Rosy Boa Care/ Setup (Brand New Member)

Hello new family, I just joined this forum today. I’ve loved snakes my entire life. I’ve only ever owned a ball python (hints why I joined). I just convinced my wife to let me get a snake, I’ve wanted a Rosy Boa for years so come hell or high water that’s what I’m going to get lol. I would appreciate a setup/ care sheet from the group as detailed as possible. I’ve read a lot about these snakes recently but I know it’s always good to get advise right from the people who own them. Thank in advance y’all I really appreciate it.


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Hello & :welcome:

I've kept rosy boas for several decades (still have just one) & successfully bred them 6 times in the past. But rather than re-write all the info, I pretty much
agree with what's given here: http://www.exoticpetvet.com/rosy-boa-care.html

I recommend & use only glass tanks with screen tops (they need ventilation, NOT humidity), with UTH (about 90*) at one end, cool side 70-80* (sames as my
ambient house temperatures (winter-summer). They'll usually want live pinks at first, but transition to f/t pretty well. (When I've sold them in the past, I took
care of switching them & they never had a shorter feeding record than 10 meals before they left my care, to be sure they were easy to feed.) For substrate, I
line my tanks with one layer of paper towel, on which I put a layer of 50:50 Carefresh & clean paper shreds (office paper that I shred). Neonate rosy boas love
to burrow (like an "ant farm" lol) so if you give them deeper substrate, they'll enjoy it. They are desert snakes, yes, but they do need a small water bowl to drink
from (some ppl try to say otherwise...:rolleyes:). Great choice for a pet...females get about 40" while males stay about 32", if that matters. Don't be shocked if they
get fussy about eating all winter...mine skip some meals but are not brumated (unless needed for breeding) & they don't lose much weight even when they don't
eat much for a couple months...they'll make up for lost time in spring. ;)

As with ANY new pet snake, feeding comes before handling: make sure they've taken several meals while in your care before you do any handling. Easy does it.

I don't use lights on my rosy boa cages, but now & then take them out for a little (hand-held) natural outdoor sunshine (temps. permitting).

I really appreciate you so much, I’m going to save all this information do I have a proper care sheet. When I get the snake I’ll post pictures. I’m still going back and forth with my wife about the snake but this is going to be one of those issues I put my foot down about.


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What's one more little snake, eh? ;) Rosy boas are cute little pets...I hope your wife warms up to the idea.

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Originally Posted by Bogertophis

What's one more little snake, eh? ;) Rosy boas are cute little pets...I hope your wife warms up to the idea.

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I think she will honestly, she will need a little more convincing once it gets here, or honestly she could never touch it or look at it idc. She’s not snake ignorant, she just doesn’t really care for them. I have another very important question, I live in Louisiana where the humidity gets up in the 90-100% sometimes. My snake will obviously be indoors and can be air conditioned if need be. This question might sound silly but will the air humidity inside my house be high like it will outside? If so how can I combat this?


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Originally Posted by NewmanLovesSnakes

I have another very important question, I live in Louisiana where the humidity gets up in the 90-100% sometimes. My snake will obviously be indoors and can be air conditioned if need be. This question might sound silly but will the air humidity inside my house be high like it will outside? If so how can I combat this?


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Do you have a humidity gauge? Even just an Accurite or Taylor digital one? That might give you some idea. Plus, you'll need it a thermometer/hygrometer for the snake, anyway :)

If humidity is high, an incandescent bulb or CHE can help drive it down. I use a 40 watt light bulb as the heat source for my Rosy, and that honestly seems to work fine.

My Rosy Boa is in a 20gal long with a sliding screen top. This seems to work for her fine. I've not measured her in a while, but she is pushing 40".

On top of her hide, or in branches when I have them in the cage for her, I've temp-gunned a hot spot up to 115 degrees while, in the hide, it's a cozy 86-88. I say this, because she'll occasionally make use of the extremely high temperatures to charge up her batteries when she's very hungry. Otherwise, she moves back and forth between the warm and cold sides of her cage throughout the day. When ambient temps exceed the upper 70s in the studio, I turn off her light. And of course it's off at night. Mine does skip a few months of eating in the winter, a habit she started ~14 years ago.

For substrate, I just use aspen. Usually she wears trails in in, sometimes she burrows. (This is a ~23 year old snake, and she is still fairly active from time to time.)

Otherwise, there's nothing I'd add to what Bogertophis has already posted. Mine, too, always has water available in a small bowl, the usual warm and cold hides, and will climb whenever given the opportunity. Very fun, very forgiving little animal - just nail that humidity :)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by NewmanLovesSnakes

... I have another very important question, I live in Louisiana where the humidity gets up in the 90-100% sometimes. My snake will obviously be indoors and can be air conditioned if need be. This question might sound silly but will the air humidity inside my house be high like it will outside? If so how can I combat this? ...

