Jamaican Boas Breeding

So sorry for your loss, especially since you have been doing such a careful job! I'm sure it was just a fluke...sadly, not every baby is destined to grow up. :-(

Originally Posted by Snakesitter

So sorry for your loss, especially since you have been doing such a careful job! I'm sure it was just a fluke...sadly, not every baby is destined to grow up. :-(

Thanks. I'm sure that's it, too. I just can't help being paranoid.

Everyone is looking well. I just gave them each their meal.

The nine holdbacks were offered the usual chick thigh.

All but one of the non-pinky-eating-non-holdbacks (really need a name for that group) were also fed a chick thigh. One randomly selected baby was offered a scented fuzzy mouse as an experiment (to see if the "pinky eaters" were any more likely to take a scented mouse than a random baby, as I have never offered scented mice until today).

4 of the 5 pinky-eaters, along with the randomly selected baby were offered scented fuzzy mice, which had been mixed in thoroughly with the chick thighs for scenting.

The one baby who ate an unscented fuzzy last time was offered another unscented fuzzy.

The three troublemakers were not fed. I am waiting on a shipment of anoles and will feed them when it arrives this week.

I will update tomorrow with results.

When the anoles arrive you could try using some to scent the fuzzy mice.

Originally Posted by toddnbecka

When the anoles arrive you could try using some to scent the fuzzy mice.

Possibly, but I would prefer not to complicate things. All of the animals that are being offered mice are already established on birds, which I am more than satisfied with. I wouldn't want to risk them becoming dependent on anoles or anole scent. Switching them over to mice isn't that much of a priority to me, so I'm less inclined to take chances.

Well, not a great night.

Everyone who was offered a chick thigh ate with no issues.

Of the five "pinky eaters" that were offered scented fuzzies, four declined to eat. The one that did eat regurged (from the looks of it, only a few minutes ago) and then died. This was one of my healthiest and best eaters. I'm certain that yesterday's feeding caused the death. He (probed and then dissected for verification) was 21 inches long and 18 grams. Judging from the food item, it was consumed early on and only regurged in the early morning. The body is also very fresh (no signs of rigor or dehydration, and no smell). Best I can tell, the food item sat in the belly for a while (partially digested) and then was regurged. I'm not sure if it was due to the item being too large, or due to the item being a rodent. This one has eaten two separate pinkies before, so I'm inclined to think that it was a size issue. A very stupid mistake on my part. The fuzzie was about as big around as the snake, but in retrospect, these guys are designed to eat anoles and other long, slender things, so perhaps that rule is not appropriate for Jamaican Boas. I have heard several stories about regurgitation being exceptionally stressful for these boas, and even adults dieing shortly after a stress-induced regurge, so I definitely should have been more conscientious. Anyone being switched over to rodents will be offered small pinkies only from now on. I would say a better rule of thumb for these guys would be to size the food item based on the width of the animal's head, not its midsection. Considering the risk of regurgitation, and the inclination of this species to overeat and get fatty liver disease, I think erring on the side of smaller food items is an obvious preference.

There is also some important information learned from the body. The dead baby from last week was only 2 grams smaller and 1 inch shorter than this one, but was too small to probe with a rounded off upholstery needle (the smallest probe I have) This one was large enough to probe with that needle. I am still fairly uncomfortable probing a live one at this size, but I think I can safely anticipate live probing at around 24 inches. I also take some solace in the fact that both of the babies that I have lost so far were males, as obviously females are more essential to future breeding, and will be easier to find homes for.

The other piece of important information here is regarding the randomly selected non-pinky eater. This was the only other snake that ate its fuzzy (intentionally the smallest fuzzy offered). This is important to note because it indicates that an animals willingness to eat the unscented pinky placed alongside a chick thigh is not an indication of whether or not the animal will take a scented rodent on its own. There does not appear to be much of a correlation in the "pinky eating" and "non-pinky eating" groups with regard to the consumption of unscented and scented rodents. I suspect that my "pinky eaters" are in fact a randomly selected group of animals that just happened to be a little extra hungry on a feeding or two. Scenting appears to be more of a factor than previous successful consumption.

Awww, I'm so sorry to hear you lost one! On the flip side, I'm very impressed by the fact you did such a thorough analysis of what happened and why. I know professional breeders who won't spend $5 (much less five minutes) on sick/deceased animals, as it "hurts" their bottom line -- so huge points for the extra time and effort on behalf of such an underrepresented species!

Originally Posted by Snakesitter

Awww, I'm so sorry to hear you lost one! On the flip side, I'm very impressed by the fact you did such a thorough analysis of what happened and why. I know professional breeders who won't spend $5 (much less five minutes) on sick/deceased animals, as it "hurts" their bottom line -- so huge points for the extra time and effort on behalf of such an underrepresented species!

Thanks. I'm in this for the love of the species and my own enjoyment, so bottom line isn't really a priority.

Sorry to hear of another loss. It seems odd that a snake would eat something too big in the first place, then regurgitate it partially digested. I've only ever heard of snakes doing that when they were stressed.
On the other hand, if the rodent factor was the cause it seems likely that more than one would have been affected.
It's not really possible to draw a sound conclusion from a single incident, just hoping it remains a single incident. Sometimes it's simply bad luck.

Originally Posted by toddnbecka

Sorry to hear of another loss. It seems odd that a snake would eat something too big in the first place, then regurgitate it partially digested. I've only ever heard of snakes doing that when they were stressed.
On the other hand, if the rodent factor was the cause it seems likely that more than one would have been affected.
It's not really possible to draw a sound conclusion from a single incident, just hoping it remains a single incident. Sometimes it's simply bad luck.

This one was by far one of my best eaters, so I think that might have contributed to the whole eyes/stomach issue. Unless something happened in my absence, I can't imagine what could have caused the stress. I have adopted the practice of not even being in the room after feeding, because I know they are so prone to ignoring their food if they are stressed out. I'm thinking bad luck, too. So far, everybody else looks good, including the other fuzzy eater.