head size compared to body size

metamorph0sis · #1 (**permalink**) 11-19-2002, 04:24 AM

i just read a post regarding head size compared to body size, and how it can help determine if your snake is over- or underfed. well i have a question... my BCI male is 5 yrs old and 6' long. i feed him 1 large rat every 2 weeks, and i always try to get one that's slightly smaller than his girth, never more. well compared to the size of his body, his head seems small to me. he always eats readily, has never regurged, has regular poops & sheds. i have noticed, however, that his head has gotten bigger recently. is it possible that sometimes it takes a little while for their head to catch up to the rest of them? i've had him on that feeding regimen since he hit 4', and don't see any reason why he would have gotten "obese." any opinions? i'd say at his widest he has a diameter of ~4", but he's not in front of me and i don't have a ruler anyway. about how big should his head be now?? (sorry if this is in the wrong forum... i couldn't decide where to put it!)
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cb76 · #2 (**permalink**) 11-19-2002, 04:41 AM

you should feed the boa a rat that has about the same girth! that will leave a nice size bulge inhim, but it wont be retarted and it wont put any unecessasry stress on his innards.
also, 7-10 would be better.

thats my opinion though, you wanna go for maximum growth potential. either way you are giving him a great diet.

post a pic so we can see!

whn you see a pin head, you'll know. you will see a long body, usually thick, but not like you'lll see whan an adult, with a teeny head!

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JuliusSqueezer · #3 (**permalink**) 11-19-2002, 07:54 AM

I dunno cb....a 5 year old 6 foot boa...male...every 2 weeks is all I feed mine too...but I breed and it's best to keep breeder males lean....they get lazy when they get fat and you want your males to roam. I would feed 2 rats at least every other feeding though...and it is quite OK like cb said to feed a little bigger rats.
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skadiwolf · #4 (**permalink**) 11-19-2002, 03:08 PM

one thing you can do is go into your bathroom and fill the tub about halfway with hot water. keep the door closed and allow the room to fill with steam. (WE ARE NOT BATHING THE SNAKE HERE AT ALL!) at the point where there's lots of nice, hot steam in the room, take your snake in there (wear light clothing...grin) and sit with it in a towel on your lap.

the snake will probably enjoy this pretty well, it seems to be popular. [img]modules/Forum/images/smiles/icon_smile.gif[/img] in anycase, the hot steam in the air will help moisture get into the snake's skin and any loose stuff. the towel he can crawl around it will help pull it off. you can also make the towel slightly damp as well but do NOT soak it in hot water...lukewarm at the very warmest.

another tip to see whether your snake is overweight is to look at its body/tail area. the tail technically starts directly after the vent. well, if there's a bulge on the one side of the vent like he's 'pudgy' and his fat is kinda pushing up...then the tail at the vent area will be significantly thinner than his other body mass. ideally, unless it's a particularly fat snake, the tail should be mostly streamlined in proportion to the rest of the body.

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metamorph0sis · #5 (**permalink**) 11-19-2002, 09:40 PM

jules - if i feed 2 rats in one feeding, should they still both be as big as his girth?
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cb76 · #6 (**permalink**) 11-19-2002, 10:34 PM

if you feed 2 rats the size of his girth, that would be a double feeding. feed multple animals if they are smaller. a few smaller animals combined that will equal the girth of the large.

ex. if the boa eats a colrat, 4 or 5 smaller rats may due, or 3-4 mediums, or 2 larges. with the sas people i deal with 2 larges = 1 col rat.

i breed too julies! in fact my largest male is a bci 10 footer. he weighs a lot too! he is a star. every yr for the last 4 yrs multiple females (i got him from a friend). its from his that i have the largest litters!

i go for maximum growth, personally. i do agree that some of the younger slimmer boas are better breeders, but not always [img]modules/Forum/images/smiles/icon_biggrin.gif[/img] they will always breed.
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talon · #7 (**permalink**) 11-19-2002, 11:00 PM

I agree with trying to kepp the males smaller and or close to the same size as the female since they are dominant in breeding. But i wouldn't reccomend feeding an adult boa every week unless you are going for max size like cb7. I have a feww i feed every week to build a BIGGIN' and I have others i feed every teen amount of days 13-19 (aproximately).
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nomadbean · #8 (**permalink**) 11-19-2002, 11:09 PM

I feed my adult BCI every week because the prey here is smaller than she needs and she will NOT eat 2 animals on the same day. So, she gets a prey item every week unless I luck out and find a monster rat that will actually give her a bulge. The rest of her food leaves such a small bulge I cannot even see it an hour later. Just how I do things here, until I get the space for a rat colony and can breed them myself. I have even looked into rabbits, but I do not have the heart yet to feed rabbits(they are just so cute and cuddly) I will soon though because I have a burm growing like a weed that will soon require rabbits.
Trina
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jpaulson · #9 (**permalink**) 11-19-2002, 11:38 PM

It sounds to me that the snake is a little underfed, but by no means at a harmful level. Snakes can go weeks and months without eating. If you are concerned with body versus head size, then increase feeding to 1 prey equal to body girth at largest point once per week. The most common concern with head vs body size is in overfeeding. If you over feed, then the body will get much larger then the head, in proportion. Feed once per week and you will be fine, and the snake will look more proportional. Keep in mind, though, that not all snakes are the same, even if the same species and class. Variations can occur in snakes just as much as humans. Why do some people have large heads and others smaller? That is for God to decide. Good luck!!
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