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Posted by Richard F. Hoyer on October 07, 2002 at 17:19:32:
In Reply to: charina bottae hasent eaten in over three months... posted by sanderson on October 06, 2002 at 20:54:32:
Sanderson:
Where to you live in Oregon? I agree with the advice by Ryan on the Sand and Rosy forum. And if possible, definately place the snake in an area that is cooler than 70 -72 degrees.
Despite having a source of water, once in awhile a specimen become will dehydrated. I periodically soak all of my boas for 10 - 15 minutes in a gallon jar with shallow water. I do this more frequently during warm weather (summer) and less during brumation from mid to late Oct. to about mid March.
And as mentioned by Ryan, having a balance, either in grams or in fractions of an ounce, allows one to keep track of the condition of your snake at any given point in time.
A male of 23 inches is quite large for a Rubber Boa and I would also suspect that instead of 23 inches, it is much closer to 23 1/2 to 24 inches. It has been my experience that only one other person (Ryan) obtains accurate measurements of these snakes. Every other person obtains measurements considerable lower than what I obtain for the same specimen. So if your boa is indeed a male (some females exhibit small spurs), the you have one that is at the upper 2-5 % of their size range.
If your boa is 55 to 60 grams or better in weight, there is no need for concern. A 23+ inch male appreciably below 50 grams would be on the thin side but still capable of surviving for better than a year without food provided it had adequate internal water balance and was kept and cooler temperatures.
All of the boas I am currently maintaining (about 23) have refused food the past month with three exceptions. As mentioned by Ryan, many C. bottae simply shut down eating at this time of year. I never bother trying to feed my boas during the winter months but instead allow them to exist at temperatures similar to what occurs outside allowing tempertures to get down to the mid to low 40s F during the winter.
If you live near Eugene and can attend the OHS meeting on the Oct. 17, if you wish to bring your boa to that meeting I can make it a point to be there but you need to let me know if that is what you might wish to do. I can tell you more about diet at that time is you wish.
Richard F. Hoyer
