Size and Sex of a columbian

Ok we have a columbian that is about a year and a half old, and having only been around Burms to compare him to, I'm curious if he is growing like he should. He's about 4 feet long, maybe a little longer and about as big around as my wrist from his middle back... but his head still seems really small. We call him a he but we don't actually know... and call me a retard, but reading about the spurs isn't helping me figure it out. I just now took these pics. Oh and he eats one large mouse a week. Thanks for your help! Deniece Midkiff

he seems rather large for a year and a half animal. generally when you see a young boa with a large body but small head some people call them "pinheads" what happens is that the animal is getting fed and fat but the body structure , for the most part doesnt grow as far... so while he is goring in length and fat his actual bone structure has not caught up yet. and this is normally caused from "power feeding", basically just over feeding them and stuffiong them as full and as often as they want........
problems come later on in life.... power feeding seems to shorten the animals life span drastically and alot of female will give birth one or two times and then for somereason just stop getting gravid.. these animals also generally drop off in feeding and sometimes do not recover.. most necropsies from these types of deaths have been associated with fatty liver tissue diease
and spurs dont mean a thing the animal needs to be probed by a skilled vet,herper or something the likes

Thanks!

OK that's all awesome to know, thanks! But from the pictures, does he look odd, like a pinhead or whatever, or does he look normal?

We got him a little over a year ago, and he was supposed to be a couple months old, but 100% we don't know how old he is. We only feed him one mouse a week, and he actually gets snappy a few days before his scheduled feeding.

Like I said, my boyfriend has had Burms before that got really big and lived a long time... so we have his experience that we've built on. I just am not sure how much different raising the two types of snakes it.

if i was to look at that animal i would say he is possibly around 2 years of age....in the pictures his head doesnt look oddly small............ remember though pythons and boas heads shapes differe greatly.... boas generally are more slender and kinda point while pythons heads are generally wide broad and rounded or squared off at the nose...... he looks healthy from the pics.... just keep him on a 7-10 day feeding of appropriate size (no bigger than the thiickest part of the snake) and he will do well.. once he reaches maturity........... about 3-5 years they wont need to be fed aas often say every 14-21 days....................... my adults get one bunnie every three to founr weeks depending on how big the bunnie is how warm it is ect. ect.


my husband is a big man we got her when she was already a young adult and we have had for nearly four years and she is about as thick as a one liter soda bottle(6'3 and 260) so this pictures ya cant really tell her size... she is between 6 and 7 feet and feeds on almost three pound bunnies every 3 or 4 weeks



hope maybe this helps a bit

Thanks again!

Thanks so much! You've been a real help, and eased all my worries. I can't wait for him to get big, he's such a good tempered snake. Thanks again, I know who to ask if I have any more questions!

A year and a half old Boa should be feeding on rats and not mice. I have three almost one year old boas and they are feeding every week on small rats. Just make sure the rat is not too much larger than the thickest part of the snake. It is ok if he has a slight bulge after eating, just do not handle for 24-48 hrs.

At 4 feet long and as big around as your wrist he could handle medium and probably large rats. One mouse a week is under feeding him. You'll probably notice him calm down alot when you switch over to rats. You'll also notice a dramatic increase in growth when you get him on rats. Mice are for neonate Boas and they should be switched to rats as soon as possible.

Nice looking boa and good luck with him.

Mice vs Rats

I raise my own mice, and the rats at the pet stores near home are expensive because they are carried more as pets than feeders. Would two mice be an alright substitute for a rat? My boyfriend has accidently fed him a time or two right after I have, and he's never had a hesitation eating the 2nd mouse...

Well, it all depends on who you talk to. Most people will tell you rats are more nutritious than mice. I am a firm believer in feeding the appropriate sized food item versus more of a smaller one. As it is, two small mice will still not equal one medium rat or for that matter, a small rat. If you get a chance, compare the weights and you will see the big difference. I know rats can be expensice. Even from the reptile shop in my town, feeders cost $6.00 a piece for large rats. That's why I breed my own. But, you really do need to feed that snake the appropriate food. He will be much better off for it.