What do your adult sand boas eat?

Tigergenesis · 06-01-04, 04:05 PM

I'm wondering what your adults eat and how often.

My Saharan and roughscale are each 3 years old. They stopped eating for a bit and have now started back. Right now they are getting live hoppers every other week - I prefer to feed multiples as opposed to a single large prey to my snakes. Plus, since they had stopped eating I had better luck with getting them to start back to eating on smaller prey. I was just curious what size, how many and how often others feed there adults.

Stockwell · 06-01-04, 06:41 PM

Boy, I run into you everywhere tiger .. We'll have to stop meeting this way...LOL
You probably already know my answer...
I feed live most of the time, to most of my Sandboas.
Even young Kenyans get fuzzies, and adult Kenyans get adult mice.
I have a big Johnii that has eaten small rats, but usually medium to large mice.
Most of my adult sand boas will take dead if I wiggle it around in front of them, but Conicus are tough.. they really do much better on live food all the time, and they need to be hot, up near 90F to have an appetite.

Tigergenesis · 06-01-04, 06:48 PM

Quote:

Boy, I run into you everywhere tiger .. We'll have to stop meeting this way...LOL

LOL. While I'd prefer to get them on frozen/thawed, I'm concentrating on getting them to eat regularly for now. I may try the FT switch later, but if it must be live I'll give them what they need. Stubborn little kids. My Kenyan took to FT no problem.

How often do you feed your adults Roy?

BoidKeeper · 06-01-04, 06:50 PM

My aneries are not adults yet but close. My male went off food this year for 11 weeks! He eats F/T mice and my female eats F/T fuzzie rats.
Cheers,
Trevor

Stockwell · 06-01-04, 08:31 PM

Tiger, I try to feed my females once a week prior to ovulation, sometimes twice a week or two adult mice at once. I don't have a precise schedule, but if you want lots of babies you need to pack a fair bit of food into them. Usually once they are heavily gravid they wont eat, although I've had them take food just a few days before dropping. If varies.
The males are another story.. Some of mine only get food maybe 6 times a year.. They don't usually eat once they smell a ripe female.
They go nuts in fact trying to get out of their trays.. I watch for that and its a sign the females must be ovulating... They seem to know even from several feet away.
After females drop, I also stuff them up, with weekly feedings as they slow down in winter when I drop the temps, sometimes going 2 or 3 weeks without eating.
while I got you on the blower here.. check out this gravid conicus..what a beast. She should drop in a couple weeks.

Brian Petersen · 06-02-04, 12:02 AM

Hi Roy.

Is it normal for your conicus to lay that way before they drop.?
I had a female that laid on her back just like most pythons will.
I thought se was gone, but gladly not.

Regards Brian

Stockwell · 06-02-04, 01:53 AM

Hi Brian. Yeah, she does that every year, and you're right it is similar to Python behaviour.
Some of my Kenyans do that too.
In this pic its probably exagerated a bit, because she had a big piece of bark over her and that is why she looks twisted. She loves to go upside down under the bark. That spot is 92F by the way
regards
r

Brian Petersen · 06-02-04, 03:51 AM

Hi Roy.

Me female laid on her back but under the bedding. my boxes are transparent and i looked at the underside as i normaly do to brief check the snakes. Then i saw her back and had to look closer.
My hot spot is about 32-34 Celcius.

Regards
Brian

Tigergenesis · 06-02-04, 06:09 AM

Roy that girl is huge! Best of luck with her and thanks for sharing.