Reptile & Amphibian Forums

The following is a copy of the post I submitted to the Utah Herp. Asso. forum that may be of some interest.

Richard F. Hoyer
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If any of you have ever maintained a number of specimens of C. bottae, you probably realize that some specimens of this species can be somewhat fickle when it come to taking prey in captivity. Some boas are excellent feeders from day one while others stubbornly refuse food for months, sometimes for better than a year. Other specimens will be good feeders at times and then go off feeding for no apparent reason.

I have learned that one just needs to be patient and that eventually almost all C. bottae will take quarry under captive conditions. The key is to not panic and during the active season, to maintain specimens at about room temperature during daylight hours and allow the temperature to fall during the night as is it does in the wild.

I began providing opportunities to take prey starting the second week of April. Up until about two weeks ago, only four or five of my adult specimens had take prey this spring and none of the subadult or juveniles born last year had taken a meal.

Well that has all changed the past week. Five days ago I thawed out approximately 25 nestling lab mice from newborn pinkies at about 1.4 grams each to fuzzies of about 5.4 grams each. All but three mice were taken by the boas in 30 hours exposure. Those last three then went to my female Harris' Hawk. so weren't wasted.

This morning I thawed out the following prey items:
6 embryonic E. Cottontail Rabbits at 1.8 g each
2 nestling deer mice at 6.3 g each
3 nestling deer mice at 3.7 g each
5 nestling deer mice at 7.9 g each
9 nestling deer mice at 5.4 g each
5 nestling deer mice at 2-9 g each
6 nestling deer mice at 2.1 g each

Our native deer mouse usually gets better feeding response from more of the boas than the lab mouse and thus the reason I maintain a lab colony of Peromyscus maniculatus. At any rate, by about 6 PM, all 6 embryonic rabbits and all 30 mice had been consumed by 18 boas. And a number of boas took meals for the first time this year.

Richard F. Hoyer

Richard,

Thanks for sharing that info...

It seems my rubber boas prefer rat pinkies over anything else....

Thanks again!!

Chris

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Chris Smith
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Captive Bred Herps

I have had the same experiance, but some hold out for mice pinks too.
-Phil

I have also heard that some like day old quail. I am going to experiment with this later this week....will let you know if mine like them.

Chris
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Chris Smith
Contact
Captive Bred Herps

I have a 2nd year female who will eat pretty much every frozen-thawed pinkie or fuzzy I place in the cage. She makes it easy by poking around the feeding tray (a plastic box with pine shavings in it) when she is hungry-seems like every week. I also have a same-age dinky male who has been tough to get to eat, and though he will occasionally feed on f-t pinkies in the cage (or even while in my hand), he is much more likely to refuse food. I finally found a trick that works consistently. I place him in a different container with 2 live pinkies in a little box and he will eat them almost immediately. I'm not sure if he is intimidated by the proximity of the larger female, or just prefers a different location for feeding (maybe he just likes to go "out" to eat!). I feel a lot better knowing I have a method to get him to consistently feed.

Tried feeding day old quail today with no luck....although they have began to except less food.....Will keep at it...

Chris
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Chris Smith
Contact
Captive Bred Herps

Chris and others,
In he early 1970's, I worked for an Oregon State University Dept. that raised thousands of Japanese Quail for research. I was thus able to salvage the cull chicks at hatching that did not fully emerge from the shells. A good number of my Rubber Boas consumed these dead chicks for the time I had access to that food resource.

Richard F. Hoyer

Could you please tell me where I can find a rubber boa in the wild around grants pass oregon? I have been looking for two yrs. I need your help please.