It's good to vary the food. So if she's happy to take both, go for it

 

Pretty low in protein and high in fat. So theoretically not a good staple but it doesn't mean they don't have a purpose; varied diet or fattening up underweight animals for example. Despite that I used to care for a BCI that would only take guinea pigs and she was one of the biggest (not fattest) and healthiest boas you've ever seen.

Nutrition Feeder Mice | Nutrient Composition of Feeder Animals

 

Great link, cheers! Might try get a couple. She's a little underweight from her previous owner and I don't like feeding so often. Could theoretically draw the feeding time back out to normal with these. Rather than more frequently on rats.

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Is there a chance your Boa could get addicted to Guineapigs as apposed to Rats? In which case your going to have hell of a time trying to convert back.

 

If you're talking to me it wasn't my boa, it was at a shop I used to work at. And yes, it was 'addicted' but it didn't do it any harm.

 

Its been shown that pythons and boas have a pretty hard time digesting the skulls of guinea pigs and can lead to blockages. Plus their full of fat. Best avoided all together!

 

Eh, think we might be dealing with a bit of urban legend or common rumour about the skulls. I couldn't find any studies on the subject, but individual reports have varied from "Waddaya talking about, guinea pigs pass through my snake like grass through a goose" to "yeah, it does seem to take longer/be more difficult for my snake to digest a guinea pig". People in the latter camp are divided on whether it might be thicker bones, lots of coarser hair, or what.

Guinea pigs are very fatty compared to rats, that part seems to be clear - I'm seeing estimates of 44-46% fat! I would (and probably shall when I have raised my wee snakies up to that size) not feed a guinea pig more than once every few feeds, as sort of a junk food treat or lure for someone who's gone off their food for a bit (about the way I feed weaner rats to the big-mouse eaters and rat pinks to the little guys).

 

If your snake(s) will take them then offer them. I like to mix up my feeding between rats, rabbits, guinea pigs, pigeons, chickens, and whatever else I can get my hands on :2thumb: big fan of variety if possible

 

This :2thumb:

 

My girl is fed on a diet of 90% guinea pigs, rats are too small and she refuses rabbit. She has a good muscle tone but is quite large [8'2'' and about as think as my leg] although unlike alot of boa's she has a large semi-arboreal viv which really does make her work hard to thermoregulate and move around.

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