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Should she be this small?

P

Pythonbreeder99

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She was born in November of 09 it is currently July of 2010 should she be so little at almost 9 months old?
 

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kinda hard to tell in the pic but she looks like about the same size as my yearlings, but then again I am a firm believer in 'grow 'em slow' :D Also some do just grow faster than others just like how some people are taller than others. If there any CA (central american) blood in the mix that will also lead to smaller boas. As long as she's healthy with good muscle tone, shouldn't be anything to worry about.
 
AbsoluteApril said:
kinda hard to tell in the pic but she looks like about the same size as my yearlings, but then again I am a firm believer in 'grow 'em slow' :D Also some do just grow faster than others just like how some people are taller than others. If there any CA (central american) blood in the mix that will also lead to smaller boas. As long as she's healthy with good muscle tone, shouldn't be anything to worry about.
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Yes, she is very very healthy and my best feeder (just my slowest grower) she's still less then 100g's. But anyways has your girl pushed out that pesky slug yet?
 
Not all boas grow at the same rate. As long as the boa is healthy, I wouldn't worry about it too much. Good luck.
 
I totally agree with Abby and Brian that if she's healthy then all is well. I've got a few '08s that are over 4 feet (one of which is quickly approaching 5 feet) and then another that is barely 3 feet long.

You also mentioned that yours was born in November of last year. If what I've experienced with most of my yearlings holds true with your girl, she'll probably hit a growth spurt soon (between now and the end of the year). Good luck with her! Looks like a pretty boa!!
 
1st off beautiful boa. Second off just let her do what she wants with her growth lol. I have a 09 that is at 4 ft and has not been nowhere near power fed. She just wont stop growing and another 09 that was born the same month and is on the same feed schedule and is only a bit over 3ft. Thats what I like about snakes, they are all different, good luck on her and have fun watching her grow the rest of her life!!!!!!!!
 
April pegged it. As long as the animal is healthy and eating and defecating properly, then just let her grow at her pace. I have an '06 Colombian that is only just at 6 ft long. Most of my Colombians from the past were easily 7 ft and several pounds larger by this time.

There are some things that can effect a Boas growth though. If you feed them small objects all the time, even if you feed them every 10 days, they will grow a little slower. On the flip side, if you are stretching their head a little each feeding, even if the meals are spread out, them genetics kick in and they'll grow faster to accommodate the size of the prey they are ingesting. (this statement being an observation I've made while playing with food sizes over the years, and not by any means a suggestion.)

A prime example in the wild would be Anacondas. Most are large snakes, but the Anaconda that range where the Capibara range, are the largest of them all.
 
crotalusadamanteus said:
If you feed them small objects all the time, even if you feed them every 10 days, they will grow a little slower. On the flip side, if you are stretching their head a little each feeding, even if the meals are spread out, them genetics kick in and they'll grow faster to accommodate the size of the prey they are ingesting.
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That's really interesting. For 3 years I fed my Fiji Boas on small geckos (although often 3 or 4 at a sitting) and they remained small, but healthy and proportionately not skinny, then I got hold of larger prey (chicken) and suddenly - whup - expansion in 6 months!

I'd put their growth spurt to having more protein, but the size of the prey changed dramatically too and they sure started to grow....

I kinda miss the cute littleness of them though. :eek:
 
Thanks a lot guys, my mind is now at ease:D Also just a little bit about her diet. She is on the same schedule as all my pythons, she is eating one F/T adult mouse once a week (about right for her size). She is my only boa so if anyone has any suggestions on a new feeding schedule that would help, or will this one be okay?
Thanks Cody
 
From the info that Rick gave me (and pointed to in writing), I would give her a small rat that will cause a noticeable lump, no more often than every 2 weeks. And while the lump should be noticeable, it should NOT restrict movement (ie, keep them from coiling).

I get my baby boas on rats as soon as I can, usually by/right around the age of yours.
 
Pythonbreeder99 said:
It would need to be barley a weanling rat because she isn't much thicker then that pen...
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That should be fine. Just to be safe, I would start with a pup (judging by the thickness that you're pointing out) and see how she does with that. If the lump is barely noticeable, try prey that's slightly larger for the next feeding. I'm sure she's going to do fine for you!
 
Matt2979 said:
That should be fine. Just to be safe, I would start with a pup (judging by the thickness that you're pointing out) and see how she does with that. If the lump is barely noticeable, try prey that's slightly larger for the next feeding. I'm sure she's going to do fine for you!
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Thanks Matt, I'll try that!:thumbsup:
 
All my Boas start on rats. They don't even know what a mouse is.

When I get to breeding the smaller local stuff I might make an exception as a starter item. We'll see when the time comes.
 
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