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Baby Columbian Boa Concerns

Dakota314

Dakota314

Addicted
I know a few of you keep boas, and I have a few concerns about my new guy.

He is about 9 months old. I got him about a month ago. I let him be for 5 days to settle in, then fed him on the 6th day. He ate the f/t within a couple of hours, and all seemed to be going well. In another 8 days he ate again. Last week he refused to eat, and I figured oh well I'll just try again next week. Tomorrow is feeding day so we'll see if he eats.

My first concern is this: He hasn't pooped since I got him. He doesn't even have a bulge near his vent. I was thinking about giving him a bath to encourage him to go, but I don't know if I should. Here is my second concern: He went into blue on Saturday, June 23rd. I had to leave town for a couple of days on the 24th, so I'm not sure when he cleared up. My dad was in chrage of taking care of all the animals. No shed from Musket while I was gone. This is why I'm not sure if I should give him a bath, I don't want to mess up his shed. Is it normal that he hasn't shed yet?

Hot side temp is 85-87 on the glass, where he usually stays. I have a moist towel over about 2/3 on the screen lid to raise humidity, because that's what his past owners did. Humdity ranges from 50-70. He always has fresh water, he is being kept on aspen.

The first time I fed him, I fed him in his tank. I left the mouse on a plate in his tank. Do you think maybe he dragged it off the plate and got some aspen on it? I really hope he doesn't have a blockage. The second time I fed him I fed him in a different container.

If you can address any of my worries I really appriciate it.
 
I'm most certainly not the most experienced/knowledgeable about boas, but I do have a couple of thoughts that may help.

It sounds like his hot side temps are too low... For Colombian Boas/BCIs, the general recommendation is 88-92 on the hot spot. I personally keep my two BCIs' heat pads at 90F with good results. The low temps would explain why he spends all his time directly on top of the heat, may have something to do with the food refusal, and might also have something to do with the lack of poop. So, you may want to try bumping the heat up a few degrees.

Is there a possibility the food you're giving him is too small? That would certainly affect how much and how often he poops. If you have weight/length measurements and/or a picture that shows his size/girth well, some of the more experienced boa keepers here may be able to help figure out whether your mice are the right size for him or not.
 
Raise the temps up to 87-92 F range.
Aside from that, a month is not a whole lot, I don't see a need for concern.
 
Agreed with Kokopelli, sounds normal to me. Dastan only "goes" once in a while (I don't keep track). The only time I give him a bath is when he's been soaking a lot and I can't find any poop after. Feeding in the cage is a good idea for boas, you don't want to worry about moving an adult boa back into his cage after dinner time. Being bit by a corn in feed mode doesn't compare to being bit by a boa in feed mode.
Dastan has been fed in his cage his whole life (he's 2 now) and 90% of the time I don't need a hook to get him out.
 
Thanks everyone. I was getting worried. So it's normal for them to go months without pooping? Do you think he will shed soon?
 
He shed last night. :) All in one piece.

Here's a picture of him and his mouse. Good size?

20120706200251.jpg


He is an enthusiastic eater :)

20120706203609.jpg
 
Here's the thing. I wiggled it for him, and he attacked it, constricted it for about 30 minutes, and tryed to eat it. But he couldn't find the head or something. So I let him be for about an hour, checked on him and he still hadn't eaten. So I wiggled it again and he attacked it again. I let him be for about an hour and a half, and he still hadn't eaten. So I put him back in his tank and I guess I'll try again next week. At least he's interested in the food.
 
Sometimes if my picky boa does not seem all that interested in eating food, I warm the rodent up a little. Also, you can try to see if the boa likes rats better than mice. At some point you will have to switch to rats anyways. Lucky for me most of my boas will eat anything I give them (rats, mice, chicks).
 
Ok thanks. I have some rats in the freezer, but they are a little big. I'll go pick up some smaller ones next week.
 
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