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I live in a humid state too...don't worry about it. Your house has heat & A/C, I assume? Both remove quite a bit of moisture from the air, as does the UTH for the
snakes glass tank. Please DO use a glass tank with screen top though, NOT one of these sealed-up plastic enclosures with very little air flow. Not a silly question...;)
but not a deal-breaker, either.

BTW, while the desert (where these are native) is very dry, keep in mind they spend a lot of time underground when it's hot, and the ground holds more
moisture than does the desert air. The underground temperatures are lower too...that's how they survive. Otherwise they'd die of heat stroke.

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Originally Posted by Alicia

Do you have a humidity gauge? Even just an Accurite or Taylor digital one? That might give you some idea. Plus, you'll need it a thermometer/hygrometer for the snake, anyway :)

If humidity is high, an incandescent bulb or CHE can help drive it down. I use a 40 watt light bulb as the heat source for my Rosy, and that honestly seems to work fine.

My Rosy Boa is in a 20gal long with a sliding screen top. This seems to work for her fine. I've not measured her in a while, but she is pushing 40".

On top of her hide, or in branches when I have them in the cage for her, I've temp-gunned a hot spot up to 115 degrees while, in the hide, it's a cozy 86-88. I say this, because she'll occasionally make use of the extremely high temperatures to charge up her batteries when she's very hungry. Otherwise, she moves back and forth between the warm and cold sides of her cage throughout the day. When ambient temps exceed the upper 70s in the studio, I turn off her light. And of course it's off at night. Mine does skip a few months of eating in the winter, a habit she started ~14 years ago.

For substrate, I just use aspen. Usually she wears trails in in, sometimes she burrows. (This is a ~23 year old snake, and she is still fairly active from time to time.)

Otherwise, there's nothing I'd add to what Bogertophis has already posted. Mine, too, always has water available in a small bowl, the usual warm and cold hides, and will climb whenever given the opportunity. Very fun, very forgiving little animal - just nail that humidity :)

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I really appreciate you, I have a whole cart of stuff set up on eBay I plan on ordering. I plan on getting two digital gauges first so I can test everything out. I’m still in the early stages, I have a 20 gallon tank and that’s about it other than an old light. I have a really good set up ready and I’m looking forward to ordering it here soon. I was just very worried because Louisiana gets so hot and humid. I said to myself I could always get another ball python but honestly I’ve wanted this snake for years now. I appreciate the advise and if my reading is high I’m going to try all of those things. I’ve even added a small dehumidifier to my cart if need be. The next solution will be making sure I can run all devices without throwing a breaker [emoji23][emoji23][emoji23][emoji23]


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Originally Posted by Bogertophis

I live in a humid state too...don't worry about it. Your house has heat & A/C, I assume? Both remove quite a bit of moisture from the air, as does the UTH for the
snakes glass tank. Please DO use a glass tank with screen top though, NOT one of these sealed-up plastic enclosures with very little air flow. Not a silly question...;)
but not a deal-breaker, either.

BTW, while the desert (where these are native) is very dry, keep in mind they spend a lot of time underground when it's hot, and the ground holds more
moisture than does the desert air. The underground temperatures are lower too...that's how they survive. Otherwise they'd die of heat stroke.

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You where my voice of reassurance lol I was worried because this state is like hell’s armpit. I feel better knowing you manage just fine in a humid state like me. Also I appreciate that information I did not take that into consideration about the ground temp and humidity.


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Originally Posted by NewmanLovesSnakes

... this state is like hell’s armpit. I feel better knowing you manage just fine in a humid state like me. Also I appreciate that information I did not take that into consideration about the ground temp and humidity.


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Not to worry: you're apparently in the left pit, while I'm in the right one, :rofl: I also keep other desert snakes here (a TX longnose & 3 Trans Pecos rat snakes) & have
for well over 10 years now, without any difficulty. BTW, some rosy boas are from the coastal side of the mountains too...they're pretty flexible. I do not use any sort of
dehumidifier either...just what my A/C pulls out.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Bogertophis

Not to worry: you're apparently in the left pit, while I'm in the right one, :rofl: I also keep other desert snakes here (a TX longnose & 3 Trans Pecos rat snakes) & have
for well over 10 years now, without any difficulty. BTW, some rosy boas are from the coastal side of the mountains too...they're pretty flexible. I do not use any sort of
dehumidifier either...just what my A/C pulls out.

