Feeding less to stunt growth? Moved from "A good tropical snake?"

[andrewm]

Amazon Tree Boa is an awsome snake for a tropical viv. They almost always stay in the trees so you can always see them. I have one in my viv and he loves it. They stay small if you dont feed them that much. Ive had mine for almost a year and he just hit 2 feet and is about half an inch wide so he is still really small. There not the best snake to handle because they do tend to bite. But ive herd you can calm them down with lots of handling. If you google Amazon tree boa you can find all kinds of info on them. And they are a very pretty snake that comes in and infinet amount of colors and patterns. I hope this helps.

[Hiide]

Originally Posted by andrewm

Amazon Tree Boa is an awsome snake for a tropical viv. They almost always stay in the trees so you can always see them. I have one in my viv and he loves it. They stay small if you dont feed them that much. Ive had mine for almost a year and he just hit 2 feet and is about half an inch wide so he is still really small. There not the best snake to handle because they do tend to bite. But ive herd you can calm them down with lots of handling. If you google Amazon tree boa you can find all kinds of info on them. And they are a very pretty snake that comes in and infinet amount of colors and patterns. I hope this helps.

20 gallon or more for an Amazon Tree Boa.. Preferably 30+.


They bite.. a lot. They are a display animal, and unless you're willing to buy a bunch of band aids and spend at least 3+ hours a day on maintaining this animal, do not buy it.


And not feeding it as much so it "stays small"? Ummm....

[Futurehabitatcreator]

Originally Posted by andrewm

They stay small if you dont feed them that much. .

Purposely stunting an animals growth is never a good thing.

[JohnEDove]

ATBs get 4 - 6 feet on average and make poor pets due to their agressive nature and anyone that would even suggest starving a snake to stunt its growth........

If an ABT can be purchased as a well feeding CB baby they can sometimes be worked with enough to reduce their defensive nature but you'll take damage getting there and even then you'll need to watch what you are doing when working with it.

They are generally not considered a good first snake.

[andrewm]

guys ive worked with snakes for years and i own 10 different species of pythons and boas and i would never starve my snake. Its ok to reduce feeding to stunt growth especially with big snakes like redtail boas. Snakes can go a very long time without food, one of my ball pythons only eats 7 months out of the year and he has done that for years.

[Hiide]

CG: I don't particularly want a snake to be gigantic. Is there any way I can control the growth of the snake?

BR: No. You can't control it. A boa constrictor is destined to be a big snake. If you want a small snake get a Ball Python. I had a Burmese Python but they get big too.


Cited from an Interview with BigReese, who has owned and cared for snakes going back more than 20 years. He has raised giant boa constrictors, baby boa constrictors, and pythons. (OWNING A BOA CONSTRICTOR: An Interview With BigReese)


You feed a snake 7-10 days, prey smaller than it's body width. I don't even own snakes and I know that stunning ANY animals' growth is unnatural and can ultimately lead to an early death and later problems when an animal matures.


It's all Common sense, think about why we have limits on cage size for specific animals... and why specific animals such as Bearded Dragons or Chinese Water Dragons require huge enclosures. It's all because you don't stun their growth, cause them stress, and ultimately harm them over the long run.


And just a little fact, many reptiles, including snakes, eat small meals throughout the week in the wild. Not saying you should do that in capativity, but if you do research, in most animal's real habitats, they eat small, available meals when they're hungry.

[andrewm]

dude it does not hurt the snake if you cut back on its feeding. Ive cut back feeding on over 20 of my snakes and they are perfectly fine and healthy, its just i know how big they get if you do feed them that much. And really its better to under feed than over feed. Over feeding shortens the life span of your snake.

[Hiide]

Originally Posted by andrewm

dude it does not hurt the snake if you cut back on its feeding. Ive cut back feeding on over 20 of my snakes and they are perfectly fine and healthy, its just i know how big they get if you do feed them that much. And really its better to under feed than over feed. Over feeding shortens the life span of your snake.

Whatever you feel is right for your snakes is your business, I'm just trying to help and give my opinion.


As for knowing if your animal, or any animal for that matter, is fine and healthy... That's impossible, reptiles hide symptoms and illnesses quite well. More importantly, snakes are really hardy creatures, so if there was something wrong, you probably wouldn't be able to understand or know it fully, ever.

[drm1217]

Ok, after reading these many helpful replies, I can see that I probably won't be able to care for a good starter snake that will comfortable in a tropical viv. The little that I know about ATB is that they are not good starter snakes, so they are out. So what other types of snakes are good for a first timer? If I got a ball python what plants can a place in its viv so it can feel happy and look nice? An example a good starter snake viv would be perfect. Thanks for all the suggestions

[froggsong]

hmmm, I think this is a good time to remind everyone that we have a reputation system here. And that is all I am going to say on this thread at the moment, as I haven't read the entire thing yet.