# My boa stop eating



## jacksp (Mar 27, 2021)

Hello guys, wishing you health,wealth and happiness in the new year!!I want to ask about a problem with my boa the last 1,5 month stop eating and all night try to find something I think.. I have 33c basking spot and 23c at cold side normal humidity, before 1,5 month my boa open the glass and come out for half hour on his own I find him near to his cage calm,I take him put him inside I find a glass lock but after this won't eat.i try to hear clicking sounds or mucus no he is ok,no fat loss but every afternoon he is in front of his enclosure


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## Malc (Oct 27, 2009)

Assuming his habitat is fine and nothing else has changed then perfectly normal for a mature (3 years +) male boa to go off feed this time of year.... Its in breeding more rather than feeding mode.


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## jacksp (Mar 27, 2021)

Malc said:


> Assuming his habitat is fine and nothing else has changed then perfectly normal for a mature (3 years +) male boa to go off feed this time of year.... Its in breeding more rather than feeding mode.


He is 2 years old is like puberty?if I see height loss sure I take him to vet but he is the same


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## Jibbajabba (Jan 31, 2011)

Is it the lighting or is his belly slightly pink ish ? If so he might be going into shed ... But as I say - hard to see.


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## jacksp (Mar 27, 2021)

Jibbajabba said:


> Is it the lighting or is his belly slightly pink ish ? If so he might be going into shed ... But as I say - hard to see.


Yes a little bit and I raise the humidity,but I never have a problem with this even with shadow eyes he eat as pig.
I believe that the winter slow him down,I see this sometimes with leopard gecko that stop eating for 1,2 months,even if temperature is the same all the year. The first 2 years I believe that is a health problem,but after some search I see that they can understand barometric pressure.
but I want a answer and if someone have the same,the only that I wasn't write is that I close the front of the cage with a towel because I don't want to stress him,I don't handle him and I only change water and the house was steady to 21-23c


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## Jibbajabba (Jan 31, 2011)

> The first 2 years I believe that is a health problem


Not sure where that comes from but nah, if everything is ok like temps and humidity then not eating isn't necessarily a health problem ... Longest a snake got through a phase of not eating was a royal / ball back in the day that went without food for 13 months. 

If he is two years then he is old enough to go without food for a while. IF he starts to lose weight - then it might be worth taking him to a vet, but if he is otherwise healthy, give it time. Personally I don't see any reason to force / assist feed unless it is a freshly born / hatched snake that doesn't want to start off feeding. At all. 

Just give it some time and try again in a week or two ... Also if you can, maybe try different food. 

What else you feeding and how often ?


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## jacksp (Mar 27, 2021)

Jibbajabba said:


> Not sure where that comes from but nah, if everything is ok like temps and humidity then not eating isn't necessarily a health problem ... Longest a snake got through a phase of not eating was a royal / ball back in the day that went without food for 13 months.
> 
> If he is two years then he is old enough to go without food for a while. IF he starts to lose weight - then it might be worth taking him to a vet, but if he is otherwise healthy, give it time. Personally I don't see any reason to force / assist feed unless it is a freshly born / hatched snake that doesn't want to start off feeding. At all.
> 
> ...


I offer him a 150 rat every other week just to leave a small lump for 1 day.i can t find quail or chick to this gramms,chicks are smaller quails are bigger,we haven't so much variety but ok maybe is a hunger strike.
no he isn't lose weight maybe he is more close to normal boa shape.i watch him close and this is the first winter that I have a complete setup with no heat loss,before one year I make it and find problems and make mods on enclosure


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## Malc (Oct 27, 2009)

Despite the rumours, boa's are not dustbins and will eat anything and everything at any time... They do have fasting periods, and that can be down to seasonal changes, maturity, or husbandry. From the image it looks like you are using a lamp or Ceramic heater, can you confirm this, and can you state what temperature you are getting at the warm side under the element / lamp. Can you also confirm the heating is on 24 / 7 (naturally if you are using a lamp then this will deprive the snake of warmth through the night time when the lamp is off, which is not ideal).

Snakes like all other creatures mature at different rates. It is breeding season and it could be (as mentioned above) that the snake is off food and feels more horny than hungry. My boa left me two nice sperm plugs in his water bowl yesterday, which confirmed my suspicions as to why he hasn't eaten for two months.


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## jacksp (Mar 27, 2021)

Malc said:


> Despite the rumours, boa's are not dustbins and will eat anything and everything at any time... They do have fasting periods, and that can be down to seasonal changes, maturity, or husbandry. From the image it looks like you are using a lamp or Ceramic heater, can you confirm this, and can you state what temperature you are getting at the warm side under the element / lamp. Can you also confirm the heating is on 24 / 7 (naturally if you are using a lamp then this will deprive the snake of warmth through the night time when the lamp is off, which is not ideal).
> 
> Snakes like all other creatures mature at different rates. It is breeding season and it could be (as mentioned above) that the snake is off food and feels more horny than hungry. My boa left me two nice sperm plugs in his water bowl yesterday, which confirmed my suspicions as to why he hasn't eaten for two months.


I have ceramic and on probe is 33c i use lamp only for photoregulation and for photo before it close.Now is the first day that I see him in cork bark hide after 1.5 month the other days he sitting out of the hides all day and at night trying to find something..
before this situation I believe that boas are a little bit dustbins because until now we had feeding schedule,before my boa I keep tarantulas and leopard geckos and I see that some months of the year don't want to eat for different reasons and you must be tricky or patient,now I know


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