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Rabbit Alternative
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by TheFifthDay on December 25, 2009
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Hey guys,
I've got a large boa that won't eat rabbits.. She'll eat rats all day, but won't touch a rabbit. And it takes 4 large rats before it looks like she has eaten.
Is there another prey item I could feed her?
Thanks,
Jon Short
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RE: Rabbit Alternative
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by Buzztail1 on December 25, 2009
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2 Large (Jumbo) Rats is plenty of a meal for your boa - no matter how big.
Overfeeding is an issue which will shorten the life of just about any snake.
They do not need to look "full".
Just my opinion (and that of my vet).
R/
Karl
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RE: Rabbit Alternative
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by pitbulllady on December 25, 2009
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I agree with Buzztail on this one. I've had 10-foot female Boas, and I fed them jumbo rats, and they maintained a healthy weight in relation to their length just fine. It's really easy to overfeed these snakes, since they don't do much of anything other than sit in a cage, and it will shorten both their life and reduce their ability to breed successfully. Unless you see the snake getting thin, you know that it's getting enough to eat. Some Boas will eat small chickens, but obtaining chickens that are "clean" is easier said than done, and it's likely you will pay much more for chickens or rabbits than for rats.
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RE: Rabbit Alternative
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by pitbulllady on December 25, 2009
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Unless I was going to breed the snake, I fed two jumbo rats every two weeks. Right before breeding I'd up it to two per week, since female Boas will typically stop feeding once they get "knocked up". I just bred an eight-foot female Pastel x Surinam, and she has really good girth on her, but at the most I fed her one jumbo rat per week. She could easily eat a good-sized rabbit, but rats are easier to get and keep in a freezer and I've never seen any reason to switch her to anything else. She's been in her "post-ovulation shed" now for three weeks-still has not shed her skin, and she has not eaten since early November. Her color has completely changed, going from a very light and very pink snake to something that looks like a really dark Central American Boa on steroids! Most Boas will eat pretty much as often as you can feed them, and again, since they are the ultimate in "couch potatoes", they don't burn off any calories, so it just builds up as fat. I like a nice chunky Boa as much as anyone, but when the whole snake starts to become one big fat roll, that's not good. I think a lot of people just want to try to get the biggest Boa that they can, and don't think about the health implications for the animal.
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RE: Rabbit Alternative
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by agkistrodude on December 26, 2009
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I occasionally feed my 10+ foot female small rabbits, and my 7 footers, and my 9 foot JCP too. Only because once in a while a breeder I know get too many of them and sells them to me for a buck apiece. A couple months ago he sold me 30. And they're small, about the size of a jumbo rat or just slightly bigger.Weanlings I guess you could call them. But I still feed rats to them too.If it wasn't for the price he gives me, I'd stick to rats. Take care,Marty
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