Red Tail boa... unfair biology teacher?

Hi there. My bio teacher and I were talking about herps with another kid who has a snake. She was telling me that she feeds her redtail two mice a week. She said she doesn't feed it much because she doesn't want it to grow.

Not knowing anything about snakes, I was wondering about the full grown length of these guys, and their eating habbits. Immediately, red lights flashed in my head when she basically said she feeds it just to keep it alive.

I didn't say anything to her,becaue redtails aren't my forte, but if I find out more stuff, maybe I can infer that she needs to feed the animal.

Thanks all!
Michael

MICE??!?!?!

I hate to say it because I am also a biology teacher but ...what the hell is she thinking? Boas can get well over 8', I have 2, one is pushing 8' the other is over 9'. Feeding mice to a boa is just plain cruel. She needs to learn how to properly take care of it or give it to someone who will.

Question; how big is the snake now? I've heard of people stunting the growth of their animals. There is from I think a safe way to do this and a not so safe way. If the snake is a baby or even 2-3 feet maybe 2 mice a week is good. JMHO

ITS NOT SAFE OR ETHICAL!!!! Just think of it as feeding your child one meal a day just so he dosent grow out of his clothes. Would you do this? so why on earth would anyone do this to another creature who is totally dependant on them for thier survival. Not only should that animal be striped away from this teacher but she should be tried and prosicuted for animal cruelty,see how she likes being stuffed in a cage and fed just enough to keep her alive! Her being a biology teacher she should know better. I would really love to see what exactly she is teaching in her classes. I am thoroughly disgusted
John Peraza

Let's not light the torches and get out the pitchforks just yet

Although I understand that the 2 mice per week would be horribly underfeeding a sub or fully adult boa, lostkauze did not say what age the boa was at all. If this is only a juvie then the 2 mice per week is perfectly fine. This is more than adequate for a snake that is small. Even at 2 mice per week the boa will grow at a good rate and be a nice healthy adult if the food is kept proportional.

I would only hope that this biology teacher stated she was only feeding it two mice per week as opposed to feeding it every 3 - 4 days hoping to powerfeed it and have it grow into a monstrosity.

The only thing that worries me is that lostkauze stated she said she only feeds it enough to keep it alive. I hope that was a misunderstood comment.

Lostkauze- feel free to give your biology teacher the URL for Fauna so that she can find out just how damaging this feeding habit could be to the animal if, in fact, it is older than a juvenile. You can also give her my email address and I'd gladly explain to her how much damage she could do by under feeding.

I'm also sending you a PM with a link that you might want to print out and give to her.

If you'd really like to bring it to her attention and make the point stand out, hope for a chance where you can make a report or presentation at some point through the year and write or talk about how some people put the lives and health of the animals on the line because they are regarded as "just animals".

therses always a but

even if the snake is a juvinile what will the biology teacher when the snake does reach 6 to 8 or 9 feet .....? keep feeding it mice?....lost....go find out more info about the snake ....is it young or an adult because if its an adult its probaly malnurished

Sorry for lack of details all. She said the snake was 4 ft, and several years old.

That was my big beef, the whole ethics behind it. After she told me, I stood there, like a blank stare at her. And it was shocking too, seeing how the 3rd kid there had a 4 ft boa (normal I guess), and he feeds it a rat a week... which I don't know is enough or not, but my teacher was shocked that he fed it that much.

This woman definatly isnt the brightest crayon in the box. I did a search on her, and saw her last teaching position was a remedial reading teacher for 9th graders... and now to an honors bio class...?

Anywho, thanks for all the responses guys, I'll print it up and show her.

Michael

EDIT: I can't really outwardly tell her that she may be cruel, seeing how she controls my grade-- and is that kind of person who would change it as such. But she does give lots of projects in which I'm sure I can gently infer her lack of responsibility.

to me your teacher sounds like a dingle berry ......ask to buy her snake so u can atleast feed it 4 mice or a rabbit.....cant let the poor thing starve....its too big for just two little mice

Jeff Ronne

has a couple of boas that he has on a feeding schedule that are about 3foot long and close to 4 years old and there perfectly healthy he shows them on his 1998 video so there is a way to feed them, but mice yuk mice arent healthy. Boas should be started on rats from begining

honors bio? You gotta be kidding!

I teach honors Biology and my students know more about herps than your teacher does. I would be respectful of her authority as your teacher but you should let her know that a boa that is "several years old" and only 4' long is not healthy! She shouldn't have bought a large constrictor if she wanted a small one...maybe tell her about ball pythons or some of the smaller boas (nics, rainbows etc...). These should also be eating rats but at least they won't be too big if that is what she is afraid of. I will just sit here and scratch my head....

u should call animal humane society on her or sumthing and advise her to get a suffed animal

i dont care who says what

anyone who has 4 year old boas that are only 3 ft in legnth that are not certian island locality or dwarf locality has some boas that are seriously and creuly under fed this is neither healthy for the animal nor is it right to include or promote this to the public if people are looking for a small snake that only eats mice i would suggest getting a colubrid there are many great ones too choose from but please dont get a large constrictor and expect to keep it a size that it was not ment to maintain this just isnt right its creul

"nuff said"
John Peraza

That is truly terrible. People do some awful things to animals. Best of luck helping this extremely misguided woman find "the light" of proper boa care.