# Boa constrictor weight



## jacksp (Mar 27, 2021)

How can understand if my yearling male common boa is underweight or overweight 






















I feed him every week a 40g weaned rat he is at 400g 3 feet almost. I can t always understand if he is ok sometimes i believe he is sometimes i don't


----------



## Malc (Oct 27, 2009)

Seems OK to me... You may find that he will reach 4' to 5' by the time he's two as they seem to do the most growth in the second year. I would up his mean size to a small rat.

Looking back on my records, my boa was taking XL mice at 12 months, weaner rats at 14 months, small rats when it was 16 months old, moving up to medium rats weekly when it was 24 months 

Hope that helps


----------



## jacksp (Mar 27, 2021)

Malc said:


> Seems OK to me... You may find that he will reach 4' to 5' by the time he's two as they seem to do the most growth in the second year. I would up his mean size to a small rat.
> 
> Looking back on my records, my boa was taking XL mice at 12 months, weaner rats at 14 months, small rats when it was 16 months old, moving up to medium rats weekly when it was 24 months
> 
> Hope that helps


I think we have the same feeding schedule. Now he is 13 months old when i feed a weaner rat every week i see a small lump so i keep it for a couple of weeks and then i raise it.. You keep feedings every week until 24 months old?


----------



## Malc (Oct 27, 2009)

jacksp said:


> I think we have the same feeding schedule. Now he is 13 months old when i feed a weaner rat every week i see a small lump so i keep it for a couple of weeks and then i raise it.. You keep feedings every week until 24 months old?


Yes, weekly feeds.... as I said in the first three years snakes convert most of the food into growth, after 36 months I drop feeding down to once a fortnight and after five years he has a 400-450g rat or a XL quail once every three weeks.


----------



## jacksp (Mar 27, 2021)

Malc said:


> Yes, weekly feeds.... as I said in the first three years snakes convert most of the food into growth, after 36 months I drop feeding down to once a fortnight and after five years he has a 400-450g rat or a XL quail once every three weeks.


Really thanks!! Sometimes i feel confused from reading feeding shedules, numbers, gramms and days of feedings.. Of course i do false at the start with "slowgrowing" feeding technique but i understand it soon because i see the animal (covid give me more time at home) and i change it to normal feeding luckily, so sure i keep it.. Thanks man


----------



## lockas (Sep 29, 2021)

jacksp said:


> How can understand if my yearling male common boa is underweight or overweight
> View attachment 358333
> View attachment 358334
> View attachment 358335
> ...


The only way you can tell if they're overweight or underweight is by looking at their body condition. You want to aim for that typical boa "loaf" shape, so he looks pretty good. When handling them, you should feel muscle and no fat.

The prey size is good, you want to keep it at 10% of their body weight. You're feeding a bit often though, at a year I bump feedings down to every 14 days.

Here's a link to a great feeding schedule Husbandry


----------



## jacksp (Mar 27, 2021)

lockas said:


> The only way you can tell if they're overweight or underweight is by looking at their body condition. You want to aim for that typical boa "loaf" shape, so he looks pretty good. When handling them, you should feel muscle and no fat.
> 
> The prey size is good, you want to keep it at 10% of their body weight. You're feeding a bit often though, at a year I bump feedings down to every 14 days.
> 
> Here's a link to a great feeding schedule Husbandry


Of course is by looking and is my first boa so im always not sure about what i see but the the only that i can say is that he use it not in fat, but for growth. Eat at night and the other day you can't see nothing until he is near to shed , see him more girthy and after shed, poo and "boom" slim, shinny and 2 or 4 cm more long, steady i see it but sometimes i cant say that he is slim or fat. At the start that i have him, i see some false feeding schedules that say "slowgrow" for a 0 to 6 months say 7-10 for 6 to 12 months 10-14 (if i remember well) so i keep it 2 months when he is 5 months old but when im searching i understand that it was wrong and i start to feed him every 7 days and he use it, i see him chill on basking spot, don't search all the time and he is more cool at handling and i think until 1,5 maybe 2 he use it malc said and until 3 years old


----------



## Malc (Oct 27, 2009)

lockas said:


> The only way you can tell if they're overweight or underweight is by looking at their body condition. You want to aim for that typical boa "loaf" shape, so he looks pretty good. When handling them, you should feel muscle and no fat.
> 
> The prey size is good, you want to keep it at 10% of their body weight. You're feeding a bit often though, *at a year I bump feedings down to every 14 days.*
> 
> Here's a link to a great feeding schedule Husbandry


Bit restrictive seeing that is when they do the most of their growing....


----------



## Elly66 (Feb 27, 2021)

lockas said:


> The only way you can tell if they're overweight or underweight is by looking at their body condition. You want to aim for that typical boa "loaf" shape, so he looks pretty good. When handling them, you should feel muscle and no fat.
> 
> The prey size is good, you want to keep it at 10% of their body weight. You're feeding a bit often though, at a year I bump feedings down to every 14 days.
> 
> Here's a link to a great feeding schedule Husbandry


Agree with Malc on this, a year old still needs a weekly feed. They've still got a lot of growing to do and not getting enough nutrition can affect internal structures as much as growth. It's what you can't see you have to think about.

My current adult corn still likes a weekly meal.
My Royal is only a year old, so weekly feed is a must.


----------

