hello we have just bought our first boa constrictor. Sizzler is already about 6.5 feet long and we were told he is aproximately 5 years old. We are very confused on feeding him. We bought him a live rat. He constricted and killed it but never ate it. We removed rat and froze it but not sure if can still be fed to snake. Also is it better to buy live or frozen rats or freeze your own:confused. Thanks for any suggestions we can get.confused

frozen and then thawed is always preferred for feeding. This way there is no chance for the snake to get injured. How long have you had her? What are her living conditions (light, heat, size, etc...)

Welcome.

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My name is Liz
Do what's best for the animal, not what's best for you.

HI and Welcome to HC Network. It would depend on how long the rat sat in the cage before you froze it. If you froze it right away, then you can thaw and try feeding again in about a week....if it stayed in the cage for a couple hours, I wouldnt trust it. I would suspect that if you left the rat in the cage long enough ...he would have eaten it....some of my boas move around the cage sometimes after constricting their prey (I feed all Frozen thawed) and then go back to it and eat....good luck!

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Warmest Regards from Lyn

Welcome to Herp Center. Depending on when you got your baby, it might need some time to adjust and become use to the new environment, before it will eat.

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Colleen

welcome! sorry I can't help with your questions, at least not anymore than what has already been said....

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Welcome to Herp Center. Perhaps he had recently just eaten before you acquired him.

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Mike
"Never worry about numbers. Help one person at a time, and always start with the person nearest you." - Mother Teresa

Its also possible that something disturbed him and put him off of eating. Some movement in the room etc. The time when a snake is swallowing food is when they are at their most vulnerable. If something makes them uncomfortable they aren't going to eat.
Buying frozen rats is cheaper than buying live and if you have the storage space to buy online it gets cheaper yet.
Buying live to freeze yourself means that you still have to kill them first. I knew someone that thought you just had to toss live rats into the freezer and let them "go to sleep".
The rats began to fight and the inside of her freezer was turned into a big bloody mess!

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Merlin,
What's Life Without A Little Magic!

welcome to HC! i agree with everything thats been said. if its a new snake, it probably won't eat until he/she is adjusted and feels comfortable. or if the animal is too cold they won't eat so it helps if you let us know how you keep your setup and what the temps are.

frozen/thawed is definitely easier because its less stress for the animal and no risk of the snake being bitten. most of us here feed frozen thawed.

good luck.

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yes i am a she ^_^

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