Greetings snake lovers

[Stargazer]

I am so excited that I finally figured out how to start a thread! I am new to this site and have two RTB's. One is a Guyanan (boy) and one is a Columbian (girl). They are both juveniles who live together in a 40-gallon tank. I am in the middle of a turmoil about whether to separate them. I am asking a lot of experts and getting a lot of mixed advice. The boy just ate a big rat tonight but it took him about an hour. The rat seemed just a little too big for him, so I hope he will do okay with it. He does everything in slow motion. The Columbian girl is just the opposite--extremely busy with places to go and things to do. She is growing much faster than him, and many folks on this site fear she will eventually eat or smother him! Some other breeders I talked to today said that won't happen. I;m still trying to decide cause I don't really have space for another enclosure.

I first started the snake obsession almost 2 years ago when I ventured into a pet store to check out the small furry critters. There was a baby boa in there. I held him and it was love at first site. I ended up buying a baby Guyanan girl. She had major feeding problems early on and died 5 weeks after I got her. I had just named her Juliet before I found her dead. Her cagemate, an older Guyanan boy, was named Romeo by his owners. I buried Juliet in Romeo's back yard. It still makes me sad to think about it. I was pretty devastated and it took about 3 months to decide I wanted another one. The Columbian is very easy to care for. She will eat anything, any time, any place, and never misses a meal, even in the middle of a shed cycle. The Guyanan boy is a little finickier, but he's so sweet and beautiful, he's really worth the effort. I already have 2 cats, and so snakes are a big stretch for me. But I don't understand people who don't like them. They are incredibly beautiful. No matter how big mine get, they have a home for life here. I hope they live to get big, and I hope at that point I will have a partner to help me handle them!!! Love hearing your stories!
Peace out everyone,
Sherri

[Weepngprpht]

cobnrats and welcome to rtb!!

[zsanorah]

Welcome to RTB..May it help you as much as all these wonderful people have helped me =)

[louise]

welcome to RTB! lets see pics of your critters!

[fire_kat]

Welcome to RTB!!!!
Pics are a must.....Please LOL

[Stargazer]

Oh man! I don't have a digital camera but will borrow one for pictures. The little darlings are quite beautiful. I am trying to fatten up my Guyanan boy. He is about 3-1/2 feet long and eating small adult rats pre-killed. I gave him a rather large one. As usual, he did not strike at it but moseyed up to it for about 10 minutes and slowly opened his mouth around the snout. It took him an hour to eat it. Afterward I put him in his cage and he did not move for a long time. I thought maybe he was dead. I hope it is not too big for him. The rat's head was a little bigger than his and its body a little plumper than his. Any suggestions on size of prey and frequency of feedings? He is eating every 10 days to 2 weeks.

Thanks for all the warm welcomes!

[crush]

Welcome to the site. Feed him a rat just a tiny bit bigger then the thickest part of his body. Every 10 days-2 weeks is fine.