Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Does anyone know if argentine boas slow down or hybernate in the wild? my argentine tegu does, and my boa has slowed down his eating since winter started. He was eating every week, and now only seems to eat every other week. the heat is the same, which is 90 on the hot side and 76 on the cool side. he doesn't look skinny or anything. the hogg island boa he is caged with hasn't missed a meal.
thanks

there could be many reasons why ...
... it is strongly advised that you keep your snakes seperate unless breeding. not only could this be why your argentine is not eating as much (due to stress of the other snake) but it could also possibly lead to something worse, like a 'missing' snake.
... also it is not uncommon for snakes to go off feed during this time.

but again, i would strongly reccomend you sperate the two snakes.

Jay is right.. try separating the two snakes to reduce stress and also provide a dark hide area for each snake. Even if it's just a paper bag for them to crawl in. Even better would be a hide area on the warm and cool sides of the cage. My two Hogg's are true to their name, and would eat anything anytime if they had the chance. Two weeks between meals is usually not a problem. The Ambient temp. can drop more than you think this time of year.. and should be ok for the animals, but may produce slower digestion and/or normal hormonal changes. So based on your info. I'm sure the snakes will be fine once you separate them.

here is the pig.. i mean hogg doing what he does best.

beautiful snake man...the hogg i have is super ugly, i bought him for his personality. he is the most layed back snake i have ever had. i had a female that looked like yours, and i wanted to breed them, but i got sick of her striking at the cage everytime i walked by! thier cage is 5x3x2 and is plenty big for 2 mid sized boas. boas don't typically eat other boas. i worked in the pet trade for a while and have seen boas, even under crowded conditions, do just fine. if we were talking king snakes, then you could have a point. i have even seen milk snakes (not recomended) house together ok. i know 1 meal every 2 weeks is fine. i am thinking i should just shrink the rat size i give him, so i know he will be truly hungry by the next week.

sure man, i guess they COULD eat each other, but boas aren't exactly a staple diet of boas. in a perfect would, i could afford as many boaphile cages for every boa i have, but i don't have that kind of money. to me, it just seems that the argentine's metabolisim(spelling?) has slowed slightly. i am guess it has something to do with the fact that argentina temps drop for thier winter. both snakes have numerous hides. the hogg island boa eats every week. the argentine is not acting stressed(no nose rubbing, erratic movement, no regurging)...if these were the circumstances i would veiw your hyptothesis as useful.

you can tell i didn't read through that for spelling errors

its not exactly something i would be willing to risk. there has recently been a post about breeding pairs attacking each other.
you could come home to this ...
http://www.albinoburmese.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=772&st=0

not eating is a strong sign that something is wrong with the argentine. and it doesnt have to be a perfect world for you to provide the best for your animals that you can. in my opinion you should not have two snakes if you cant afford two cages, but that is just my opinion. you could make a cage for probably around $100 or less. if you are located near me (either state college pa or lafayette hill pa) then i would gladly help you make a cage and all you would have to do is pay for materials (like i said under $100).

but lest be fair here, you asked for opinions on why your snake has not been eating correctly and to me that is the most prominent reason why. i too have managed the reptile department of my local pet shop for a few years and had no choice but to house multipe snakes together (as it was ultimately not my decision). its a chance that there is no need to take if it can be avoided.

i wasn't really asking why he "wasn't eating", he is eating, he has just slowed down a bit. from every week to every other week. argentina goes through a winter cycle similair (not as cold) as america. thats what i was getting at. you have to think, there is always an odd ball chance that snakes COULD eat eachother, but boas typically don't see other boas as prey items, especially when both are in fact eating. now i have seen a crowded tank of columbian rainbow boas have one eat one of his cage mates, but that was because someone neglected to feed them. needless to say that ticked me off. I know we are all learning things everyday, but i am not some newb asking for a care-sheet i COULD afford another cage, but i am a penny pincher, and if they live together fine they will stay that way. The hogg is about 5 feet long, and the argentine is 4 feet long. i would say in about 6 months it would be time to give the argentine his own space, as i am not trying to cramp them. both seem to have plenty of room for the time being.