Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I have a female boa, who is about 6 1/f months. She has a slight bit fat body size for her length. I haven't really been overfeeding her. I may have even underfed for a long time. I started feeding her bigger meals now, but she has always been a bit fatter than my other snakes. Does anyone what the cause of this is? And also, if there is anything I can do to bring her size back to normal?

Thanks for all the help.

ONE properly sized prey item "PER MONTH" for the rest of its life!
Loooooong Healthy future without question.Its time tested and proven above reproach.

M/

Isn't she too young to be getting fed once a month?
My other snakes are a little bit younger, but they eat the same meal once a week as well, and their body size is perfect condition. Any reason why?

size is an opinion on who is keeping the boa!!! some ppl feed them hard and fast and some feed them slow and for this reason (breeding etc) but what we should all remember is that ALL snakes are different - and ALL snakes deserve the same amount of respect xxxxx

Boaselector is right in that this is most likely a individual varience and nothing to worry about. I would take the one meal per month advice with a pinch of salt, as feeding for the individual is better than a generalization.

Other, less documented reasons for a truely fat youngster may be hormonal (endocrine) disorders, or it is also a reasonable assumption that the increased size is not fat but fluid or gas in the abdomen.

If your snake is doing well and showing no adverse effects then I wouldn't worry. If you find yourself worrying for any reason, a veterinary examination to set your mind at ease will never hurt.

Ian

It's just that, I don't think she can coil up into a ball like my other snakes can. The girth just seems to be too big. I'll post a pic of her in a couple of days to show a better example.