Reptile & Amphibian Forums

This may seem very basic to you all, but I am a beginner with snakes, even though I have had a love for them my entire life. Circumstances did not permit me to own any until now.

I am really enjoying the learning process, but boy is there a lot to learn!

My first question: How do you determine the amount to feed your snake? My BRB is 3 years old and approximately 5 feet long. Currently I am feeding her two adult mice once a week. Does this sound about right?

Is there a science to figuring out how much and how often to feed? I haven't been able to find specifics when I have searched web pages and books. I am worried about over feeding her.

By the way, I have looked through past posts and photos, and I must say you all have some amazing specimens! I attached a photo of Eve (with one of my boys) below. Enjoy!

Eve is my bondage baby. She loves to wrap around my wrists.

Ok, I get that it's smart to feed prey at least as big as your snake's widest girth. I have heard this a lot (I will get a photo up soon of Eve with an adult mouse so you can see the size equivalent) ... BUT how do you know what frequency you should be feeding at?

She is 3 and I feed her once a week still. I had someone tell me I should not be feeding her so often at this point, that she is too old, that She should be being fed about once every two weeks to a month. Is there a way to figure this out? I know that snakes are opportunistic feeders and if offered food it will most likely get eaten, so it is difficult to tell.

By the way, thank you all for your help. I really appreciate your feedback. It is so nice to be able to ask people who have had experience with my breed, as I know it can differ from one breed to another.

Noel,
I let my BRB's let me know when they are ready to eat. They communicate this by being very attentive around dusk. For my adults this is usually every 10 to 20 days depending on shed cycle, time of year, size of last feeding, male or female. I also vary the amount I feed; one to three medium rats. My two and half year old's get fed around every 10 days, sometimes they act good to go earlier than that but I make them wait.
Hope this helps,
Paul
P.S. I like the name of your BRB; my Eve no longer feels so special!

>>I let my BRB's let me know when they are ready to eat. They communicate this by being very attentive around dusk.

Hi Paul ~

Thanks so much for the response. Could you please elaborate on what you mean by "attentive?"

>>P.S. I like the name of your BRB; my Eve no longer feels so special!

Awe, you have an Eve, too?! It's a great name. I am sure she is magnificent!
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~ Noel ~ My Email

Noel,
'Attentive' is probably not the best term to describe a hungry snake. My BRB's will poke their heads out of their hides soon after dusk when hungry. I feed them in a separate enclosure so they know the routine and watch for me to take them to the 'diner'. When not hungry they'll get active later in the evening and kind of cruise around or often just stay hidden.
Attached is a picture of my Eve. She has decided this year that mice are now her prefered food. Flat out refuses rats altogether (sometimes I'll fool her and give her a rat that has had a mouse rubbed all over it and offered after she's already eaten a couple mice). Gotta get her back on rats.
Your BRB looks very healthy and not overweight.
Paul

Hmmm, ok. I think I get what you are saying, although saying that when not hungry she travels about or stays in her hide ... they are both the extremes so ... I don't know. I also handle Eve a lot, so she will come out to see me when I open her habitat to hold her as well as when I go to feed her.

>>Attached is a picture of my Eve.

She is lovely! I think the peachy color along her side is very pretty. Are those rocks she is under in her habitat?

>>Your BRB looks very healthy and not overweight.

That's good to know. It's something I have been concerned about as I do not want to over feed. I know that some people are into power feeding, and that disturbs me. Just not good at all for the snake. I want to make sure I am doing right by her!
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~ Noel ~ My Email

The great communicator I'm not!
When my BRB's are hungry they appear to be in an ambush mode; fixed stare, not moving around, just their heads sticking out of the moss. When not hungry they are either inactive and in hiding or they are out and about but not fixated on the sliding doors of the enclosure. Their behavior changes due to several different factors so its not so cut and dry; getting to know your animals takes time and observation. I don't interact with mine very much, usually just when cleaning, feeding or showing them to guests. I keep four animals in a large display (male and female with two offspring from 2002 which I'm pretty sure are female). This is generally frowned on in the hobby and I take a chance with a sick animal infecting the group. I do strive for a healthy environment.
The 'rocks' in the enclosure are actually foam carved to shape and covered with a hard, natural looking material the composition of which I'm not sure (I did'nt build it).
Hope I was a bit more clear. One thing to remember is that rats are a more substantial food item (more muscle mass) and your size boa can easily handle a medium sized rat or even two. Don't fixate on a schedule to feed and keep really good notes on when fed, poops, sheds, and behavior (Excel spreadsheets are great). Pretty soon you'll get a good feel for your snake.
Paul

Paul ~

I went to take some pictures of Eve last night, but she was hiding and all curled up in a ball. I noticed her skin is looking a bit ashey. I think she is going to shed soon, so I just let her be.

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~ Noel ~ My Email

And thanks for the compliment on the enclosure.
A recent pic of Eve.

