Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I've had my first Hog Island since 9-7 and she's eaten 4 times. I was curious if she should have already shed? I am used to BRB's and in 5 1/2 weeks they would have shed at least once and probably twice. I'm new to BCI and have been feeding her adult mice the size of her girth. Maybe I'm not feeding her enough? This snake is so different from the BRB's......she is quickly becoming my favorite.

Thanks,
Linda

I posted this on the Boa Forum and only got 1 reply suggesting feeding every 5 to 7 days. That seems like too much food for this type of snake to me.

yuor snake is probably starving, because you are (hopefully) keeping it at the temperatures required for BCI, which are about 10 degrees higher than BRBs, so it is processing the food alot faster than your BRBs would. also, in my experience with the 2 Hog Isle i had, they only took a crap when they shed, and they very rarely if ever urinated, unlike BRBs, which pee every other day it seems. id go with feeding it hopper rats, they are little more expenive (by about 50cents) than adult mice, but you oculd feed one every week and it would do your snake good, or better yet 2 smaller ones. feeding your snake only 4 times, in 6 or 7 weeks is pretty bad.

always go with 2 medium sized prey over 1 larger one, its easier on the snakes digestive system, since there is alot of horizontal space, but not near as much verticle in there.
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2.3 kenyan sand boas (albino, anery het snow, normal)
0.6 ball python
1.3 brazillian rainbow boa
0.1 colombian rainbow boa

Jlogan,
...I have trouble understanding how you could decide from Sunshine's post that her snake is being starved. Many people let a new snake acclimate for a couple weeks before feeding it. It is not something that I do but I do understand that many other people do wait awhile before the first feeding. If she had waited a couple weeks before the first meal and has fed it a total of four large mice in the month since then the snake is not being starved.
...Hog Island Boas, like many other insular animals are smaller than their mainland counterparts. I think it is a mistake to feed them heavily and grow them up big too fast. A big part of what makes these snakes so interesting is that they are a smaller form of Boa Constrictor. In the wild a Hog Island Boa likely has to go for long periods without a meal. A healthy Hog Island Boa or any Boa Constrictor for that matter can go many months without a meal before it will starve. To feed one 4 large mice over a 5 and a half week period probably will not get much growth out of it and not cause it to go into a shed cycle very often but it is far from starving it. The PIC that Sunshine posted looks pretty healthy to me. I would be feeding the snake only a little more than Sunshine has been feeding it. I hope you noticed that your Hog Island Boas did not shed nearly as often as your Rainbow Boas. It is also very interesting to me that the shed skin of a Boa Constrictor is much much thicker and heavier than the shed skin of a Rainbow Boa. The fact that this Hog Island Boa has not shed yet is not extraordinary.
...Go ahead and tell me that I am ugly or that my momma dresses me funny but please do not tell me that "yuor snake is probably starving". Those are fighting words.
Jeff

>>yuor snake is probably starving, because you are (hopefully) keeping it at the temperatures required for BCI, which are about 10 degrees higher than BRBs, so it is processing the food alot faster than your BRBs would. also, in my experience with the 2 Hog Isle i had, they only took a crap when they shed, and they very rarely if ever urinated, unlike BRBs, which pee every other day it seems. id go with feeding it hopper rats, they are little more expenive (by about 50cents) than adult mice, but you oculd feed one every week and it would do your snake good, or better yet 2 smaller ones. feeding your snake only 4 times, in 6 or 7 weeks is pretty bad.
>>
>>always go with 2 medium sized prey over 1 larger one, its easier on the snakes digestive system, since there is alot of horizontal space, but not near as much verticle in there.
>>-----
>>2.3 kenyan sand boas (albino, anery het snow, normal)
>>0.6 ball python
>>1.3 brazillian rainbow boa
>>0.1 colombian rainbow boa

Jeff on this one, while 4 meals in almost 7 weeks is a little on the light side, it's far from a starvation diet.

