Reptile & Amphibian Forums

wondering if i can feed redtails anything other than rats or rabbits(dificult to find)i have 3 1yr,2yr,5yr.

You can feed Boas a variety of things,depending on size,I have fed mine rats,mice,hamsters,guinea pigs,rabbits and chicks/chickens.
I have a large collection of snakes so I have to be resourceful in finding food sources,particularly for the larger ones,I am lucky enough that while I live in a big city I'm surrounded by rural agricultural areas and can visit livestock auctions and purchase such things as rabbits,chickens,goats and pigs fairly inexpensively (large Burmese have large appetites!).
One very practical option is to visit your local feed store,many give you the option of ordering in chicks and sub-adult chickens if you order a quantity of 25 or more,they give you the option of ordering a straight run or pullets,the difference is that a straight run is mixed roosters and hens,the pullets of course are just hens,since you will be ordering them for snake food then the cheaoest option is to order a straight run,you can pick a cheaper variety of chicken such as barred rocks.
You get what seems like a large order of chicks but what you do is feed some live,maybe sell some to other reptile keepers and then kill and freeze the rest.
I generally kill chicks by clamping a pair of hemostats around thier necks to quickly smother them,they're very delicate and die quickly,it all depends on your comfort level,it sounds brutal but again,they die quick this way.
Anyways,just a few ideas,I find that boas eat very eagerly of chicks and chickens though you will want to limit them a little as the stools of primarily fowl fed snakes are often a little looser and runnier but fowl is a good option for fattening up before breeding season or even getting a stubborn feeder to eat again.

StormyHall