Push a female?

[Griz]

Looking at picking up an early 03 female and was told that if I pushed her a little bit that she would be ready to breed this fall. She is a dwarf boa and right at 4 feet in length. When I hear the words "push her a little" that means power feeding. Am I correct in this assumption or do you guys have another thought on the matter?

Griz

 

[DragonCharm]

"Push" certainly sounds like powerfeeding to me. I don't know if he meant powerfeeding to the point that it's bad to just stepping up the pace a little to a slightly higher but safe level. In my opinion I would say feed it only what you feel comfortable with and if it's not ready this year so be it.

 

[Mike Greathouse]

Ditto

In my opinion, some people have a tendency to overfeed boas anyway.
I believe that feeding adult boas less frequently makes for a healthier animal.

"Pushing" an animal just so that you can breed it sooner is just plain wrong.

 

[Jim O]

I agree with Mike. I tend to bring my animals along slowly. It is likely to result in a healthier animal in the long term.

 

[DragonCharm]

In my opinion, some people have a tendency to overfeed boas anyway.
I believe that feeding adult boas less frequently makes for a healthier animal.

"Pushing" an animal just so that you can breed it sooner is just plain wrong.

I tend to cut back or skip feeding on occassion with my reptiles and fish for that very reason. My crazy theory is that the animal would go through periods with no food in the wild and it should be good in captivity to cut them back on occassion to combat obesity and other issues.

 

[Jim O]

I do the same thing Richard for the very same reason. Once or twice each "feeding seasaon" each snake (other than hatchlings) gets a two to three week break.

 

[M.Dwight]

I think it's important here to not confuse power feeding with adding weight to a female prior to breeding. For the health of female boa its important to give them a slow growing maintenance diet of feedings every 10 to 21 days until they reach about 4 years of age. Then during the summer (before their first breeding trails in the fall) you greatly increase their food intake to "push" them into breeding shape/weight. This is only to add breeding mass and is not for overall growth. Most females won't eat much if at all during breeding and while gravid. So, this push prior to breeding is very important. In fact, most females will not ovulate without that extra fat/mass.
Pushing a young boa into breeding size however is powerfeeding and it has been proved that this method will shorten their lives.

 

[Hoppy]

Well, I can only speak for normal BCI boas, as I have not dealt with the different dwarf boas, but breeding an 03 female in 06 is not really super bad, it is a little early but breeding her in 05 would have really been power feeding beyond being reasonable. Most of my female boas breed at 3.5 to 4.5 years of age. I have had several female breed at 2.5 years of age, which is the first year that I introduce a male to them. I don't feed more then once per week on the female and in winter it is once every two week, so I would say that I am not a power feeder.
I would assume that saying if you "push her" he means feeding her regular large meals from now until Oct./Nov. when breeding season starts.
From everything that I have read a four foot long dwarf female boa is near breeding size already so a bit of regular feeding would make her ready for the 06 season.
There is feeding for maitianing and there is feeding for breeding. In my opinion you want a female to have a bit of weight on her going into breeding season. The development of young takes alot of energy and stored fat is that energy they need. During breeding season a female may go months with out eating, so adding weight right before season is a good idea.
I hope this helps

 

[DragonCharm]

I think it's important here to not confuse power feeding with adding weight to a female prior to breeding. For the health of female boa its important to give them a slow growing maintenance diet of feedings every 10 to 21 days until they reach about 4 years of age. Then during the summer (before their first breeding trails in the fall) you greatly increase their food intake to "push" them into breeding shape/weight. This is only to add breeding mass and is not for overall growth. Most females won't eat much if at all during breeding and while gravid. So, this push prior to breeding is very important. In fact, most females will not ovulate without that extra fat/mass.
Pushing a young boa into breeding size however is powerfeeding and it has been proved that this method will shorten their lives.

Understandable. I don't think though that's what was meant by the seller judging by the above post.

 

[M.Dwight]

Understandable. I don't think though that's what was meant by the seller judging by the above post.

Perhaps. But both myself and Hoppy were adding extra info for a better understanding of the subject.

 

[DragonCharm]

Perhaps. But both myself and Hoppy were adding extra info for a better understanding of the subject.

It's definitely worth the extra effort to get the info here to have on file. I know people like me enjoy it and spend our work days reading old threads on Fauna on someone else's dime.

 

[Mike Greathouse]

I think it's important here to not confuse power feeding with adding weight to a female prior to breeding. For the health of female boa its important to give them a slow growing maintenance diet of feedings every 10 to 21 days until they reach about 4 years of age. Then during the summer (before their first breeding trails in the fall) you greatly increase their food intake to "push" them into breeding shape/weight. This is only to add breeding mass and is not for overall growth. Most females won't eat much if at all during breeding and while gravid. So, this push prior to breeding is very important. In fact, most females will not ovulate without that extra fat/mass.
Pushing a young boa into breeding size however is powerfeeding and it has been proved that this method will shorten their lives.

Very well put.

The only thing I would add is that I feed newborns on a weekly schedule until they are a year old.
At that point (depending on the animal - there are no set rules here) I begin stretching out the feedings.

 

[Griz]

Well, let me add this to get your thoughts. Right now I have 2 normal females that are both in the 5.5 foot range. They have average weight and I am wanting to breed them this next season. Currently, I feed them about every 7 days which is right in line with when they are defecating. I do not, under any terms, want to powerfeed them or do anything that might be deemed unhealthy. They willingly eat and I know they will need the extra weight. I had always thought of powerfeeding as allowing your animal to start eating the rat and then continue to push a second rat down as they are finishing the end of the first one. Thoughts?

Griz

 

[hhmoore]

Power feeding can be feeding more frequently (ie twice weekly), or feeding larger than normal meals - either by chain feeding, as you described; bigger prey items; or just giving the little gluttons all they want. Frequently, temperatures are kept on the high side of normal to stimulate appetite. This practice, as has been mentioned, is not good for the snake; with potential for problems both in the short term and later in life. I will admit that with some of my babies/young snakes, I do periodically feed them on a 5 day cycle (usually when they are at a point where one size prey item is not enough, but the next available size is too big)...but after a couple weeks, I skip a meal and go to a 10-14 day cycle when I move up in size. I figure it all equals out. I also maintain my adults on a 7-10 day cycle, periodically skipping a feeding. I know that many recommend 2 weeks, but I keep the meal size appropriate to my schedule. (Funny, I get a snake [not necessarily a boa sp] that is maintained on "one small rat/week" and find that everytime I open the cage door, there is an open mouth flying in my direction. I bump them up to 1-2 med rats every 7-10 days and I can actually change the water without getting bitten. I think that as many people underfeed their snakes as overfeed)

 

[M.Dwight]

I've had this guy since he was about a month old. He has never been fed more than every 10 to 21 days. He is now almost seven feet and very thick, solid and strong as an ox. Not much fat but VERY muscular. Perfect shape for breeding.