed live, but very now and then I'll pick up a mouse or two from the store. But back to the question. Are bunnies and guinea pigs just as dangerous as rats? I would assume they are, but they just seem so innocuous. All the times I have seen them fed to snakes, specifically boas, they have been alive. One guy I know fed live guinea pigs to his big female, but would ALWAYS make sure that the rats were pre-killed. Does this make any sense? I want to try to give my boa the most varied diet as possible. Seeing as she's only a baby right now, I just alternate between rat fuzzies and weanling mice. When she gets larger I'd like to offer her rats, chicks, and eventually guinea pigs and small rabbits. Thanks for your input,

-Mack

I don't know about feeding them to boas, but I know from when I was younger and had a pet rabbit, that it sure could bite hard if it wanted to.

If I were you, I wouldn't risk it.

With live rabbits you also have to watch the back legs, when they are kicking they can do alot of damage.
Jason Reese.

I have fed guinea pigs, rabbits and chicks to boas at times but not all the time. Play it safe and feed them pre killed because guinea pigs and rabbits have big teeth and a powerful bite that can hurt you boas. I wont feed chicks to my boas anymore just because I heard they can carry allot of parasites