Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Is that it? She is growing so slowly since she hit the 6 foot mark. I feed her around every 15th and 30th one large rat. Every third feeding I give her two. This is my first boa and I was wondering, do they get length first, then thicken up, or do I have a naturally small female BCI? Temps are 95 one side, 80ish the other side. Good health is more important than size, but I was just wondering what some of you long term herpers have experienced on this issue.

dmac,
...They do grow rapidly the first years and then slow down. If they are fed too much after they slow down growing they can become obese. Your feeding schedule may work okay but if your large rats are real large it may be too much. Even though your snake is now growing slower it can still grow as much as 6 inches per year for the next few years.
Jeff

>>Is that it? She is growing so slowly since she hit the 6 foot mark. I feed her around every 15th and 30th one large rat. Every third feeding I give her two. This is my first boa and I was wondering, do they get length first, then thicken up, or do I have a naturally small female BCI? Temps are 95 one side, 80ish the other side. Good health is more important than size, but I was just wondering what some of you long term herpers have experienced on this issue.

a dollar bill minus the tail. Maybe I'll just skip the 3rd double feeding. She looks good weight/health wise, I just keep seeing these pics of 35 pound/8 footers and I don't think she'll ever get there.

6ft, 10lbs is a good size for a 2yr old BCI. She will get bigger, but I wouldn't be in too much of a hurry. They really start growing in girth after year 2. As Jeff said, they can become obese if fed too often or to large of prey. A 6ft boa will eat large rats very easily...but I like slightly smaller meals with a little more frequency...like a med/lg rat every 7-10 days...It sounds like you've got a handle on it...

Take care, Chris O

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