So, a growing snakes sheds its skin more often. Snakes need to shed their skin to accommodate their increasing size and mass. Other complications associated with overfeeding include stress and excessive shedding. Boa constrictors normally live for 20-30 years. This is very common among snake keepers who continue to power feed their boas to gain size and mass.Īn excessive feeding routine, especially when combined with a lack of activity due to the snake being in a captive environment, can cause health issues that severely shorten the life expectancy of the snake.
It’s the same as any other mammal or living creature in that regard. The more that you feed a boa constrictor, the larger it will grow. The growth of your boa depends on its diet. Will Over-Feeding a Boa Make It Grow Faster? Smaller subspecies, such as common boas rarely outgrow red-tailed boas. The size of a boa constrictor depends on its subspecies. Once the animal is dead, the boa ingests its prey whole, taking six days to digest its entire meal.īecause of this fast process, boas can consume copious amounts of food, allowing them to grow much larger than most species of snakes. They constrict their prey using powerful muscles, which stops the blood flow to vital organs. Why Are Boas So Big?īoa constrictors are modestly-sized compared to the enormous Burmese python or reticulated python.īoas have healthy appetites, and their size and weight are dependent on where they live and the availability of food. The largest dwarf boa to be recorded was close to 30 inches long. How Big Can a Dwarf Boa Get?ĭwarf boas are one of the smaller boa subspecies, again with females being longer than males, on average. Here’s some information on the differences between the red-tailed boa and boa constrictor imperator. They weigh around 13 pounds, with females again being larger than males. On average, red-tailed boas grow up to the following lengths: Female Red-Tailed Boa ConstrictorĪlso known as the common boa or common northern boa, boa constrictor imperators are often smaller than red-tailed boas. There are numerous boa constrictor subspecies, with the red-tailed boa constrictor and boa constrictor imperator being the most common. Average Boa Constrictor Weightįemale boas are heavier than male boas: Male Boa Weight
#Boa constrictor size free#
This is due to the size of the hemipenes, which are used to prevent the hemipenis from coming free from the females’ cloaca. The tail of the male boa is larger, based on its shorter size. This is due to sexual dimorphism, where different sexes have different physical characteristics that go beyond just having different sexual organs. The average length of a male boa is 5-7 feet. Male Boa Constrictorsįemale boas are almost always larger than male boas.
A boa can also weigh up to 60 pounds.Īlthough your boa has matured at this point, it can still continue to grow, sometimes reaching a length of 10-13 feet, and weighing up to 80 pounds. Boa Size at 3 yearsĪ boa is likely to be close to maturity by the end of its third year, growing to an average length of 6-8 feet, depending on its sex. At this stage, the boa will need to feed every 10 to 14 days. It’ll feed on small mammals, such as small rats and adult mice, or other animals, such as birds and lizards. The boa first strikes at the prey, grabbing it with its teeth it then proceeds to constrict the prey until death before consuming it whole.Within seven months, depending on the sub-species, a baby boa can reach 3 feet or more, and weigh up to 30 pounds. However, they do hunt, particularly in regions with a low concentration of suitable prey, and hunting generally occurs at night. Boa constrictors are ambush predators, so often lie in wait for an appropriate prey to come along, when they attack. It makes their eyes appear milky, blue, or opaque so that the snake cannot see very well, causing it to be more defensive than it might be otherwise. Like all snakes, Boa constrictors in a shed cycle are more unpredictable, because of the substance that lubricates between the old skin and the new one. Their bite can be painful, especially from large snakes, but is rarely dangerous to humans. These snakes strike when they perceive a threat. Boa constrictors often occupy the burrows of medium-sized mammals, where they can hide from potential predators. As semi-arboreal snakes, young Boa constrictors may climb into trees and shrubs to forage however, they become mostly terrestrial as they become older and heavier. They are nocturnal, but they may bask during the day when night-time temperatures are too low. Boa constrictors generally live on their own and do not interact with any other snakes unless they want to mate.
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