|
Small boas will more quickly bulk-up on pre-weaned rats than medium mice (if they are able to correctly digest them). The difference in nutrition between the two besides the average mass (weight) seems to be associated with the average protein vs fat content. Fat, as we know, contains more calories per gram. A pre-wened rat is heavier in fats than a medium mouse.. so it is true that such a meal contains more nutrition than a similar-sized (medium) mouse. The question is more properly phrased "which is better for your developing Boa?" not "which has more calories". Then too is the question of roughage or indigestible matter, it is easy to see that a rat pup has very little compared to a mouse of similar mass.. what are the effects on digestion and gut-function of a constant diet of (the baby boa equivalent of) cheeseburgers? It seems that it may be similar to what such a diet may accomplish with other species.
.
Very little real information is available about the effects of feeding and different food items on longevity, fecundity and health of Boa. Very much anecdotal info suggests that Boas raised more conservatively live longer and reproduce more consistently.. and I agree. Here I watch each boa and see how it is growing and adjust what is being fed, how often and so-on based upon my experiences and expectations for the individual animal. Usually small Boa get fuzzy mice for the first few months and then graduate to larger mice or rat pups.. depending upon the subspecies, locality and how the individual responds they may get more or less feedings of larger or smaller prey.. mice or rats.. but generally speaking it may be months before my baby boas move up to large fuzzy rats, which is what many keepers advocate for first feedings.
.
What is lacking in any rule, checklist or whatever that I've seen is that element of individual attention and care which I believe is so important.. those graphs and care-sheets and schedules are only a baseline not the Bible on boa-care. The oft-repeated mantra "rats are more nutritious" is the same.. perhaps that's true by some definition.. but is a diet of rats actually what your boa needs now, at this point in it's development?
.
Raising Your boa to a long life or long-term reproductive success is as much an art as a science.
.
Gus/Rio Bravo Reptiles.
|
