Old Man Rudy Feeding Day

[MM1]

Just 4 shots from my phone of Rudy, my 31 year old Haitian Boa having his biweekly thawed medium rat. We've got the grab and half hearted squeeze, the swallow, the after dinner drink, and off for a nap in the warm hide.

[Bloedig]

wow, 31 years old!

[MM1]

Got him Dec 1982 at a Petland in New Rochelle, NY. He was about 20 inches I guess and I was 12 years old. Only handle him a couple times a month. Very calm but used to musk when he was young. Now he'll either crawl right out the door to my arm or just back away depending on his mood. He once went about a year(about 25-26 years ago) without eating which drove me nuts but nothing was ever found to be medically wrong. Been doing F/T for about 10 years now. Very thankful to have had him so long and he's still very active, making the rounds of his 5x2.5x2 enclosure a couple at least once a day and then more after dark.

[reptimama]

Got him Dec 1982 at a Petland in New Rochelle, NY. He was about 20 inches I guess and I was 12 years old. Only handle him a couple times a month. Very calm but used to musk when he was young. Now he'll either crawl right out the door to my arm or just back away depending on his mood. He once went about a year(about 25-26 years ago) without eating which drove me nuts but nothing was ever found to be medically wrong. Been doing F/T for about 10 years now. Very thankful to have had him so long and he's still very active, making the rounds of his 5x2.5x2 enclosure a couple at least once a day and then more after dark.

That is awesome, and kudos to you for keeping him for that long. So often people get a pet, get bored with it and then get rid of it. You are an awesomely responsible and loving person :)

[MM1]

Thanks for the kind words. He is presently my only pet (also had a garter and a ribbon through my teens) and has been very hardy (and forgiving of the errors we make in the beginning). My mother was super cool enough to feed him those times I couldn't get home from college on a weekend. When I finished school I picked up where I left off. I think his longevity is as much about him as a specimen as anything I've done.

[Mark Taylor]

Same age as me wow and he looks like he is in great condition I hope my snakes live that long.:cool:

[Snakesitter]

Well done, sir. I'd bet it also has to with your conservative feeding schedule -- I know people who will cram their snakes with food, large meals twice a week even, and I think the animal pays the price in longevity. I look forward to seeing photos of Rudy when he hits 40! :-D

[jarich]

Great job on keeping him healthy for 30 years! A very beautiful snake as well.

[MM1]

Thanks. He also goes off food most years from around late Sept-early Oct till about Thanksgiving. The biggest meal he ever had was a large rat which lasted him a month before eating again. I know watching them eat is "cool" and all, but it's about their health and quality of life at the end of the day. His cage is set up so he has to head over to the other end to get water or hide under the fake plants on the cool side. And he'll climb on the twisted driftwood and the dowel running across the enclosure. So maybe the opportunities (and built in necessity) for some exercise has helped him as well.

[NCHornet]

Congrats that the best story I have read in a long time. People need to understand how long these pets can live. I am totaly against people going into a pet shop with no idea about owning a snake and they see a baby boa and think it is so cute. But they don't tell them how big it will get and what it will need to be kept in and fed when larger. Use to be the Zoo's would take large snakes, but that is no longer true. Trying to find a home for a adult boa is about as hard as finding a home for the plague.
Interesting your boa still coils the prey. I have noticed that both my BCC and BCI no longer do this. I have kept snakes for 30 plus years and if you would have told me that a snake can loose the natural extinct to coil I would say you were crazy. But both of mine no longer strike and coil. I thaw out at room temp than warm in hot water prior to feeding. The food is placed on a styrofoam plate and I point the nose of the rat up so it easy to find. The plate keeps substrate from sticking to the rat. I then turn off all lights and leave the room. Next morning I remove the plate, they have never refused a meal. Last week was feeding time and I decided to sit in the room to see how fast they consume their meal. After 10 to 15 min I didn't hear anything. I had a flashlight with dim batteries and shined it in the enclosures. Both of the boas crept up to the rat, found the head, opened their mouth and started consuming it. Both had the rat about 1/2 way down. This amazed me, if I didn't see it myself I would not have believed it. Next time I may try presenting the rat with tongs to show movement and see if this makes the instinct to strike and coil to return. I would think it would, but at this point anything is possible.

[MM1]

I always use tongs to place the food inside and if he's hungry it can range from straight out and grab it to taking a slower, circular approach like he's not sure it's dead, "better sneak up on it" (I can only speculate about his "thought process"). He used to really nail the live mice he was on for about half his life. Other times he kinda grabs and does more of "drag it off behind some cover" move than a real coil. Could be how hungry he is, variation in smell or size of the meal....... Who knows. I'm of the attitude that if I were to get another baby reptile of any long lived species (boa, python, tegu, monitor, turtle, etc.), and given my age, I'm quite possibly retiring with it. Wouldn't feel right leaving their care up to chance barring the most dire circumstances on my part.

[Theweinz]

Wow, great story- obviously you are a great keeper, congrats!

[MM1]

Thanks for the words but I only have the one to take care of. Also, when I was a teenager there weren't forums like this plus the state of knowledge of keeping most reptiles was not what it is today. Believe me, those first few years I was pretty much just making sure my bedroom was the right temperature as opposed to using a well sealed enclosure with a temp gradient. the combination of Rudy being pretty hardy and my continued interest in learning are equal parts. Being realistic for myself, I probably wouldn't have more than 3-4 total herp pets at one time because I think that's what I feel I could give generous space and proper care and attention to. I know these creatures can be addictive but a person has to be realistic and not accumulate a zoo unless they are ready, willing and able to provide for for as HIGH QUALITY an existence as possible. To me that means environmental conditions, appropriate amount of food, exercise(according to species of course), enrichment (for the smart ones like monitors, etc) and the least amount of negative stress possible. It is on the keeper to know if that is one corn snake , a full blown monitor collection, or something in between.

[Lankyrob]

Thanks for the words but I only have the one to take care of. Also, when I was a teenager there weren't forums like this plus the state of knowledge of keeping most reptiles was not what it is today. Believe me, those first few years I was pretty much just making sure my bedroom was the right temperature as opposed to using a well sealed enclosure with a temp gradient. the combination of Rudy being pretty hardy and my continued interest in learning are equal parts. Being realistic for myself, I probably wouldn't have more than 3-4 total herp pets at one time because I think that's what I feel I could give generous space and proper care and attention to. I know these creatures can be addictive but a person has to be realistic and not accumulate a zoo unless they are ready, willing and able to provide for for as HIGH QUALITY an existence as possible. To me that means environmental conditions, appropriate amount of food, exercise(according to species of course), enrichment (for the smart ones like monitors, etc) and the least amount of negative stress possible. It is on the keeper to know if that is one corn snake , a full blown monitor collection, or something in between.

Kudos kudos kudos!