striped tail boa not eating

Question
QUESTION: I have a striped tail boa that I got free he is about 3-5 years old  and is 6' 7" I have had him for about 6 month's he is active but does not eat good  I feed him 1 XXL rat sometime every 3 weeks and sometime he will go about 6-7 weeks without eating he is not very fat he only weighs about 12 pounds the cage is 4'by 3'by 5' high temp is around 85-90F humidity is 50-60% should i worry about his feeding habbit ?

ANSWER: Hey Robert,

You should not. The weight is actually right on for the size of him. It is around the breeding season and he may be in that mode. I would keep offering food every week. I am not sure how often you do it now but this is the best regimen.

Everything you said about the temp and humidity is great as well.

Boas that get that large can last for over a year without eating and still be very healthy. Keep up the good job.

Eric

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: so should i be feeding him larger prey like a med rabbit or large one. also my male shares a cage with a female redtail boa she is about 4 ft long she is a good eater she will eat a xxl rat every 2 weeks

ANSWER: Hey Rober

I would feed him an XXL rat every week, or at least put him on the same regimen as your female.

Eric







---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: that's the problem in the 6 month's that i have had him I have only been able to get him to eat once a month as of now it's been 6 weeks since the last time he has ate i offer him food each week but he wont take it.

Answer
Hey Robert,

Is he loosing weight? If not don't worry. He may very well be in breeding mode. Males tend to stop eating for a length of time. This could be around four months give or take a few. It depends on the snake.

If you notice a great deal of weight loss then you need to intervene. Force feeding is what I mean, but this step should not be done unless you have a great deal of weight loss. This means that you can see the bones and skin is folding over itself.

Eric