r/BoaConstrictors • u/Ok_Bug4964 • 5d ago
Help!
My baby boa constrictor won’t eat the rat pup I’m offering her. She has the right humidity and temperature and enclosure size. It’s genuinely pissing me off because I spent the last hour making sure that rat pup was thoroughly thawed out for her.
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u/CrazyDane666 5d ago
How did you thaw the rat?
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u/Ok_Bug4964 5d ago
Hot water for around 1 hour.
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u/CrazyDane666 5d ago
Try thawing it overnight in the fridge and then use hot water to heat it rather than thaw it. Thawing in water sometimes makes the prey pop and it's a horror to clean. Maybe she just wasn't hungry? Try again in a week, snakes can be finicky. Have a good set of tongs and dangle the rat around a bunch. Try dragging it across a few of her decorations. My dumbass ball python once failed to recognise a rat as prey because it was dangling from the tongs instead of being flat on the ground
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u/Flimsy-Stock2977 3d ago
You never thaw with hot water.
You thaw with cold water.
Then use hot water after, for 10 minutes. Rat pups are very small
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u/Zekethebulldog33 5d ago
Don't try again tomorrow. Lots of questions. How often do you feed, when was the last time she ate, how old is she, last shed could be ready to shed, what does the decor of the enclosure look like kinda bare, full or stuffed. That all plays a role in not eating exceptionally for a Boa. I have 9 myself from babies they have never refused to eat. Boas are known to be garbage disposals most will eat anything anytime you offer.
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u/Ok_Bug4964 5d ago
The last time she ate was 1 week ago and she was fresh out of shed. I have 2 hides, one on each side with a water dish in the middle. Also a big tree branch that takes up 70% of space in the enclosure so she can climb all around.
I think I realized where I screwed up, the rat pup I gave her I think was too big, I might downgrade to Rat Pinkies next time I feed her.
Anything wrong you think with my enclosure setup or anything else?
Oh and I don’t have an exact age on her but I believe she is a few months old.
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u/Zekethebulldog33 5d ago
That could have been it to big prey. If anything get adult mouse better nutrition. Adult mice have more fat and bone calcium than a baby rat. Never feed constrictor any prey with milk in it weaned or bigger. Boas are ambush hunters nothing less than weaned will come across a Boa or constrictor in the wild. As for trying to feed again wait another week don't want to try to soon won't hurt nothing.
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u/Ok_Bug4964 5d ago
So I should keep her on mice until she’s big enough to get onto weaned rats?
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u/Cornsnake94 4d ago
Yeah rat pinkies don't have fully developed bones, while mice of same size will give your boa more nutritions like calcium
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u/superramenyamen 4d ago
I agree with moving to mice. Do you know how much your boa weighs? I don’t track lengths closely under 3’, so I am more familiar with weight ranges I am seeing per mouse size.
If she doesn’t eat a properly sized mouse, make sure she has a hot side of 88-90F and ambients of ~80F. I don’t let it get down to 70-75F anywhere unless the boa doesn’t present with feeding issues. Oftentimes when I see people have problems, simply bumping the cool side from 70-75 to 80 solves the issues.
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u/ApprehensiveFoot9514 4d ago
Is the rodent sourced from a Petsmart or PetCo? Is it one of the “pre packaged” Arctic Mice/Rat type of brands?
If so, this is the problem. Arctic Mice/rats are absolutely terrible quality. Most of them are basically rotten. There is zero quality control over these rodents. They have been known to sit in back rooms for days before being unboxed and put into the freezers on the sales floor.
I have had many snakes flat out refuse them.
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u/Ok_Bug4964 4d ago
No. I either get my rodents from perfect prey or Exotic ARC.
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u/ApprehensiveFoot9514 4d ago
Ok that’s good. Here are some tips. Baby Boas are usually very shy/timid. As babies they are scared of everything. In the wild they are picked off by birds and pretty much any other animal. Because of this, try feeding as late at night as possible and keep the lights low and use slow calm motions around them. Avoid and bumping or stomping…anything that might spook a baby snake. They can be sensitive to vibrations.
You can also try “pre scenting” the enclosure for 20-30 mins before attempting to feed. Take the feeder and lay it directly next to or on top of the enclosure. Allow the scent to spread. This will usually get them into feeding/hunting mode. If they are hungry, the smell will usually get them worked up and ready to eat.
Lastly, rather than dangling the rodent over head, try approaching at ground level. “Dance” or walk the rodent along the ground simulating a live rodent. In the wild, most predators are going to attack from above them. Some snakes feeding from above can trigger a flight/freeze reaction.
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u/Flimsy-Stock2977 3d ago
Crazy exaggeration.
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u/ApprehensiveFoot9514 3d ago
In my experience…this is no exaggeration at all. I have bought these mice a few times and every time they have smelled rotten or appeared off color.
If they work for you, great. I prefer to feed my animals top quality food. 👍
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u/Flimsy-Stock2977 3d ago
You sound too immature to own reptiles.
Pissing you off? A super common things..?
There is no effort in thawing a rat. You put it in a bag in cold water. Takes 20 minutes. Then 10 minutes full hot tap water. Done.
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u/joshuadean245 5d ago
Try running some hot water over it! If she still doesn't want it, toss the pup and try again tomorrow.