Breeding size of adult female boas

Jeremy, And not just that, but you also have to clean the cage less! Have you considered fasting that female to see if she would do some growing? That might help her get a little length and you be more comfortable with breeding her.

Originally Posted by jmwboas

Jeremy, And not just that, but you also have to clean the cage less! Have you considered fasting that female to see if she would do some growing? That might help her get a little length and you be more comfortable with breeding her.

I used to feed my boas every week. Felt that I was starving them if I made them go 2 weeks without food. Then Rick (Richard Carew) gave me some good advice. Took me a while to quit feeling bad for the hungry boas, and I think it took them getting used to it, too...I took a couple of bites when they were "overdue"! lol

But since I've gone to feeding them about every 3 weeks ("about" because sometimes I'll feed them within 14 days, but sometimes--rarely--it's a full month between appropriately sized rats) they've become more active, slimmed down a little bit, and still continue to grow. Lower food-costs and less poop to scoop are both nice bonuses!!

Originally Posted by Matt2979

I used to feed my boas every week. Felt that I was starving them if I made them go 2 weeks without food. Then Rick (Richard Carew) gave me some good advice. Took me a while to quit feeling bad for the hungry boas, and I think it took them getting used to it, too...I took a couple of bites when they were "overdue"! lol

But since I've gone to feeding them about every 3 weeks ("about" because sometimes I'll feed them within 14 days, but sometimes--rarely--it's a full month between appropriately sized rats) they've become more active, slimmed down a little bit, and still continue to grow. Lower food-costs and less poop to scoop are both nice bonuses!!

Who wouldn't want a healthier, more active boa by spending less and cleaning less? Like you said, it takes a little practice, but once you and them are switched over its good for everyone!

I honestly think its best to vary the diet. In terms of amount of time in between feedings. It keeps them active and growing and lean! I have taken a couple bites when putting new boas on my feeding schedule but bites are half the fun! Im willing to take a few if it means my boas are healthier.

As busy as I am I never feed the EXACT same every time. They definately get a mix, lol. It might be 11 days, maybe 13, lol.

Let me see if I get this right....

You guys are saying that a lean 4 year old, 4 ft long, 4 lbs Boa, is a healthier Boa... Than a 4 year old, 7 ft long, 16lbs Boa?

So keeping Boas hungry, small and lean makes for healthier animals? Is this a biological requirement, or is it because wild animals are lean?

I mean Boas are opportunistic feeders... Right? .....If a Wild Boa finds a rat and eats it, and then 4 days later finds another rat... You bet it will eat it too... Now, if that Wild Boa ate an adult chicken, well yeah, it is probably going to take 4 or 6 weeks before it start getting hungry and takes another meal...

If my Captive 7 ft Boa, ate a 8lbs rabbit... I could see it not eating for a month... But if I am feeding it two XLarge rats every two weeks, Is that too much?

So, are you guys are feeding your animals 2X as much food, 1/2 as often? Or are you guys just giving your animals 1/2 as much food?

What are the basis of one Boa being healthier than another?

Luis

Well for one it is documented that gravid boas in the wild tend to be rather small and much skinnier than most captive bred boas. They have also found that adult boas do grow more when not feeding as there slow metabolism allows there body to take there stored energy and use that to produce muscle mass, which is the most important thing when breeding an adult boa. Vin Russon once stated that a suitable sized rabbit once a month will be more than enough for an adult boa of almost any species for its entire life. I need someone else to jump in here as I cannot get my fingers to type what my brain is thinking, lol.

I rarely feed my boas more than one (appropriately sized) prey item in a feeding....and there is absolutely no reason to give a 7ft boa an 8 lb rabbit, lol.

I have snakes that were not raised on a conservative feeding plan, and some that were...looking at them as adults, (IMO) the ones raised slower look better. Increased feedings in relatively inactive animals leads to increased fat development - that doesn't mean that the animal LOOKS fat (though they sometimes do). The damage is inside, when the fat pervades the vital organs.

When I first got back into snakes, I acquired a yearling female boa - she was close to 5 ft long, and had been fed weekly. I'd never dealt much with BCI prior to that - I was a python and venomous guy - so I continued on that feeding schedule for 6-8 months. During that time, I learned of the problems associated with overfeeding boas; and, as a result, I backed her off to every two weeks. She never looked fat, but when she was around 5.5 yrs old (at 6.5-7 ft, and approx 15 lbs), I started noticing some fat deposits when she coiled in certain positions. She died at 6 yrs, and the cause of death was associated with fatty liver and heart (the fat wasn't limited to those organs, but they were apparently the worst, and the reason she died). I've got one other female that was heavily fed when she was young, and I expect that she will meet a similar fate...though not at so young an age.

I realized some time ago that I couldn't feed boas like people used to feed snakes, and I've witnessed comparable growth rates with reduced feedings in other species; so I've restructured my approach, accordingly. I'm not as conservative as Tom, but a lot of people comment that they think I don't feed enough. I start babies on a 7-10 day schedule - but they frequently get stretched to two weeks once they are a few months old. By the time they are 5-6 months old, they are already on the two week plan (there isn't a specific time that this is done, it just happens)....but I don't feed by the calendar. They might get fed right at 14 days, they may get fed at day 18 or 19. I'll later stretch those feedings even more - my adults are rarely fed more often than every 4 weeks, though I'll occasionally toss the females a rat at 3 weeks.
I'm not saying that this is how everybody should feed their snakes - just that this is how I do it. If I continue with boas for another 15+ yrs, I'll be in a better position to comment on whether this is, in fact, beneficial to the animals...but, for the time being, I'm going with my belief that it is.

As far as boas (and other snakes) being opportunistic feeders in the wild - that's true...but the opportunity isn't as common as some people seem to think. Using some native species as an example, it has been found that some species feed less than 12x/yr in their natural range...but people feed captives weekly, using the argument that they are providing "ideal conditions" that the snake doesn't get in the wild, so there is no reason not to provide regular meals. This is a topic that will always be discussed, and one on which people with opposing theories and backgrounds will continue to disagree....but a respectful discussion brings a variety of ideas to people that might not have considered them; and that is how practice changes.

I feel an adult female can be fed a proper sized prey item once every 2 weeks to once a month, depending on size of prey and the size you would like the female boa to reach. What we are discussing here, is rather than feeding a female boa every 2 weeks, feed her once a month to obtain a healthier but smaller size. Smaller females tend to "bounce" back from a breeding season much easier than a larger female. For instance, a large, 7-8ft female WILL NOT breed every year, sometimes maybe breeding twice in 2 years, but usually no more than that. Most people give there 7-8ft sized boas a season off either after each litter or ever 2 years. A smaller sized female may be able to produce a litter every year, with no ill effects, but still would need a season off every few years to prevent her from being burnt out at an early age. We are also discussing how to feed a female boa as she is growing, growing her at a slower rate, allowing her to mature more naturally, rather than power feeding to get her to breed at 3-4 years old. In my opinion, 4 years is the min age to attempt breeding a female boa no matter the size.

So to sum up what I just said, feeding an adult boa is healthier, they obtain a smaller size, they live longer, they require less space to house them in, it saves you money on feeders and there is less poo to clean up.