BC Imperator Question

Hey guys!

So I've recently rescued a Boa, who was ID'd as a Red Tail but is actually an Imperator. I was told she was 2 years old and about 4 feet long, and that the owner was moving out of state/she'd gotten too big for him to keep and was looking to quickly rehome her to just about anyone.

I picked her up, because I have the resources and I love boas, and will be building her a custom cage to house her... however...

Her previous owner said she was a 2014, but she's creeping in close to 20lbs already and is a massive snake for something so young. I was thinking maybe he was powerfeeding her, but she's outgrown the cage he gave her so quickly that she has creases in her scales from having to coil so tightly in a 4 ft long by 1 ft wide cage.

Does anyone here is Imperator knowledge know about what age she really is, just based on general length and weight? Also, if anyone has any tips in general, as she's my first boa, I would be really grateful for them!

Her temperament is good. Very gentle, very calm. She sat on the floor, politely observing me while I cleaned poo out of her cage that the owner had left in there, then I put her back and am leaving her alone until her vet checkup on thursday.

Here's a few pics of her, her name is Imperator Furiosa.

---Small edit, we've renamed her Duchess It fits better

With boas you really can't guess an age based on length and weight. She doesn't look overweight based on the photos.

What was she being fed and how often by her former owner?

The creases in the scales are normal as all boas hide all coiled up. It's great you got her a bigger cage but you might want to invest in a commercial plastic cage instead of an aquarium as they hold heat and humidity much better and the snake feels much more secure.

Pretty snake, good luck with her. BCR is right, no telling how old she is as husbandry, feeding habits, and genetics all play roles in how fast an animal grows/how large they get.

Originally Posted by JCCS

The creases in the scales are normal as all boas hide all coiled up. It's great you got her a bigger cage but you might want to invest in a commercial plastic cage instead of an aquarium as they hold heat and humidity much better and the snake feels much more secure.

Pretty snake, good luck with her. BCR is right, no telling how old she is as husbandry, feeding habits, and genetics all play roles in how fast an animal grows/how large they get.

Thank you guys!

Yes, she's in the aquarium she came in for right now, but the custom enclosure I'm building her is wood and plastic to help keep in humidity once its ready. I have two ball pythons at the moment so I'm fairly up to date on enclosure differences- glass being heavy and hard to keep humid so I wont be using her current setup for long, but finding tubs large enough isn't going to happen. So I was thinking either continuing to build her custom one or getting her a T70 from Animal Plastics.

I wasn't too worried about her coiling in general, its just that she's so bunched up inside the narrow aquarium that she's got rows upon rows of bent scales. If this isn't something to worry about then I'll put it from my mind, I just wanted to be sure!

She was being fed on jumbo rats 4 times a month is what I was told. So a jumbo rat every week.

I'm sure I'll feel tons better once my vet checks her on thursday, I was just worried because she's massive for a supposedly two year old snake, and I've heard power feeding boas can cause organ damage later in life? Is there any truth to that?
Thank you both so so much for answering my questions, I really appreciate all the help!

Originally Posted by conquerorworm

...finding tubs large enough isn't going to happen.

Hefty makes a 52-quart under-bed tub that is great for quarantining juvenile boas. It would give her a lot more floor space than she has now. Lowes carries them.

She was being fed on jumbo rats 4 times a month is what I was told. So a jumbo rat every week.

That is way too much, assuming the jumbo rats she was eating are the same size as the ones from my supplier ("jumbo" sizes can vary a lot). A two year old boa can eat an appropriately sized rat or small rabbit - the feeder should leave a minimal lump - once every three weeks.

I would cut her back to eating once every four weeks, and find someone who can supply 8 ounce rabbits, which will give her a high protein lower fat diet. That way she will grow and add muscle, and hopefully use up some of the fat that has likely built up around her organs.

The rabbit thought isn't bad, but don't feed rabbits solely. I also am in favor of once a month feedings, but rotate between rats and rabbits if you can get them. Rabbits actually have so little fat that they can't sustain life on a long term basis. They are a great supplemental food source though.

Originally Posted by bcr229

Hefty makes a 52-quart under-bed tub that is great for quarantining juvenile boas. It would give her a lot more floor space than she has now. Lowes carries them.


That is way too much, assuming the jumbo rats she was eating are the same size as the ones from my supplier ("jumbo" sizes can vary a lot). A two year old boa can eat an appropriately sized rat or small rabbit - the feeder should leave a minimal lump - once every three weeks.

I would cut her back to eating once every four weeks, and find someone who can supply 8 ounce rabbits, which will give her a high protein lower fat diet. That way she will grow and add muscle, and hopefully use up some of the fat that has likely built up around her organs.

The rabbit thought isn't bad, but don't feed rabbits solely. I also am in favor of once a month feedings, but rotate between rats and rabbits if you can get them. Rabbits actually have so little fat that they can't sustain life on a long term basis. They are a great supplemental food source though.

Ah, I had suspicions it was too much. The fact that she was eating more often than my BPs despite being twice their size was kind of a red flag.. thank you soooo much for letting me know!

I'll cut her back on food and alternate between rabbits and rats then, to give her a good chance to build muscle without sacrificing too much fat. I'll check out Lowes after work tomorrow and see if I can find one of those tubs, she'd certainly be much happier... I hadn't even thought to check Lowes.

You guys have given me a really great start!! I know a breeder in the area who can supply me rabbits when I do use them, and the tub will be a good in-between for her until the cage is built.

Thank you!!