Your one stop reptile community

chrispaine · #1 (**permalink**) 05-12-2004, 10:39 PM

how do you know if a rat is too big for your boa, will it be able to hurt him if it is too big or will he just not be able to eat it and reject it? thanks

keller346 · #2 (**permalink**) 05-12-2004, 10:57 PM

Make sure it is not more than the size of the snakes girth. And I would knock it out first that way it can't hurt the snake.

chrispaine · #3 (**permalink**) 05-12-2004, 11:18 PM

its a little more then the size of the snakes girth..... and hes trying to eat it right now... will he bo ok?... or what could happen... i have herd that he will just reject it if it is too big. thanks.

Ghroller · #4 (**permalink**) 05-13-2004, 12:09 AM

He'll be fine this time, just don't make a habbit of it. Try to stay no larger than his girth

keller346 · #5 (**permalink**) 05-13-2004, 12:09 AM

If it is too big for him he may reject it but also may not and choke

pythonpower · #6 (**permalink**) 05-13-2004, 12:24 AM

just know that if he regurges hes going to be stressed for few days

eddie · #7 (**permalink**) 05-13-2004, 12:35 AM

Depends a lot on the snake..
Some will eat a tad larger just fine and some will try and give up while others will ignore the food.
An easy way to tell is to wet the feeder with water so its' fur sticks to its' body and shows its' true size.

chrispaine · #8 (**permalink**) 05-13-2004, 02:48 AM

thanks... he got it real far.. and then spit it out.. sucks.. now, i sould i wait a few days or can i just feed him like tomarrow night.. and also... (this has happend on a normal size feeder also) his bottom jaw looked a little 'out of shape', is that normal?

pythonpower · #9 (**permalink**) 05-13-2004, 03:12 AM

yah the jaw sometimes looks kinda weriod for a little bit but then it goes back to normal. I would wait a few days and then try feeding again i would also hold of on holding him for a while. Good luck and watch your feeding

savannah_babe · #10 (**permalink**) 05-13-2004, 03:42 AM

if he is having problems regurging the prey, i would suggest sticking to the girth. do you feed live, or frozen? i suggest feeding frozen thawed (f/t) its a lot safer, and healtier. also, when you feed him, (if you arent doing this already) feed him in a seperate container, and try covering it and keeping it quiet during his feeding. put him somewhere where there isnt a lot of traffic, and so on. how much and how often are you feeding him?

Shadrach · #11 (**permalink**) 05-13-2004, 03:51 AM

Whoa hold up a sec regurging and just spitting out the rat are 2 different things. If he started to swallow and spit it out I wouldn't be so hasty as to pull the rat out right away. It could be as something as simple as him rejusting his position on the rat. Some snakes have to go at it a couple times to line the rodent up just right.

pythonpower · #12 (**permalink**) 05-13-2004, 03:54 AM

very true shadrach never thought of that.

chrispaine · #13 (**permalink**) 05-13-2004, 12:17 PM

he has never rejected one befor... it was just too big im sure of it.. i have fed him both f/t and live.. but when i get the live ones .. i kill them for him.. he is a good eater.. and never really has a problem.. so im guessing that is was just to big

eddie · #14 (**permalink**) 05-13-2004, 01:07 PM

Yeah, a spit back out is way different than a regurge or a vomit..
Just wait a few days for the jaw and other muscles to relax and feed again, but with a slightly smaller item.

savannah_babe · #15 (**permalink**) 05-13-2004, 01:30 PM

sorry for the misunderstanding- spit back up..not regurge..yeah they are totally different..heh..

Advertisement