Boa Feeding Tips - 7 Hints For Tempting Snakes to Eat

Boa Feeding Tips - 7 Hints For Tempting Snakes to Eat

Boa Constrictors one are the most commonly kept snakes, and with expedient reason. They tend to develop agreeable pet as they are docile, easy to handle, and have modest care requirements. They are also generally agreeable feeders, usually taking defrosted rodents without anxiety.

Some boas however, particularly wild caught specimens, can be problematic to wean onto defrosted prey. Having a snake which refuses to eat can be extremely frustrating, but there is usually no need for anguish. If the boa is otherwise healthy it can go for mighty amounts of time between meals.

If your snake is refusing to eat, monitor its weight, and follow these tips to succor earn your boa feeding readily and easily.

1. Feed appropriately sized prey: All species of boa can be fed exclusively on rodents in captivity. They type and size of prey is entirely dependent on the size of the snake. Neonates may be started on pinky (day mature) mice, and the prey size should gradually increased as the snake grows. dinky, through medium, to spacious mice should be followed by rats, and even rabbits for larger boas. The key is to offer prey no larger than the girth of the snake to avoid straining the boa's digestive system.

2. Feed your boa at regular intervals: How regularly you offer prey items will depend on the age and size of your boa. For most species, neonates should be fed weekly, while adults can be fed fortnightly since it takes them longer to digest the larger meal. Boa with tiresome metabolisms however, such as the Emerald Tree Boas, only need feeding every 21 days.

3. Defrost the rodents safely: While pinkies and shrimp mice can be safely defrosted at room temperature, larger items will win longer, increasing the chance of bacterial growth. To safely defrost prey items, residence in the a refrigerator overnight, sealed in a plastic tub. Before feeding, warm them slightly for 30 minutes under a lamp, or reach a radiator. Always ensure that prey is thoroughly defrosted, and avoid using a microwave which will partially cook the prey.

4. Tempt your boa with defrosted prey first: If your boa won't choose defrosted prey on its bear, try leaving it undisturbed in the vivarium overnight. Another trick is to try leaving the prey, and the snake, in an unfurnished plastic tub for an hour. If neither of these methods work, you should try 'tempting' the boa with the prey. Either employ a long pair of forceps and dangle the prey in front of the snake, or fall the rodent on the floor of the vivarium, and gently wiggle it with a stick. With a slight patience this is often enough to fetch a boa eating. 5.The 'bait and switch' method: If the above methods have failed, you can try using a freshly killed mouse. Dangle it with the forceps, and try to net the boa to strike. Once in feeding mode, you can swap in a defrosted rodent.

6. Offering freshly killed prey: If, after a number of attempts with the above methods, you really can't win your boa eating defrosted rodents, try offering one which is freshly killed. If your snake takes the prey, try offering a miniature defrosted rodent immediately afterwards. Often, once the boa is already in feeding mode, it will capture the defrost, and once a boa has eaten one defrosted rodent, it will steal more in the future. If this fails at first, the next time you feed the snake, possess a defrosted rodent against the half swallowed unique raze. This can be enough to trick the boa into eating both, and again, once they have taken a single defrost it is easier to feed more in the future.

7. Offering live prey: Only if all of the above methods have failed should live prey be offered. A live rodent has bewitching teeth and claws, and can seriously harm a snake. Never leave live prey in with your boa for more than 15 minutes, and never unattended. retain a stop examine and be ready to catch the rodent hastily if essential.

By following the above methods you should be able to tempt unbiased about any boa to eat, and slowly to wean them onto defrosted food. Once taking defrost, try to retain them on it unless absolutely principal.

In the rare cases where all the the above methods fail, and a boa is losing weight, it may be well-known to force feed. This is a stressful, and perilous arrangement of feeding which should only be attempted by experienced herpetoculturists and is beyond the scope of this article. If you win to the stage where force feeding is significant, consult your veterinarian, or earn an experienced keeper via your local herpetology center. However, with patience and the methods outlined above you're unlikely to ever need to resort to that.