I agree nice looking enclosure. What are the dims. and would it be possible to get a couple of more pics. I'd like to see the whole enclosure if its not to much trouble. Thanx alot, Clint

Clints,
The enclosure is 6' long, 4' high and 3' deep. Its heated by incandescent night lights of varying wattages (the lights are separated from the living quarters by a heavy, coated screen). I spot clean when needed (often) and used to replace all the substrate and moss every 6 months or so. Now that there are four BRB's pooping and peeing I'm doing the complete cleaning every 2-3 months. They seem to co-exists without problems. I have a 1 gal. garden sprayer that I use 3-4 times a week.
Thanks for the compliment. I really enjoy it (and I think the BRB's do too).
Paul

It is fun to watch them cruise around.

Pual's information is great. I would say to take it a step further with the record keeping. If you weigh your snake each time it sheds you can keep good tabs on it's growth and it's health. For a young adult snake you want to see via your record keeping that it is gaining a little weight each time it sheds. You can then adjust the size of the meals and frequency of the feeding to get the desired slow and steady weight gain. A year or two from now the snake will slow down further in it's growth and monitoring weight will be a good tool to prevent obesity. Snakes can look pretty healthy and not seem sick when they do actually have something wrong with them. Oftentimes a slight weight loss when you would expect them to be maintaining or gaining is the first sign of a health problem. Sometimes this will show up a month or two before any other symptom.
Jeff

>>The great communicator I'm not!
>>When my BRB's are hungry they appear to be in an ambush mode; fixed stare, not moving around, just their heads sticking out of the moss. When not hungry they are either inactive and in hiding or they are out and about but not fixated on the sliding doors of the enclosure. Their behavior changes due to several different factors so its not so cut and dry; getting to know your animals takes time and observation. I don't interact with mine very much, usually just when cleaning, feeding or showing them to guests. I keep four animals in a large display (male and female with two offspring from 2002 which I'm pretty sure are female). This is generally frowned on in the hobby and I take a chance with a sick animal infecting the group. I do strive for a healthy environment.
>>The 'rocks' in the enclosure are actually foam carved to shape and covered with a hard, natural looking material the composition of which I'm not sure (I did'nt build it).
>>Hope I was a bit more clear. One thing to remember is that rats are a more substantial food item (more muscle mass) and your size boa can easily handle a medium sized rat or even two. Don't fixate on a schedule to feed and keep really good notes on when fed, poops, sheds, and behavior (Excel spreadsheets are great). Pretty soon you'll get a good feel for your snake.
>>Paul
>>

I wondered if I should get a digital scale. It seems like it would become something I'd use frequently if I had one. How to you weigh a snake that doesn't care to be weighed? Do you just put it in a container or pillowcase with a known weight and subtract?

I am amazed that very few of the BRB's I have ever purchased came with a chart of some sort. Sometimes I wonder why I bother to document all the stuff down. I try and chart any event on each of them. My snake log is better organized than my finances.

Now I need to get a scale. I've been wondering if my female has lost weight this year with her diet change. Should have had one long ago.
Paul

Thanks, Jeff. Great suggestion. I will look into buying a scale. Any ideas on what type would work best?

>>Pual's information is great. I would say to take it a step further with the record keeping. If you weigh your snake each time it sheds you can keep good tabs on it's growth and it's health. For a young adult snake you want to see via your record keeping that it is gaining a little weight each time it sheds. You can then adjust the size of the meals and frequency of the feeding to get the desired slow and steady weight gain. A year or two from now the snake will slow down further in it's growth and monitoring weight will be a good tool to prevent obesity. Snakes can look pretty healthy and not seem sick when they do actually have something wrong with them. Oftentimes a slight weight loss when you would expect them to be maintaining or gaining is the first sign of a health problem. Sometimes this will show up a month or two before any other symptom.
Jeff

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~ Noel ~ My Email

The general rule of thumb for feeding most snakes is to give them a meal that is about the same diameter as they are at their widest point once per week. If your snake is healthy and being kept at the right temperatures, this amount of food will allow them to gain length and mass without becoming obese. Remember, this is just a rule of thumb. I change the feeding schedules and sizes for my animals if I am going to breed them or if they have regurgitated a meal.

I don't think there is any exact science to feeding these animals because they are opportunistic feeders in the wild. Sometimes it's a big meal and they're good for months. Other times, they may come across a nest of small rodents or birds. In which case, they will need to eat again soon.

BTW, nice snake

Mike

I've been told that a good sized weekly meal is one that will leave the snake with a visible lump for a couple of days. It sounds to me like your snake could be eating larger meals. I have brbs in the 6-7 month age range, and they each get 1 small adult mouse weekly. Although i'm not as experienced as some others here, you'll get some other responses as well. Hope this helped a bit, Clint

Although it may be difficult to tell from pics, small to medium rats should be the right size.

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"There is a principle which is a bar against all information, which is proof against all arguments and which cannot fail to keep a man in everlasting ignorance- that principle is contempt prior to investigation." Herbert Spencer