Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hello!

I posted this in the Rainbow forum but there doesn't seem to be any action over there right now.

I have a 3 and a half year old BRB that I got from a nice young couple off Craig's List 5 months ago. They purchased her from a breeder when she was a month old. She didn't come with much info from them, but seemed very healthy and nice so she came to live with me. This is my first snake, first reptile actually.

They told me she was eating one F/T weanling rat every 2-3 weeks. So I bought weanlings and she ate one that night rather quickly so I offered her another which she ate eagerly. 10 days later I offered her 2 more and she ate them quickly, no noticeable lumps after eating so I moved up to small rats after that second feeding. She is currently getting one small rat, 50-65g, every 10 to 14 days. She was 483g when I brought her home (5 months ago) and is 689g today. So obviously she is gaining weight and not starving.

I look at the pictures on these forums of the beautiful BRBs and it seems like all the experts have snakes that are thicker and bulkier then mine.

I can't seem to find any reference on how much she should weigh, how much she should eat, how often she should eat...

I know the go to rule is that her meal should be no bigger around the widest part of her body. But this seems very arbitrary to me and doesn't cover how often I should feed. Is there a formula for feeding based on weight? I've read that you can offer food and if they don't eat then it isn't time yet. That seems like a waste of defrosted rodent and what if she just keeps eating and gets fat? I've read that some snakes do that.

I want her to be healthy and fed correctly but not over fed. Any thoughts would be very welcome!

I included some pics of her above and from the side if that helps in determining if she is too skinny.

Thank you!

Seems I can only upload 3 pics at a time. If anyone knows where the instructions are for making the pictures a little bit smaller I would love to know that info too!

I have owned a few Brazilian Rainbow Boas, hence why I feel confident in answering your question. As far as a feeding guideline, I do not know of any besides what you are doing. But, judging by the pictures you posted, she is extremely healthy. Brazilian Rainbows are not supposed to be a thick snake, they are supposed to be more lean. A lot of breeders out there will power feed, and over feed, to get them big and beefy and ready for breeding at an early age. As long as your snake is alert, active, has no sunken belly, eyes are clear, and scales look healthy (no dimpling), then you are feeding correctly and the humidity requirements are being met. There are a lot of people who like to "pump-up" their snake to make them much bigger than they would normally be, so just because yours isn't as thick doesn't mean anything. Read your snake, and it is then that you can tell if they are healthy or not. Take care!

Why have I never owned one myself... Thanks for the post, I think inknpw my next purchase of snake. BRB are so beautiful