I got my new boa today!

[Jessymay52388]

Ok, Raven. To put this matter to an end, I will say this...
I don't want you to change the way you feed your snakes, I personally think the Female Dum is alittle thin. I feed my younger snakes every 7-10 days and the older ones 10-14 days. I feed them according to how much they ate the last time, If one of my snakes still look hungry after a regular meal(ex. Med Rat) I offer an extra smaller item (ex.large Mouse) if they eat it I try something different like 2 big small rats or on of my smaller Med. and a normal Small.
I find this way more fufilling to my snakes, they seem very healthy, and if they do not eat a Reg meal (ex. Med rat) I try a smaller meal and then try a small meal the next time, and another even smaller one or a double small to see if they are ready for normal. I do not let my snakes go obese.
At the moment i am trying to get my new boa Sirius to eat again on Thursday which I think he would eat right now if I gave it to him. I have a good feeding schedule in my opinion and do the same as many of the people I know do. I mostly made my ways after theirs a mixture, and added my own ways in on my 2 poor feeders.
All in All I did not mean to offend you, I am sorry you took it so. I do not appologize about the fact that I countered your TELLING ME 3-4 weeks is GOOD for MY boa. I do not agree because as you may not beable to tell in the photos is thinner than he should be and he needs to gain better muscle mass. He has weak muscles, and is quit under wieght.
Also I do not believe in power feeding, It was suggested to me a million times to people who
arent very good snake keepers, to get my female boa to grow quickly, since she is smaller than she also should be which she eats great and has a large cage.


SORRY THIS WAS SO LONG,


Jessy!
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[Thade]

Dumeril's are known to get obesse and unhealthy if fed as most other boas are. For the most part as babies ((up to about 18 to 24 months of age)) they are fed as other boas, appropriate sized prey, or two if they take it, every 7 to 10 days. But after that time they should be put on a schedule of about a feed per every defication. They look slim to you Jessy because the norm for dumeril's keepers is to feed them as other boas are fed, which is over feeding them. A fat "healthy" dumeril's isn't as healthy as some would like to think. A fat dumeril's may or may not be unhealthy, but it isn't good for them.

For more info on Dumeril's try www.dumerils.com

Raven that pic of your male makes it look like it has a very reduced pattern. Almost looks like a madagascan ground boa. Very pretty snake you have [img]modules/Forum/images/smiles/icon_smile.gif[/img] Can't wait for my 2001 baby to get bigger.

Thade

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[Dr.Oviparous]

well said Thade! a lot of people that keep BCI before they keep Dumeril tend to over feed the Dums by feeding them on the same schedule as thier BCIs. in the wild Dums are ambush feeders, and therefore are A LOT less active snakes compared to BCI. because of this they do not need as much food. a lot of times when people think of Dumerils they think of big bodied snakes, but they really arent supposed to be. my male Dum is 5.5 feet 13 pounds, IMO he is over weight for a Dum. (he was like this when I purchased him) my female is also 5.5 feet 8.5 pounds, and IMO a great weight for a Dum. I belive your Dum looks to be a perfect size Raven. -Juggalo
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	Boa Constrictor Imperator Boa Constrictor (Boa constrictor imperator). Most common is the Colombian Boa.

	In My Opinon IMO = In My Opinion and IMHO = In My Honest Opinion

[Raven]

>>Raven that pic of your male makes it look like it has a very reduced pattern. Almost looks like a madagascan ground boa. Very pretty snake you have [img]modules/Forum/images/smiles/icon_smile.gif[/img] Can't wait for my 2001 baby to get bigger.
>>
>>Thade
>>

Thade,

You're right, they both show a reduced pattern, but especially the male. Per the breeder, they were bred from unrelated lines with the male half of the parental pair showing a distinct zig-zag pattern down the back, not so much the washed out pattern seen with my male. I've since learned that this is what is considered a 'patternless' dumerils by most of the dumerils breeders. And yes, it does look similar to the Madagascar ground boas. At one time, the patternless dumerils were thought to be a cross between the two boas (dumerils & mad. ground) but since has been recognised as a mutation/morph and not the result of cross breeding. The dumerils expressing this trait fit all parameters of the species with the exception of the abnormal patterning. I'm expecting the trait to be genetic with this pair but have several more years before I will consider breeding the pair back to each other (siblings) to prove the trait. If it proves out like I expect, then I will work on purchasing an unrelated pair to outbreed the line. All of it is hypothesis at this point unfortunately. [img]modules/Forum/images/smiles/icon_rolleyes.gif[/img] As with most breeding projects, a good portion of it is waiting. [img]modules/Forum/images/smiles/icon_smile.gif[/img]

Raven
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