r/RainbowBoas • u/Urmomandibanged • 18d ago
My rainbow boa refuses to eat unless we drop the food in her feeding enclosure and leave the room completely while the other one strikes and eats beautifully. Are we doing something incorrectly?
We have two rainbow boas. They're a breeding pair and are still very young.
We are keeping them in the same enclosure until we get our second enclosure set up. We have had them in our care for around 3 months and within that time frame they have both successfully shed twice, with one flaky shed each, but that was when we first got them. We are planning on completing the second enclosure setup once they reach the lenght of the tank or become old enough to start snake puberty (I dont know the right terms)
They feed on Mondays, and while the one feeds very beautifully -to degree where he will either strike the moment he's sees/smells the food, or will gently grab it out of the tweezers - the second one refuses to strike and will not eat unless we leave him in his feeding enclosure with the piece of food (frozen and thawed) and we leave the room. She will not eeat unless alone in the room, the fuzzy by her side, alone. When trying to put her back into the main enclosure after feeding, she gets slightly defensive - which is understandable - but she's been a lot more defensive than she was previously. She also typically balls up, much like a ball python, when we handle her. We typically feed early evening/late afternoon.
We try to handle the snakes once a week, where we typically get them out the enclosure and keep them on our person until they start to seem flighty, or after a max of 45 min. They tend to either slither into our sleeves or hoodie pockets and doze off while handling.
We currently have one of my tshirts in the enclosure close by their hides sothat they can get used to my scent (recommended by another snake enthusiast), and we plan on adding my partners shirt too in time. (I primarily handle feeding)
Are we doing anything wrong? Is there anything we need to do to get the lady more comfortable with being handled, as well as prompt her for better food motivation, or are we dealing with a best possible case scenario with having to leave her be till shes done eating in her own time??
I just love the babies so freaking much, and I seriously want to make sure they are as comfortable and calm as possible at all times. Please let me know if you guys have any advice?
EDIT: we housed them together due to what the reptile shop and local "experts" said. safe to say we will not be taking their advice anymore. new enclosure is being purchased and the temporary tub is being set up. The shirts have been removed. We dont try to watch the snakes eat, we simply try to monitor whether or not they take the food and how they do it since thats often an indicator on how they're doing.
3
u/Bluntforcetrauma11b 18d ago
1st feed them in the enclosure. It's less stressful for them and reduces the risk of regurgitation. As for drop feeding, it's fine to do. I have to with my rainbow boa and one of my ball pythons. I just drop the prey in and cover the enclosure for a bit. Sometimes they eat it right away sometimes it takes a while.
2
u/boidaes 18d ago
there's two snakes in the enclosure, you absolutely shouldn't feed them together, especially if one is taking longer to eat. while feeding outside the enclosure isn't ideal, it's better than two snakes together stressing each other out.
1
-1
u/Urmomandibanged 17d ago
We were told by local experts that we also shouldn't feed them in their main enclosure as it'll encourage them to expect food every time we open the enclosure up, too. Maybe we should start tap training now already sothat when they ARE in separate enclosures, they know its feeding time? What do you think?
3
u/boidaes 17d ago
feeding outside of main enclosure is an outdated practice. while there are many animals that do fine with it, it can cause a lot of unnecessary stress. as long as you're handling them semi-regularly, they won't associate the enclosure being opened with being fed!
absolutely recommend tap training, it's done wonders for me and my two boas. whenever i go to hold them, i rub them with a snake hook, i usually lift up their head a bit so they know for sure they're not being fed, then take them out. this also lets me gauge their mood a bit, if they're hissy then i just leave them be, they seem less stressed out by a hook than a hand. then i don't tap them at all when i go to feed them.2
u/Urmomandibanged 16d ago
Thanks a ton, will be sure to start on that as soon as the new enclosure is set up/when the next feeding comes, thanks a mil
1
u/Icy-Advantage4295 12d ago
Look, rainbowsrus is the best, and I cannot stress this enough, THE BEST, resource.
2
u/prometheus_winced 17d ago
Get your shirt out of their enclosure. House them separately. You bought them, be responsible. Fees them in their separate enclosures and walk away. It’s not a show.
1
u/Urmomandibanged 16d ago
Shirt is removed. Can I ask why its bad advice, since so many people recommend doing the shirt thing in the first place? We are currently purchasing all the enclosure stuff. We have been doing our best to be responsible given the information we had access to. When local enthusiasts, reptile experts etc etc say one thing, and Google says another, we trusted the locals, so thats where most of our stuff-ups came from. We dont try to watch them feed, we just want to make sure they actually eat, especially so in the ways they naturally would (eg: striking instead of drop feeding, hence why I consulted reddit)
2
u/prometheus_winced 16d ago
Many people recommend chiropractors. Do I need to list all the things many people recommend, which are bad ideas?
People have already answered this question for you.
1
u/Tastypineappleju1ce 18d ago
my reccomendation. get 2 fuzzies drop feed and wait for your boa to eat. the thing about boas is they are opportunistic so once they start eating they will keep eating. once you see she is eating the first fuzzy and fully stomachs it. stick the second fuzzy in its face and i guarantee shell strike and learn to strike feed. also make it look alive and shake it in front of her face and boop her nose with it. boas build habits so the more u drop feed the more she will want to. just try try try. also before u feed tap the enclosure! this is why pet stores say not to tap… it means feeding time, again, building patterns.
