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Post by Klarissa on Nov 29, 2016 12:33:26 GMT -5
This is Eris, she is a baby Boa Constrictor Imperator (BCI). She is about 18 inches long, and gorgeous coloring for a BCI. We only brought her home yesterday, so I haven't held her. She did strike at my face 3 times, when I was kneeling in front of her viv setting up the thermostat... I only peed myself twice 😂 (jk). Their hiss is incredibly loud, but she had a long day & is hungry. Hopefully a rat pup, and a few quiet days I will be able to starting handling her. It's my first big snake - I have 2 corn snakes & a hognose, who I love dearly, however I'm always looking for a new challenge. Eris will get 7-8ft long, and roughly 40lbs. I'm terrified 😂 but in an exciting way. I hope to update this time to time, as taming a boa is going to be nothing like taming a ferret.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 29, 2016 13:42:37 GMT -5
What a precious dumpling. Love the colouring and pattern! They grow quite large don't they? Do you plan on feeding F/T or Live prey?? I'm keen to see some dinner photos
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Post by Klarissa on Nov 29, 2016 13:52:49 GMT -5
I thought she was a large snake, but in the reptile world she is really considered a medium snake. Seems big to me though 😂 Snakes should only be fed f/t, as the risk of injury to the snake is actually quite high. There are number of accounts of rats killing snakes.
I will definitely get a video of her next feeding! I dropped a rat in her viv, because I do not yet know her well enough to hold onto the feeding tongs while she strikes. They can strike 4 times, in the time it takes us to blink!
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Post by Klarissa on Nov 29, 2016 15:55:21 GMT -5
@machan I did end up picking up the rat & feeding it to her with tongs. Next time I will have Jamie record it, but here is a picture of her "hugging" dinner.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 2, 2016 3:54:17 GMT -5
Oh yummy ! She must have enjoyed her din dins.
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Post by Klarissa on Dec 2, 2016 15:16:41 GMT -5
She did! Boas are known for a very strong feeding response, and she did not let me down. Still waiting to hold her She is still hiding under the substrate, so I'm not going to pull her out yet. Snakes don't really like being handled (for the most part) , they tolerate it (for the most part). But mostly, they just trust us not to eat them.
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raebees
Junior Member
Raw Feeder
Yes, i am contagious. 😂😂
Posts: 219
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Post by raebees on Dec 3, 2016 2:03:03 GMT -5
She's beautiful! Such pretty patterns! I've never owned a snake before but I do love them! ❤ Congratulations!
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Post by Klarissa on Dec 3, 2016 9:54:47 GMT -5
I did it! I held her, lol. First thing, the guy totally lied about how big she is. He said 12 inches, and she's closer 2.5ft. It's hard to measure when she all curled up most of the time. She was an angel once I had her out. She's about to shed, so she certainly was in her rights to bite me, lol. But she just wanted lick & look. Her colors will be exceptional after she sheds. 😍
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Post by Sherry on Dec 3, 2016 11:09:42 GMT -5
Oh she is indeed a beauty! And I bet she feels MUCH better with a full belly
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Post by Klarissa on Dec 3, 2016 11:41:14 GMT -5
Fun fact, all boas have moustaches 😍
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Post by FerretsnFalcons on Dec 3, 2016 16:50:23 GMT -5
She's so beautiful and adorable! How long will that one rat last her?
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Post by Klarissa on Dec 3, 2016 17:14:22 GMT -5
She's so beautiful and adorable! How long will that one rat last her? Thank you! Eris eats every 10 days now, and as an adult will eat every 14 days. Right now she eats rat pups, full grown she will eat large rats/small rabbits. Snakes are poikilothermic - their internal body temperature varies (where as humans & ferrets try to maintain a near constant internal temp). This allows them to have a really, really low metabolism. They eat, bask for 2-3 days, poop, then stay mid-cool range until fed again. They exert just enough energy to hunt (and they mostly ambush), digest, and mate. It's why reptiles live so long, minimal strain at all times, lol.
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Post by FerretsnFalcons on Dec 3, 2016 19:45:42 GMT -5
I've never really thought about it, but can snakes get fat? I've never seen an obese snake lol.
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Post by Klarissa on Dec 3, 2016 19:56:54 GMT -5
I've never really thought about it, but can snakes get fat? I've never seen an obese snake lol. Yes they can, but it's definitely not as common as obesity in our furry pets. This is partially because they take so long to grow, people "power feed" young snakes to get them up to breeding weight faster. But this causes them to grow faster then their organs/heads and is unhealthy & unethical. Because it's not as common, it's hard to find information until people start wondering why behind the scales are white & the snake takes on a really odd shape, and someone on a forum tells them. I don't know how it happens. One of the many joys of a snake is that they only eat once every 5-14 days, lol.
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Post by Klarissa on Dec 17, 2016 21:34:35 GMT -5
Oi vay. Eris is living up to her name. She shed relatively quickly, but it was still about a week with no handling, and it showed. I got her out of her viv fine, but then she began to fight, and try to bite. I panicked & put her back. A bad handling session can be really discouraging. But she's just a baby. There's nothing she can do. So today, get her out again. And again she fought me, but just gently hold tighter & she relaxed. Held her for 10 minutes before putting her back. Next week I will start holding her 10 minutes twice a day. She should tame up nicely with time & handling. It's hard to get a picture of her tail.
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