I have seen baby BRB's that won't eat for months after birth and end up OK. I have one right now born 08/21 that has NEVER eaten. Am I worried, duh, am I grabbing tongs to force feed, no. I continue to offer varied prey each week. So far he's not wasting away, just not getting any bigger like his siblings that are eating. So far I've had maybe a half dozen of these over the years and haven't lost one yet..(knock on wood)!!
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Thanks,

Dave "Rainbows-R-Us"

0.1 Wife
0.2 kids
4.12.136 Brazilian Rainbow Boa (OK, I'm only keeping a few of the 136, just tickled pink with my production this year)
1.1 Ball python
0.1 BCI "Elvira" normal from 1989
1.0 BCI albino / het-anery
0.1 BCI Hypo / het-albino
0.1 BCI Anery / het-albino
0.1 BCI Hypo (possible super)
1.0 BCI albino het stripe
1.0 BCI salmon hypo
0.1 BCI ghost

lots.lots.lots feeder mice and rats

Thank you both. I will feed her a little more.

i didnt read that he had it for a couple weeks, and only started feeding the last half.
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2.3 kenyan sand boas (albino, anery het snow, normal)
0.6 ball python
1.3 brazillian rainbow boa
0.1 colombian rainbow boa

for a girl. Sorry Linda, couldn't resist!!
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Thanks,

Dave "Rainbows-R-Us"

0.1 Wife
0.2 kids
4.12.136 Brazilian Rainbow Boa (OK, I'm only keeping a few of the 136, just tickled pink with my production this year)
1.1 Ball python
0.1 BCI "Elvira" normal from 1989
1.0 BCI albino / het-anery
0.1 BCI Hypo / het-albino
0.1 BCI Anery / het-albino
0.1 BCI Hypo (possible super)
1.0 BCI albino het stripe
1.0 BCI salmon hypo
0.1 BCI ghost

lots.lots.lots feeder mice and rats

i was just joking.

message boards suck, no one ever gets it when im being fesishishhscscnsnc
-----
2.3 kenyan sand boas (albino, anery het snow, normal)
0.6 ball python
1.3 brazillian rainbow boa
0.1 colombian rainbow boa

Jlogan,
....It's all good. If this is the worst misunderstanding we have on this forum we should be happy. I used to subscribe to an internet newsgoup called rec.pets.herp. We had fights and name calling and threats of violence almost every day. The place was a total mess. Most of us posted there to argue and fight more than to share information about reptiles.
Jeff

>>i was just joking.
>>
>>message boards suck, no one ever gets it when im being fesishishhscscnsnc
>>-----
>>2.3 kenyan sand boas (albino, anery het snow, normal)
>>0.6 ball python
>>1.3 brazillian rainbow boa
>>0.1 colombian rainbow boa

In fear of starving my animal I recalculated the timeframe in which I have been feeding. I can assure you nothing in this house is starved. Assuming that I have the correct environment set for this gal (notice I did not ask what it is supposed to be) and that the 2 dozen caresheets for BCI that I read about meal frequency/size are even remotely correct, then minus the 7 day acclimation period this snake has fed 4 times in 38 days. That breaks down to one meal every 9.5 days. Caresheets recommed a wide range of time between every 5-7 days to every 14 days. I'm hitting the mid-range on that. As far as size of prey, we all should know that they are not all exactly the same amount of grams and that producers of these items label them slightly differently. Hopper rats where I purchase them are are definately too large for this snake. My hog also defecates on a regular basis. Hopefully the ones you once had have begun a more natural and healthy pattern of elimination once they went to new homes. I am almost more concerned about yours than I am about mine. That must be like a person who eats 2 or 3 times a day and poops once every other week. OUCH!

Linda

>>yuor snake is probably starving, because you are (hopefully) keeping it at the temperatures required for BCI, which are about 10 degrees higher than BRBs, so it is processing the food alot faster than your BRBs would. also, in my experience with the 2 Hog Isle i had, they only took a crap when they shed, and they very rarely if ever urinated, unlike BRBs, which pee every other day it seems. id go with feeding it hopper rats, they are little more expenive (by about 50cents) than adult mice, but you oculd feed one every week and it would do your snake good, or better yet 2 smaller ones. feeding your snake only 4 times, in 6 or 7 weeks is pretty bad.
>>
>>always go with 2 medium sized prey over 1 larger one, its easier on the snakes digestive system, since there is alot of horizontal space, but not near as much verticle in there.
>>-----
>>2.3 kenyan sand boas (albino, anery het snow, normal)
>>0.6 ball python
>>1.3 brazillian rainbow boa
>>0.1 colombian rainbow boa
-----
When the student is ready, the teacher appears. When the student is ready, the teacher appears. When the student is ready, the teacher appears. When the student is ready, the teachers appears.

every 5-7 days is fine for your hog... assuming you are keeping it warmer than you would a BRB, as already mentioned...
PMHerps.com

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thanks Paul
PMHerps - Captive Bred Reptiles
PMHerps.com

.....since the breeder suggests more food, I will.

Don't worry.....she's plenty warm. (and less humid)

Thank you