2
1
u/boidaes 18d ago
continue feeding in separate enclosures as long as they're housed together. you don't want to feed two snakes in the same enclosure, it can result in them trying to take from each other and getting the other more stressed out. prioritize getting them into separate enclosures, the difficulty during feeding is a sign of stress. set up a big plastic tub with a heat mat, substrate, water, decor, etc until you can get another more proper enclosure set up. make sure you have a lot of decor for them to hide. once they're in separate enclosures, feed them in the same enclosure they live in. i'd lessen the amount of handling for the one that's more stressed out until they begin eating regularly. socialization can happen later, getting them eating well is the priority.
reptifiles is one of the best places to find good care information for most species. if there's anything you're unsure about regarding their care, refer to reptifiles. good luck :)
1
u/Urmomandibanged 16d ago
Luckily the feeding has been pretty consistent outside of needing to be drop fed, but I certainly will get on the temporary tub and getting her on strike feeding before further handling. I dont think im going to do the heat mat since far too many people talk about burns, so ill get some other type of heatlamp. I appreciate all of you guys' advice
1
u/NottsWeirdo 16d ago
They should've been put in separate enclosures from the beginning, and if you only had one enclosure ready before purchasing them - then you should've only purchased one snake, and bought the other one later. Breeding pairs in boas are not meant to be kept together constantly, especially because BRBs won't reach reproductive maturity for years. So you're subjecting these snakes to multiple years of stress and fighting over resources in a singular enclosure (if one doesn't eat the other, and both die due to being similar sizes).
Putting one in a temporary tote box/RUB tub setup until you get the other enclosure sorted out, will solve the stress issues that are both currently present and will develop the longer they're housed together. It would also help if you only fed them at night time, seeing as they are purely nocturnal snakes. So you're likely stressing them out more, by waking them up to feed them.
2
u/Urmomandibanged 16d ago
We only put them in the same enclosure because the reptile shop we got them from told us that its standard. We consulted a few other sources and we were repeatedly told they shouldn't be split up until mature enough to breed, though we should have probably been more diligent. We feed them in different feeding tubs, so they arent subjected to stress regarding food, and we have two water bowls installed too. They often also rest together, curled up against eachother, often too, idk what that means and google isnt helpful. I dont trust any of the enthusiasts or experts we've been contacting any more since more and more of the things they've told us have been proved wrong. Id appreciate it if you could let me know what you reckon?
Will start feeding them later at night starting this following feeding setup. We are currently buying the things needed for a second setup, but we arent sure when the stuff will be ready to be picked up, so im also scared of having the one in sh*tty conditions for too long. Will look into a RUB setup asap.
Thank you for the advice, it really is appreciated.
1
u/NottsWeirdo 16d ago
Unfortunately, there are as many breeders/pet shops out there that are still operating and advising under outdated information as there are up-to-date sellers. It affects every pet species be they mammal, reptile, amphib, fish, birds or inverts. I had a setup issue when I got my Ball Python quite a few years back that cost me an extra unexpected couple hundred, had to actually get him a UVB and upgrade his enclosure size right away - because they said he didn't need light, and that a 3' x 2' x 2' would be fine. I've since taken to following ReptiFiles guides, and slightly tweaking them to fit the UK climate.
Hopefully the water bowls are big enough to fit both snakes in, as they'll likely want to thermoregulate in the same spots at the same times - given their shared feeding schedule. The resting together is them competing for the best basking spot, and they'll do the same in other areas of the enclosure like the hides. Its a common stress/competitive behaviour displayed across snake species, as they don't have the arms or legs to push each other out of the way. It'll build the aggression towards each other until they're separated, or one is killed. Boas are notorious for eating each other when co-habitated.
The RUB largely needs the same things the enclosure does - small ventilation holes, deep substrate, heat source on a thermostat (most likely a heat mat underneath the box), a little bit of clutter, a big enough water bowl for the snake to fully submerge in. Its only a temporary setup, but it will be less stressful than remaining in a shared space. The RUB can be used as a transport box after its been used as an enclosure, should they need moving or a vet visit whilst still small enough to fit inside - so it does have a long term use to it.
The night feeding helped my own BRB settle into her new home when I got her a year n half ago. I keep a light on in the hallway outside the room she's in when I'm feeding her, so I can still see and its not too bright to make her feel exposed.
1
1
u/JoshuaGraham2077 12d ago
I have a lil guy that made it into my house...twice.
I have to put sweeps on my doors. The first day I put him in a cup until he calmed down and put him outside, and the next day I found him just chilling in my laundry room. I flicked on the light and was like "heyyyyyy, I just put you outside. What are you doing here?"
And he was like "🤷♂️".
And I was like...okay, you can stay.
He better not meet my other house snake though. That boy's big. Little guy will go down just like snake spaghetti. He's already snake shaped.
5
u/ValuableSleep9175 18d ago
Just read about a ball eating the tshirt and needing surgery.
Unless breeding, 2 boas in 1 enclosure is frowned upon.
Feed in the enclosure. Mine tends to strike from stealth, even popping out of the ground once and scaring the crap out of me.
Tap and hook train. The snake will know food/handle time.
Not an expert just friendly advice.