Resuced Hog island boa and a few questions - Page 5

acidonangles · 08-18-16, 08:07 PM

I think my scale might be ****ed(?) I reweighed him and it saying he is around 210 grams this time around. I put a container that fit on the scale with nothing handing over, put him in, and it was bouncing between 200-220. And he is indeed almost 3'3"

bigsnakegirl785 · 08-19-16, 11:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by acidonangles

I think my scale might be ****ed(?) I reweighed him and it saying he is around 210 grams this time around. I put a container that fit on the scale with nothing handing over, put him in, and it was bouncing between 200-220. And he is indeed almost 3'3"

Ok that weight sounds a lot better. Still low, but better. If SerpWidgets says he's 3'3", he could be as large as 3.5'. I don't put much stock in SW, it's usually off by 2"-4" (I've had it be off by over a foot before). If you measured him by hand then that's a more accurate measurement.

At 3'3", a jumbo mouse is probably best, at most a weaned rat. Just feed one of those every 2-3 weeks until he puts on a little weight. Small rats will definitely be too large for the time being, I'd wait until he's 4'+ for those.

acidonangles · 08-19-16, 11:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bigsnakegirl785

At 3'3", a jumbo mouse is probably best, at most a weaned rat. Just feed one of those every 2-3 weeks until he puts on a little weight. Small rats will definitely be too large for the time being, I'd wait until he's 4'+ for those.

I usually order my f/t feeders online so I might order some weaned rats and small rats. Or is that not a good idea?

bigsnakegirl785 · 08-19-16, 11:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by acidonangles

I usually order my f/t feeders online so I might order some weaned rats and small rats. Or is that not a good idea?

Unless you have a snake on smalls, I'd stick to the weaned rats. My sunglow girl is about your snake's length and she's still on jumbo mice as weaned rats are still a tad too large for her. Last I measured her she was 3' even but she could have grown a few inches. Hence why I advised getting both jumbo mice and weaned rats, if your snake is underweight it's probably not going to have a lot of girth, but since it could be bigger than what SW is saying, it could potentially still take weaned rats. I would get jumbo mice and weaned rats, and see which one is more appropriate. It should leave at most a small bulge with no scale separation, and I'd try for smaller at first if the snake is underweight as you don't want to shock their system. Generally, in cases of underweight snakes, you start out with much smaller prey items than normal and slowly work up.

**Minkness** · 08-19-16, 11:48 AM

A weaned or small small rat would be better and should be offered once every 7 days. Once he is about 4-4.5 feet then you can do 1 med every 2 weeks.

bigsnakegirl785 · 08-19-16, 12:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Minkness

A weaned or small small rat would be better and should be offered once every 7 days. Once he is about 4-4.5 feet then you can do 1 med every 2 weeks.

If the snake is underweight, it's best for them to go with a smaller meal. Small rats are too large for a 3' snake, I doubt it could get one down. They should be aiming for the smaller meal until the snake gains some weight.

Smalls are good for boas around 4', mediums 5'-6'.

bigsnakegirl785 · 08-19-16, 12:07 PM

Also, a small rat is 21-38% of the snakes weight. That's ridiculous to be advising.

**Minkness** · 08-19-16, 12:08 PM

That's why I said small small. It wasn't a typo. Not all sized rats are equal. And at this point rats would be better because of the higher content of fat vs an adult retired breeder mouse (which is what jumbo mice are).

So, same size/weight as a jumbo mouse with a better nutrient load.

bigsnakegirl785 · 08-19-16, 12:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Minkness

That's why I said small small. It wasn't a typo. Not all sized rats are equal. And at this point rats would be better because of the higher content of fat vs an adult retired breeder mouse (which is what jumbo mice are).

So, same size/weight as a jumbo mouse with a better nutrient load.

Ah didn't see the second small you typed. Honestly, with the weight the snake is throwing, and the fact jumbos are smaller with a slightly higher fat content (not enough to be dangerous), I think jumbos will be the better option.

The snake is definitely underweight. The body tone looks fine, but my 3' girl just weighed in at 302 grams after a massive poop, and my 3.5'-4' girl is 502 grams, so slow and steady for this one.

Smaller meal, so as not to shock their system, and a fat content to help them gain weight. Weaned rats are also a good option, but only if it's not leaving a large bulge. Again, don't want to shock their system.

**Minkness** · 08-19-16, 12:22 PM

Well, I am not speaking as a boa expert, just my own limited experience and the knowledge I have picked up talking to breeders and other owners.

At this point it is up to the OP/owner what he chooses to feed now that he has some facts and varied opinions to consider.

acidonangles · 08-19-16, 04:11 PM

Again thank you everyone for all of your thoughts. opinions, and suggestions. I feel safer feeding smaller prey until I know how big he can actually go. Also one last question for the time being. You guys have any clue what type of snake he is? A Hypo for sure but I'm not sure how to word this, my bad, but what type of boa? If that makes any sense.