I really have to go out of country for 18 days during the X-mas. So I won't be able to feed my boa for about 18-20 days. The most thing I can do is I feed them the day I leave and I will make sure there will be enough water for more then 2 weeks. I just don't know is there will be any problem, if they don't have food for those 20 days? Will they die or anything happen?
Thanks.
Reptile & Amphibian Forums
Welcome to kingsnake.com's message board system. Here you may share and discuss information with others about your favorite reptile and amphibian related topics such as care and feeding, caging requirements, permits and licenses, and more. Launched in 1997, the kingsnake.com message board system is one of the oldest and largest systems on the internet.
tigerhou21
Dec 09, 2003 12:21 AM
Replies (3)
DoorGunner
Dec 09, 2003 12:37 AM
They'll be all right. Boas can go a long time without eating and often do. They have a very low metabolism.
PBM
Dec 09, 2003 12:43 AM
Well, if your boa is healthy, it can go 20 days without eating. As far as feeding right before you go, you'll come home to a nice stank in your house from the defecation left in the cage, and your boa will be living in it as well until you get back. That could be a matter of stool in one corner of the cage, or stool smeared all around, just depends! Not the most sanitary conditions to leave your animal in. You may want to find someone you can trust to atleast clean the cage while your gone. What happens if the first day you leave, your snake spills the water bowl??? Twenty days is also a good while to go without being there to be sure none of your heating elements(whatever type you use) have blown out, overheated, shorted, blown a fuse, etc.) stop working, especially this time of year. Not sure what part of the country your in, but power failures do occur. If you live in the North, and you lose power for a couple days while your gone, the result would not be good, and could mean a dead pet. There are many considerations. The least of which is if it can go 20 days without food. That is a minimal concern for a healthy boa. Hope this helps a little, take care!
Paul
Dixiesys
Dec 09, 2003 02:52 PM
Boas are especially hardy with respect to feeding schedules, I know people who feed even neonates on a monthly schedule, whether your snake gets fed for 3 weeks isn't a big worry, but everything else is. As mentioned above, cleanliness, water being spilled, and my biggest worry, HEAT. What happens when your thermostat fails and roasts (or freezes) your snake? Or the lights go out for 3 hours on the coldest night and your temps plunge?
Since you're apparently dealing with a single animal and not a collection of dozens I'd definitely see if I could find someone to snake sit, or at least drop by once a day or two and check the water/heat/poop and make sure the snake isn't in trouble.
-----
Gary Harris - gary@mydixiesys.com
http://www.dixiesys.com/
http://www.8-95.com/
