will the size of a red tail boa be smaller from pet store?
i heard that a lot of pet stores feed their snakes mice which since it has less nutrition than rats will cause the snake not t grow as fast while its in the pet store.
will this greatly affect the size of the snake after i take it home in the long run and start feeding it rats.
if so how much?
will it still be able to grow full size if under fed early on?
February 25th, 2010 at 12:42 am
Get him on a feeding where they eat once a week. Power feed them. They will grow faster.
February 25th, 2010 at 12:45 am
who do you get information from? that is not right. mice and rats are both used to feed snakes. the only difference is size. what the mouse or rat eats may affect nutritional value way more. most feed mice cause they sell smaller, not adult snakes. they have to eat what is right for the size of the snake.
you need to read way more before you get a snake!!
February 25th, 2010 at 12:55 am
The main difference between rats and mice nutritionally is the fat content. Rats contain more fat than mice so generally they will cause a snake to put on more fat. But this should not affect the overall size of the snake. Anyway most of the boa constrictors sold in pet stores are babies and would be fed mice by anybody because mice are cheaper than rats. You only want to move to rats when your snake is large enough to eat them. Otherwise you can feed several mice at a time.
If possible try purchasing from a breeder. This way you will get more information on the snake as far as its history and feeding habits. You will also get to view the adults. Keep in mind that there are several subspecies of boa constrictor.
Central American boa constrictors only grow 4-6 feet
Columbian boa constrictors grow 6-8 feet
Brazilian, Guayana, and Surinames get 10-14 feet
Most of what’s sold in pet stores are Columbians. But if you buy from a breeder it’ll allow you to make sure you know which you’re getting.