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I found a Rubber Boa in the parking lot near may house, she's about two feet long. I've had her since March, and she ate two fuzzies a week after I found her, and then another in July. But in the past three months she hasn't eatten at all. I've offered pinkies, fuzzies, brained, not brained, I've put them on rat bedding. But nothing has enticed her.
Should I worry? She's definately thinner than when I found her, but not really thin. Are there some other tricks I can try, to get her to eat?

Raccoonone,
Although some individuals have success with having their Rubber Boas take prey all year long, I am not one of them. I am maintaining around 40 boas and at this time of year, it is very uncommon to have one take prey.

Thus, I just turn off all artificial light and heat sources and allow the boas to proceed through the late fall and winter brumation period similar to what occurs in the wild.

I then will start offering prey next April or late March to my captive specimens.

By the way, where do you live? Can you go out this fall and winter and find nestling voles or deer mice then freeze them for use next spring? As a rule, the Rubber Boas will more readily take our native species over the lab mouse. A number of individuals have indicated that lab rat pups are taken more readily by C. bottae than are nestling lab mice.

Richard F. Hoyer

I live in the Bay Area, California. I might be able to find some deer mice, but where I live is pretty urban. Thanks for the suggestion. I'll try getting some rats, instead of mice next time also.

The guy at my local vivarium said I should just keep her heated through the winter, unless I was planning to breed her. But maybe I'll try turning off the heater if she doesn't eat soon.

Raccoonone,
I was born in Oakland and roamed Dimond Canyon south of Park Blvd. and in the hills in the Montclair District up until my parent moved the family to Corvallis, Oregon.

Never saw a boa on my own but our scout master showed our scout troop a juvenile boa captured in Tilden Park. I presently am maintaining a pair from that region with the male from Alameda county (Skyline Blvd. I believe) and the female from Contra Costa county and the greater Tilden area. Both are excellent feeders on lab mice and have produce one litter thus far. The offspring are reasonably good feeders as well.

The individual at the vivarium is giving you incorrect information. Your boa will not produce a litter until she attains a relatively robust condition by this time of year.

I used to routinely catch California voles and their nestling under artificial cover objects in the Oakland hills and use them to feed my gopher snakes and Kestrel. There were at least two species of Peromyscus in the area as well. You can use the nests of such native mammals and place pre-killed and washed lab mice in such material which might elicit a feeding response from your boa next spring.

Keep it as cool as possibly this winter. The species does not need any external heat source to carry on all life function expect that gravid females need higher temperatures during gestation.

Richard F. Hoyer.

Hey, thanks for the help! One more question though. Should I leave her in her cage during the winter, or is it ok to take her out and handle her? Would handling her disrupt her hibernation?

Her cage stays around 60F without any heating, would it be better to move her to a colder part of the house for the Winter?

Raccoonone,
Can't really answer your first question with complete assurance but it would seem to me that a break here and there to warmer conditions during winter time burmation should not have any effect. After all, males of the species routinely come to the surface to thermoregulate under surface objects during winter months any time suitable conditions of temperature and sunshine occur. I have found the species (males only) during every month of the year here in Oregon.

The species can still be somewhat active at around 60 degrees. If you can place the boa where temperatures are in the 50s or 40s, that would reduce activity by the specimen thereby conserving its body reserves. The more active is a snake, the greater amount of body reserves it will use. Thus the aim is to keep the snake from using it body reserves during the time of year it normally is inactive and does not feed.

In my estimation, the major concern with this species is to maintain its internal water balance. When the species becomes stressed due to partial dehydration, problems can arise. Even though water is continuously available in my cages, I nevertheless periodically soak my boas in quart or gallon jars in shallow water for 12 - 15 minutes. That amount of time allows the snake(s) to calm down sufficiently to take in water should they need it. I soaked all of my adult specimens in this manner yesterday and did the same last week with all of the juvenile and subadult specimens.

I won't need to do so again for another 1 1/2 to 2 months during the coming inactive winter time. In all of my cages, even 5 gallon aquaria, I give the boas a choice where they wish to remain with a hide that is dry and one that has moist substrate beneath it. I use coarse Douglas fir sawdust as my substrate and dry moss and substrate beneath one hide and damp moss and dry substrate or damp moss and damp substrate beneath a second hide. Note, excessive moisture can promote fungal growth in certain substrates so I stress the word 'moist' as the moss or substrate should merely be slightly damp to provide the type of higher humidity that the species normally encounters when under ground.

Richard F. Hoyer

Hey Raccoonone,
I am no expert when it comes to Rubber Boas like Richard is... But with other WC snakes I have found that if they will not take lab mice and rats (pet shop mice and rats), a lot of the time they will take hampesters or gerbals (babies for a rubber boa)!
So if you can't find any deer mice or voles you may want to try that!

Hope it helps,
Carson.
The Reptile Guy.
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Hmm 50 degrees will be hard. My house is normally in the 60s-70s during the day; maybe I can keep her in the basement for the winter.

I'll see about getting some hamsters also, before I move her to somewhere colder.

Why not release her if she is getting thin in wooded area near your house since you found her in area anyway.