Boa not "going"? - Page 2

Will0W783 · 06-17-09, 02:17 PM

It's hard to tell from the pic, but how long is he, and how thick? My 3-foot BCI gets a f/t rat weanling (about the size of an adult mouse) every week, and he never refuses.

sassamagoo · 06-17-09, 07:35 PM

I haven't technically measured him, but he's a baby. Only about 2 feet, maybe, and only as thick as my thumb. The fuzzy I gave him yesterday was enough to give him a small bulge.

I did find out the other local pet store does normally carry hoppers, although they are out till the next shipment next week. So I can try a hopper soon.

Once again, I'm new to snake ownership, so I am still amazed at how big an animal they can fit in their mouths, lol.

Will0W783 · 06-18-09, 07:47 AM

OK, well if he's only as thick as a thumb, then it sounds like the fuzzies/hoppers would be fine. Just as Aaron said, look for a slight bulge when you feed him. If you see a bulge, stick with that size; if there's a huge bulge and/or he has trouble getting it down, go smaller; if there's no bulge, go a bit larger.

sassamagoo · 06-18-09, 12:43 PM

Thanks for all the advice everyone. Hopefully he'll "go" soon with more substantial food in him. I have to work out of town this weekend, so my bf will be keeping an eye on him. I'll update after the weekend if he's done any business.

You guys are great!

gonesnakee · 06-18-09, 06:10 PM

I scanned thru most posts & see some of the things have already been pointed out but I will throw my 2 cents in all round.
First Boas like that should never even be fed pinkies LMAO unless of course they are large rat pinkies which is what you should get it on ASAP & off of mice all together.
I would be feeding that snake either hopper or weanling mice or a couple large rat Ps at a time or a small rat fuzzy & do so weekly.
As for going it hasn;t had enough to go & pinkies come out as "pee" pretty much anyways as snake poop is pretty much just hair afterall

Snakes do "pee" & it is liquid as stated along with solid urates etc. as well. Anyone that thinks different has obviously never seen a snake do so before LOL
The Woma I traded today took a big pee as soon as it hit its new enclosure & there was PLENTY of liquid & it was a wet spot

Should see when the 8ft Pythons go, they leave a BIG wet spot

Mark

sassamagoo · 06-21-09, 12:44 PM

Well, I came back from my weekend gigs to find my baby has finally gone pee! Yay! I don't see an actual poo yet, but did find the whitish/yellow stuff that looks like chicken poo. So even though there's no poo yet I know his insides are working at least.

Plus, when I got up today, he seemed more alert and was actually out of his hide with his head up and looking at me. So I took him out for some tlc and he seems more curious and relaxed and.... this might sound wierd, but almost affectionate. I know he's a snake not a dog, but he wasn't tense and he kept sniffing my face and even kind of rubbing his head on my cheek some.

Makes me think he's feeling better, got some decent food in him, went "potty", feeling happier/more comfortable as whole I hope.

So there's the update. Thanks for all the advice everyone!
Sass

Chu'Wuti · 06-21-09, 02:31 PM

I'm glad you recognize the difference between a snake and a dog in emotional capacity, Sass! You'd be surprised at how many people don't and insist that their snakes love them! Good luck moving him on up to the proper food--Mark gave you great info on that. And welcome to the forum.

Will0W783 · 06-22-09, 09:06 AM

I'm glad to hear the boa is doing better. Keep him on bigger food and best of luck!

sassamagoo · 06-24-09, 07:34 PM

Well everyone, I fed my boa another fuzzy yesterday and he swallowed it SIDEWAYS! I think that proves thoroughly that he is ready for something bigger. Lol.

So I went out looking for hoppers or small mice, and still, neither of my local pet stores had that size or expected to have them very soon. So we bought "medium mice". They seem to be about as thick around as his thickest part of his body so they should be okay I'm hoping. They didn't look too big to me (especially after the way he ate that fuzzy from the middle), and as he has seemed more alert and relaxed the last week or so, I don't think it would shock his system too much.

