Or you might have to feed the snake small to medium-sized rabbits. This can create all sorts of health problems, and it can also shorten the life of the boa constrictor.įor larger boas, you may need to offer two rats at every feeding. When you combine an overzealous feeding schedule with the lack of activity that's inherent in a captive environment, you often end up with an obese snake. There's a high likelihood of this problem among keepers who insist on 'power feeding' their boa constrictors. This kind of feeding schedule will ensure that your snake gets the proper nutrition, while avoiding obesity at the same time.īoa constrictors that are overfed can become obese, just like humans can. In these later years, you can feed your boa constrictor an appropriately sized meal once every 10 to 15 days. After that, the growth rate will slow down considerably.

But if the rat or mouse is much larger than the snake, you will probably have a situation where the boa constrictor regurgitates the meal.īoa constrictors grow the fastest during their first three years of life. If the rodent is slightly larger than the boa constrictor's mid body area, the snake should do fine with the meal.

You don't need to get out a tape measure for this process. So when you compare the diameter of the mouse or rat to the diameter of the snake's body, they should be similar in size. The thickest part of the boa constrictor is in the middle of its body. At this stage, I recommend that you feed your baby snake one appropriately sized meal per week.Īn 'appropriate' size means that the rodent is about the same width as the snake's thickest part. Baby boa constrictors grow at a faster rate than adults, so they need more frequent meals. My question is, how often should I feed my boa constrictor to ensure its health, and what should I feed it?'ĭepending on the age of the snake, you can feed it anywhere from once a week to twice a month. I've read a lot of different things online regarding boa constrictors and how often they should eat. The one thing I'm not sure about is feeding frequency.

I've been reading about the basic care requirements for boa constrictors, and I believe that my habitat is set up properly. Question: 'I recently brought home a baby boa constrictor from a reptile show.

© 2019, Brandon Cornett | All rights reserved The established populations can potentially impact native species on a local level.Reptile care > Boa constrictors > Feeding How Often Should I Feed My Boa Constrictor? This animal is a threat to native animals, as it feed son lizards, birds, and mammals both on the ground and in trees. For these boas it is thought that a reptile distributor released several hatching boas intentionally in south Florida in an attempt to establish a population in the Everglades. There is also the possibility of snakes escaping when facilities are destroyed by hurricanes. These large constrictors are very common in the pet trade and it is thought that their establishment is from animals being released or escaping from pet owners and distributors. There are established populations which have been breeding and self-sustaining for over 10 years. The common boa constrictor was first reported wild in Florida in 1990. In Florida there is a population of boas living in the wild. Boas are very common in the pet trade, but similarly to the burmese pythons they grow quite large and can become a handful to take care of - especially when dealing with an individual who is not well socialized of friendly.

Full grown boa constrictor