How much should a one year old RTB weigh?

These large sizes seem crazy to me. I still have 4 boas from a litter that I produced in Jan, '11. These pics are of the biggest girl of the 4, at just over 17 months. This seems to be about average for all the boas that I've raised. Average, meaning that some have been bigger, but 4'+ at 12 months would dwarf my most extreme case!

I don't know what bcc or bci mean? I feed her one adult mouse and one small rat every week, and skip a meal every ones every 4 or 5 weeks. She was born in may 2011 and I bought her at a reptile show in WI in June 2011, she was tiny compared to now. It sound like im feeding her two much? I will post some pics when I get home. Thanks for the help!

Boas are divided into two groups. Boa constrictor imperious bci and boa constrictor constrictor bcc.

Bci tend to be shorter with females averaging around 8-9 feet.

Bcc (true red tails ) females are longer and can hit 13'. I am unsure of the average length of most bcc.

The size you reference is directly connected to caloric intake and its frequency.
One "rat" every 4-5 weeks is fine for an animal that size.

BCA,BCL,BCO etc . . . . .

Originally Posted by KORBIN5895

Boas are divided into two groups. Boa constrictor imperious bci and boa constrictor constrictor bcc.

Originally Posted by grizlywinkleman

I don't know what bcc or bci mean? I feed her one adult mouse and one small rat every week, and skip a meal every ones every 4 or 5 weeks. She was born in may 2011 and I bought her at a reptile show in WI in June 2011, she was tiny compared to now. It sound like im feeding her two much? I will post some pics when I get home. Thanks for the help!

It's generally healthier to offer one appropriately sized prey item per feeding, as opposed to multiple smaller ones. A good rule of thumb is to offer a feeder that's roughly as big around as your snake, at it's widest part. It sounds like you might want to slack off on both the volume and frequency of the feedings.

Originally Posted by Metachrosis

BCA,BCL,BCO etc . . . . .

I was under the impression that those were localities?

most of my one year olds are between 2-3 feet. my two year olds are between 4-6

Originally Posted by KORBIN5895

I was under the impression that those were localities?

They're entirely different subspecies. The localities are still grouped with their closest relatives, i.e. Caulker Cay, Hog Isl, and other insular varieties are still considered BCI

Originally Posted by grizlywinkleman

I don't know what bcc or bci mean? I feed her one adult mouse and one small rat every week, and skip a meal every ones every 4 or 5 weeks. She was born in may 2011 and I bought her at a reptile show in WI in June 2011, she was tiny compared to now. It sound like im feeding her two much? I will post some pics when I get home. Thanks for the help!

Based on research and experience from people who have been dealing with boa constrictors for decades, yes, you are feeding her too much.

There is no reason to feed a boa twice in a week no matter if it is two per feeding or two with days spaced between (there are exceptions, but this is not one). Also, I am not sure what you mean by a small rat, but a boa of that age should be eating weanlings at most, really, if it all. Many breeders prefer feeding just mice for the first year or so. One adult mouse every 10 days or one weanling/smallish rat every 14 or so would be more than enough. Skipping meals while feeding frequently is not going to do much for the overall health of the boa. Feeding less frequently over the long term will.

It is hard to believe at times, but the less you feed a boa, the more it will grow in a healthy way (this does not mean starve the animal, it just means less meals in a year).

My baby boas are fed every 7-10 days from the get go and by the time they are a year, are switched to 14 days and the time increases from then on. Honestly, I have no set schedule for feeding them and often go over those numbers. When my boas are actively searching around their enclosures for a few days, I feed them. If they are spending a lot of time coiled up and not movnig around much after a week of eating or so, they do not get food.

Accelerated growth in boas creates a host of problems, but the most serious of which is premature death where the animal will simply die at a young age from complications brought on by obesity or general overeating. These are animals that should be living into their 20s, 30s and even 40s. Dying between ages 6-12 is not good. Of course, breeding always adds complications, but we are talking strictly feeding animals here.

Also, at a certain point, the boa will simply stop gaining length and just begin to gain girth. Many a captive boa has been necropsied after death and full of fatty deposits. These guys eat a lot less frequently than some realize in the wild.

Heck, I have two four year old females that are not even breeding size yet.

Slow and steady with these guys does wonders.

It's not too late to alter the way she is being fed, but there is always a good chance permanent damage has been done.

Good luck with her.

Also, post pics of her.