baby nicaraguan boa

now that gratch has shed can anyone tell me if he's a nicaraguan or what kind of boa he is??? thanks!!

Honestly, looks like a Nicaraguan crossed with a Colombian. Could be wrong as there is a lot of variance

hello just a quick update on Gratch today he's absolutely amazing

Good to see he is doing well a year later!

Glad to see the snake is healthy. Couple of questions, though. Why are you feeding it live and why are you feeding it outside of it's enclosure?

Originally Posted by JCCS

Why are you feeding it live and why are you feeding it outside of it's enclosure?

To each their own.

That's a cop out. Feeding live can seriously screw up a snake and feeding outside of enclosure is just dumb. Both are purely for the satisfaction of the owner with no consideration for the animal.

seriously? your seriously going to say i don't care for my snake??? really? that's totally cold hearted! i feed outside the enclosure because i don't want a nippy snake, i CARE about him and watch him closely while he feeds and who says i didn't pre kill the mouse! i love my animals! i take excellent CARE of them! they don't live in a plastic drawer you know!!!!

Originally Posted by kalismom3

i feed outside the enclosure because i don't want a nippy snake...

Feeding inside of the enclosure does not cause aggression; that is a myth. In fact, feeding outside of the enclosure is one way to guarantee that your snake will eventually bite you, especially with a boa as they usually have a strong feeding response and can stay "foody" for more than 24 hours after they eat, until they finally settle down to digest their meal.

Another problem is that handling your snake, even just a quick trip from the feeding tub back to its home, right after it eats increases the risk of having it regurgitate its last meal.

Finally...

Do people who keep reticulated or burmese pythons feed outside of the enclosure? No, because moving a 12-20 foot foody snake means risking a trip to the ER.

Do people who keep venomous snakes feed outside of the enclosure? No, because moving a venomous foody snake means risking a trip to the morgue.

So, why would you move your boa to feed it?

I say you didn't prekill the mouse because I can see it still alive in the picture. I've fed more mice than I'd ever care to count. I'm not stupid and I didn't fall off the turnip truck yesterday. It was cold and heartless, it was to the point and blunt. We're all big boys and girls here, I'm sure you can handle it. Feeding live puts the animals at risk. Even if it wasn't purposeful, you should have read enough to know this. Would you like me to find pictures of some of the bites that rodents can leave on snakes?