Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi all,

You may remember my posts about my new rainbow boa, Zia, a few months ago. Well, she's been doing great since those posts and an absolute joy to keep.

My question now is, what size food items should she be taking right now? I've attached some pictures to show her size a little better. I'd like to switch her to rats, so would 1 rat pup a week be appropriate?

Thanks for any input!

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::i believe in joy > http://www.winds.org/nekomi/hope.html

::my homepage > http://www.winds.org/nekomi

My Growing Zoo:

1.0 Husband (Byron) ^_^
0.1 black cat (Shade)
0.1 Brazilian Rainbow Boa (Zia)
1.2 Cockatoo cichlids (A. cacatuoides yellow-gold)
1.1 WC Cockatoo cichlids (A. cacatuoides blue Peru)
3.3 Pygmy corydoras (C. pygmaeus)
2.0 Endlers' Livebearers (P. sp. Endlers)

From the photo I would say a weanling rat if you are feeding every 7 to 10 days or so....but then maybe you have really skinny fingers...I don't know. When I make that recommendation, I am basing it on a weanling that weighs about 30 grams. So maybe a large pup or a small weanling (25-30 grams). However, I would weigh what you are currently feeding her....if she is currently feeding on hopper or adult mice, the jump to weanling rats might be a little hard on her tummy....if she is eating larger adult mice the move to a 30-35 gram weaner rat shouldn't be a problem. I'm possibly making this more complicated than it needs to be....good luck anyway.

Chris O
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www.chrisolsonreptiles.com
Naked I see the camp of those who desire nothing

Thank you so much for the advice. I will definitely keep it in mind!!
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::i believe in joy > http://www.winds.org/nekomi/hope.html

::my homepage > http://www.winds.org/nekomi

My Growing Zoo:

1.0 Husband (Byron) ^_^
0.1 black cat (Shade)
0.1 Brazilian Rainbow Boa (Zia)
1.2 Cockatoo cichlids (A. cacatuoides yellow-gold)
1.1 WC Cockatoo cichlids (A. cacatuoides blue Peru)
3.3 Pygmy corydoras (C. pygmaeus)
2.0 Endlers' Livebearers (P. sp. Endlers)

I also am having a little trouble feeding my guy. He does like pinky mice too small and he doesnt eat them. He ate a rat "hopper," or weanling/pup, and he liked that. i could only get one hopper rat, and have never been able to find a hopper mouse. no pet stores have them!

i have been trying full size feeders, one attempted as i mentioned before here, with a larger mouse left my snake with a bite on his head. Even after a shed its scar is still there so BE CAREFUL!! lately i have picked out the smallest feeder possible, which wasnt easy for him to catch but he got it eventually. However it is a considerably large meal and he wont eat once a week, maybe every other.

so i guess im stuck feeding him one large meal everytwo weeks untill i can find a place that carries hopper size meals, or he grows up

kyle

>>I also am having a little trouble feeding my guy. He does like pinky mice too small and he doesnt eat them. He ate a rat "hopper," or weanling/pup, and he liked that. i could only get one hopper rat, and have never been able to find a hopper mouse. no pet stores have them!
>>
>>i have been trying full size feeders, one attempted as i mentioned before here, with a larger mouse left my snake with a bite on his head. Even after a shed its scar is still there so BE CAREFUL!! lately i have picked out the smallest feeder possible, which wasnt easy for him to catch but he got it eventually. However it is a considerably large meal and he wont eat once a week, maybe every other.
>>
>>so i guess im stuck feeding him one large meal everytwo weeks untill i can find a place that carries hopper size meals, or he grows up
>>
>>kyle

Hi Kyle ~

My question would be, why aren't you feeding f/t? I order frozen rats in the different sizes I need, by the bag, from RodentPro.com. They have all sizes always available, and I never run out of food for my babies. Great prices if you are ordering in bulk and have the room in the freezer.
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~ Noel ~
My Email
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well i guess thats an avenue i havent really explored yet. its so convienent for me to just take a trip to the pet store, which is literally 5 minutes walking distance from my apt, once or twice a week.

even thought i haven tried to use frozed/thawed prekilled i have reservations that my snake wont eat them. He doesnt like pinkies, i believe because they are too small and dont move, he eats hoppers and small feeders which move about and i think makes them more apetizing to him. i could only assume that he wouldnt find the prekilled rodents apetizing.

I wouldnt say that he is an established eater yet...he does eat, but he often passes meals which end up going to the ball python. perhaps once i establish a normal eating pattern i think i could switch but for now i have enough trouble getting him to eat regularly as it is.

>>well i guess thats an avenue i havent really explored yet. its so convienent for me to just take a trip to the pet store, which is literally 5 minutes walking distance from my apt, once or twice a week.
>>
>>even thought i haven tried to use frozed/thawed prekilled i have reservations that my snake wont eat them. He doesnt like pinkies, i believe because they are too small and dont move, he eats hoppers and small feeders which move about and i think makes them more apetizing to him. i could only assume that he wouldnt find the prekilled rodents apetizing.
>>
>>I wouldnt say that he is an established eater yet...he does eat, but he often passes meals which end up going to the ball python. perhaps once i establish a normal eating pattern i think i could switch but for now i have enough trouble getting him to eat regularly as it is.

Well, you never know until you try. You have already experienced issues with live prey, and no one wants their snakes to be hurt by their food. Twitching a warm f/t rat in front of his face with a pair of tongs might surprise you . It's worth a little extra effort to order the rats in the size you need, then you will have them when you need them ... how much more convenient can you get than walking to your freezer?

Good luck with the feeding.
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~ Noel ~
My Email
My Photos