From: pholland@iastate.edu (Paul J Hollander)
Subject: Re: Boa questions
Organization: Iowa State University, Ames, IA
Date: Wed, 29 Jul 1992 16:03:24 GMT

In article <12308@lupine.ncd.com> lemke@verbosa.ncd.com (David Lemke) writes:
>I got my first boa ~6 weeks ago, and have some questions that the
>books don't satisfactorily answer.
>
>Natasha is a 3 foot B. C. Imperator.  Saturday i Fed her 3 mice, 2 live
>(treat) and 1 dead (frozen).  Monday she spat them back up.  The book
>(Philippe de Vosjoli's (sp?) _Red-Tailed Boas_) says its usually due
>to oversize prey, or possbly temperature.  I've fed her this many mice
>several times before with no problems, so I don't think its too much food.
>The temperature hasn't been varied much.  What other causes are there?

I don't think this is too much food either, and it's certainly not from
oversize prey.

Temperature is always something to suspect.  Put a thermometer in the cage
and find out just how warm it is.  Should be 84-88 F for at least the daytime.
Your cage temperature could be just borderline, and the last few days 
could have been just under.  I used to have a Burmese python that would 
eat at 82 F but wouldn't at 81 F.

>I had been handling her for several hours at the time, and she'd had
>a swim just before that.  Will they act like other creatures and get
>motion sickness?  Should i worry (even more)?  She seems pretty happy
>today (the next day).  Should i feed her again immediately, or wait till
>the normal time?

Snakes can get motion sickness and regurgitate.  They are also more likely
to regurgitate if they eat and then have a big drink.  Handling stress 
could be part of it too.  There are also intestinal diseases that could 
cause it.  But I'd suspect temperature first of all.

I'd try feeding one mouse immediately after seeing that the temperature is 
right.

>i'm also curious about feeding regimens.  is there any real reason to
>feed one rat instead of the equivalent number of mice?  (other than 
>economic.)

Reasons for feeding rats instead of mice:
1) economic.
2) the snake will eat rats but not mice.
3) getting more variety into the diet.
4) the snake is too big to eat a mouse.  (Ever see a nine ft Burmese try
to eat a mouse?  *Funny*)

>is it possible to overhandle a snake?  i hold her at least a couple hours 
>each night, longer on weekends.

You might skip or cut down the handling for a day or so after feeding.

>she also seems to have an aversion to water, which seems unusual. i never
>see her in her water bowl, and she doesn't much care for taking baths.
>i have seen her drinking, so she gets what she needs, but isn't this a
>bit wierd?

Part of the aversion to water may be due to its temperature.  I don't like
jumping into icy or hot water either.  I prefer that my snakes do *not*
spend much time soaking in water except at shedding time.  Staying wet for
long periods is a good way to develop skin diseases.  In the wild they can 
come out and dry off in the sun, under the sun's bacteriocidal UV light.
This is not necessarily true in captivity.  I'd call her behavior more 
normal (like the behavior of a wild snake) than is prolonged soaking in 
the water dish.

Paul Hollander    pholland@iastate.edu
Behold the tortoise: he makes no progress unless he sticks his neck out.