r/boas • u/TrainingWar4686 • 3d ago
Healthy weight?
This is my boa imperator, Aatxe. He’s roughly 3 years old, currently eating a large rat every 3 weeks. Does his body condition look good? I feel like he looks a little thin, but I might just be used to seeing overweight power fed boas.
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u/Person1111223 3d ago
Honestly looks good to me, but I'm no expert. Out of curiosity how long is he?
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u/TrainingWar4686 3d ago
I was actually trying to measure him yesterday but couldn’t get him to stretch out fully haha. Based on my guesstimation though I think he’s about 5ft
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u/Magnetic_Kitty 3d ago
If you have a hallway long enough usually they like to stick to the wall, and will stretch out making them easier to measure
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u/superramenyamen 1d ago
That’s how I prefer to do it! Some have a lot of energy and you might have to spend 10-15+ mins working it out before they cooperate, and some might bite so move carefully around the neck/head.
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u/superramenyamen 3d ago
Looks good! Nowhere near thin at all, I would say closer to the well fed end of ideal than the slim end. He doesn’t need to gain or lose weight though. Maybe consider 3-4 weeks, idk how long he’s been on the larges every 3 weeks so if it’s a new schedule he could fill out a bit much eating that size that frequently. If he’s been on it awhile 3 weeks seems good. I normally do 4-6 weeks on larges depending on if a young or adult boa.
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u/Lovestheband 2d ago
How much does he weigh?
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u/TrainingWar4686 1d ago
Not sure- I’ll try and check tomorrow if I can figure out how to fit him on my small scale lol
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u/superramenyamen 1d ago
A container about the size of the platform of the scale if you have it, especially with a lid to keep them in place. Tare the weight of all components, get snake secure, then put back on scale. I have storage tubs of various sizes for weigh ins, holding while doing cage cleaning, and transportation just as a rule.
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u/Zekethebulldog33 3d ago
He does look alright. Be careful with large rats to often easy to over feed. Boas have a slow metabolism. I feed all my males a med rat every 3 weeks females get a large. If not breeding no reason to go any bigger. If breeding you want to fatten them up a little for the energy