How fast do red-tail boas grow and how much do they gain between sheds?

Question

Recently got a red-tailed boa that somebody didn't want and he sheds every 5 weeks or so.

Answer 1

Frequency of shedding has more to do with health and conditions than weight gain. Every 5 weeks sounds okay if it is young.

As far as speed of growth, that depends on your feeding schedule. It's first couple of years it will grow several feet a year (maybe more the first year) but then it should slow down until it reaches full length 8-12 feet usually depending on sex.

Answer 2

6 years ago I was also given a red-tail boa that someone didn't want. He's now 11 years old, 8 1/2 feet long, and eats a good-sized rabbit once a month. He now sheds about every 3 months. When I first got him and got him on a regular feeding schedule, he shed about every 4-5 weeks. He was 6 feet long, but pretty thin. If your snake hasn't been fed properly before you got him, he's going to shed pretty frequently as he starts to bulk up a bit. Be sure that his humidity (50-55%) and heat (95 basking, no lower than 75 for night temp) are in good ranges and that he has a regular supply of water. And if you're needing a new cage, check out Cages by Design. I got one of their cages last year and my boa seems to enjoy the height of the cage. He spends a lot of time hanging out on the shelves.

Answer 3

depends on how often and what you feed it. I have a baby that's a little over a year old and around 3 feet. She's fat and happy, but only eats about 1-2 times a month. My other boa ate alot more, and grew faster. They will eat more often and grow fast until they start getting close to full grown, then they don't eat as often and don't really get any bigger-- maybe fatter for awhile! My 14 year old boa is almost 10 feet, and she hasn't grown any in a long time and only eats about once a month- sometimes less. When she starts looking at me like I'm dinner-- I feed her. They are both happy, healthy snakes!

Answer 4

power feeding is very unhealthy for the snakes. Snakes that are power feed, usually end up with having huge bodies but their heads are really small. Red tails can get up to 8-10 feet, which should be big enough. If you wanted a bigger snake you should look into an reticulated python or an anaconda...

Answer 5

this isnt the norm but i got one of my red-tails in nov 04 as a baby and now he is 5' long and about as big around as a coke can. as far as what they gain in girth/length between sheds depends upon the feeding schedule and what size food youre giving it. but just remember that if you power feed youre going to have a fat unhealthy snake.