Anyways, let me know if that doesn't sound reasonable. I'm just pleased with how much more settled and relaxed Bling has been lately, so I'm feeling pretty good about it, but I don't want to screw anything up.

Thanks again for all the help everyone, I can definitely see the difference in my snake from taking all your advice!

gonesnakee · 06-24-09, 07:49 PM

Prey the smae girth as the thickest girth of the snake is perfectIn the case of Boids upto 1.5 times the thickest girth even. Thye can take meals even double their girth if they had too. I prefer to stick with smaller prey & huge meals are not a good thing IMHO Mark

Will0W783 · 06-25-09, 08:05 AM

Sounds like you found a good-sized prey for him. If you can get to a reptile show at all, or go online, you might want to get f/t rat weanlings for him. They are about the size of mice, but it will eliminate the problem of switching him later on. I'm not exactly sure about RTBs but I know some snakes can get "addicted" to mice and refuse rats later on, and then it's a pain to have to feed a large snake 4-5 mice at a time, plus one prey item= 1 poop, so instead of a larger poop, you're cleaning up tons of small ones.

sassamagoo · 06-30-09, 09:03 PM

Here's a final update: Bling has "gone" again, and it was a bigger size, almost exactly a week after the last one, 5 days after eating. Tuesday is feeding day for him right now, so we gave him one of the new medium mice tonight. He took it and got it down no problem and actually did a strike on his prey for the first time. He has a nice bulge, but it doesn't seem to be too big a bulge.

So I guess the point is, he is eating well and now beginning to poo regularly, so I'm very relieved. Plus I've finally gotten his cage to a regular temp and humidity without having to mess with stuff to maintain it. He seems to be doing well and being more aware and relaxed.

Thanks again to all for the advice! This forum has been a great help and support.

Will0W783 · 07-01-09, 07:47 AM

So glad to hear Bling is doing well and that his bowels are moving now. Just keep up the good work!

Bo@Boy · 07-17-09, 06:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Aaron_S

The snake needs something in it's system before it can pass it. You need to up the intake to at least a single hopper mouse per week. A pinky mouse won't cut it. It can probably take an adult but go with a hopper to not shock the system with a large meal since it hasn't had,well virtually anything. Once you put a good sized meal into the snake, it will use the other end.

Sorry to cut in. I have not read the full thread but I might be able to help. My male boa BlackOut was the same way. He didn't defecate for 6 weeks when I got him. I was feeding one small mouse a week because I wanted to let him acclimate. He was eating like a trash compactor but would not eliminate waste! I took him to the vet worried that he could possibly be impacted. The vet told me to continue feeding every 7 days so I did. He didn't defecate for another two weeks and out of desperation I decided to feed him a rat pup to see what would happen. Sure enough he took the rat pup and 5 days later he laid an incredible heap of turd!!!! The reptile shop where I buy my feeders at told me that small boas tend to retain waste for long periods, it is not rare. They also told me that when too small of a prey item is offered the tend to absorb almost the entire prey to build muscle and bone. Now BlackOut is pooping regularly once every 14 days. My female that is exactly 2 months today poops every 14 days too and she eats 2 fuzzies a week. This last Wednesday she took a plump hopper. By the way, keep that humidity up. Mist once daily it will help. A good sign to tell when they will poop is when they soak. Hope that helps.

gonesnakee · 07-17-09, 12:47 PM

Don;t know if I mentioned it in this thread or not before but guess what snake crap is made up of Boys & Girls? Pretty much nothing but hair. Pull one apart sometime when its dry & you will see what I mean.
Thus a Boid being fed small prey items with little or no hair does not have "waste" to pass & as stated in the above post most all prey is absorbed/used.
Its not uncommon for a baby Boid to go a couple months before dropping a deuce.
If it was impacted it would appear very bloated.
Usually a steady diet & exercise will keep it regular once it is primed. Mark
edit - just scanned the thread quickly again. Snakes don't pee LMAO ya RIGHT! If you don't know what you are talking about maybe you should leave it upto those that do