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I’ve been doing so much research lately but talking to you made me feel a whole lot better. As far as for what’s catching my eye is the San Felipie’s Ghost Rosy. The Coastals are so pretty but seem more pricey minus a few. I actually talked to Ryan about putting a deposit down on a Ghost here next month. I’m itching so bad to get another snake. I’m in my first house of my own that’s not owned by the military so I can finally have one again lol


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It's a very good feeling to be in control of your household...:gj: BTW, I moved here from the desert and among the snakes I brought was the original rosy
boa "mom" (she previously had five big healthy litters)- she spent a number of "retirement" years here in the south and I'm quite sure the humidity wasn't the
cause of her demise at age 26. ;)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Bogertophis

It's a very good feeling to be in control of your household...:gj: BTW, I moved here from the desert and among the snakes I brought was the original rosy
boa "mom" (she previously had five big healthy litters)- she spent a number of "retirement" years here in the south and I'm quite sure the humidity wasn't the
cause of her demise at age 26. ;)

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Considering the average is 20-30 I would say she had a damn good life lol I’m hoping to own a snake that long, it would be nice. The weather is definitely something to get used to here and Florida for sure lol


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Quote:

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Originally Posted by NewmanLovesSnakes

Considering the average is 20-30 I would say she had a damn good life lol I’m hoping to own a snake that long, it would be nice. The weather is definitely something to get used to here and Florida for sure lol


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She actually came to me as a "rescue": she'd been housed for many years (15) with 2 other female rosy boas in an under-heated & under-sized cage in a chilly* museum.

Until she "went on strike" and barely ate anything for a couple years...then they finally noticed how skinny she was & didn't want her...after all, they had the other 2 that
gave them no trouble...until both got sick & died the year after "my" rosy boa moved in with me. As a volunteer, I initially took her home on a temporary basis to see if
I could get her to eat...I had a house-full of snakes & intended to return her but the idea was for me to find out if she was actually ill, or just unhappy with how she was
being kept. It didn't take me long to find out: with me, she ate constantly & regained some weight, but when I let the staff know, they convinced me to just keep her.

Lucky snake to escape the sad fate of the other 2. *It took me quite a while to convince that museum to buy & install UTH heat for their reptiles...all they were using for
heat was over-head lights, & since heat rises, very little heat made it into the cages, much less to the cage floor where the snakes were...& of course, the museum was
very air-conditioned for human comfort. They actually thought it was "normal" for snakes to regurgitate meals...the staff was not much into snakes & made no secret of
that. :(

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Bogertophis

She actually came to me as a "rescue": she'd been housed for many years (15) with 2 other female rosy boas in an under-heated & under-sized cage in a chilly* museum.

Until she "went on strike" and barely ate anything for a couple years...then they finally noticed how skinny she was & didn't want her...after all, they had the other 2 that
gave them no trouble...until both got sick & died the year after "my" rosy boa moved in with me. As a volunteer, I initially took her home on a temporary basis to see if
I could get her to eat...I had a house-full of snakes & intended to return her but the idea was for me to find out if she was actually ill, or just unhappy with how she was
being kept. It didn't take me long to find out: with me, she ate constantly & regained some weight, but when I let the staff know, they convinced me to just keep her.

Lucky snake to escape the sad fate of the other 2. *It took me quite a while to convince that museum to buy & install UTH heat for their reptiles...all they were using for
heat was over-head lights, & since heat rises, very little heat made it into the cages, much less to the cage floor where the snakes were...& of course, the museum was
very air-conditioned for human comfort. They actually thought it was "normal" for snakes to regurgitate meals...the staff was not much into snakes & made no secret of
that. :(

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I wish I could get lucky and get a rescue like that not going to lie. It’s very sad how little they knew for housing those things. You think you would do some googling and figure out more about those animals if you where housing them or working there.


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Quote:

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Originally Posted by NewmanLovesSnakes

I wish I could get lucky and get a rescue like that not going to lie. It’s very sad how little they knew for housing those things. You think you would do some googling and figure out more about those animals if you where housing them or working there.


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OK, keep in mind that this was some years back, & when that museum was started by the curator & her father, there was no such thing as "googling"...:D Once upon a
time, people just stuck a light over the screen top to heat a reptile cage. And some of them tried to feed insects to rodent-eating snakes too...etc. :O

To be honest, I never wanted to breed rosy boas, but that r.b. left me no choice. While in the museum, she surprised them once or twice by expelling a pile of slugs, but
when she came to my house ("the land of warmth & plentiful food"), she went one step further, & had not only a pile of slugs that first summer with me, but also one live
(parthenogenetic) baby. Sadly, "Longshot" was born with defects (bent neck, one eye, etc) & she only lived about 7 mos. before expiring from some unseen internal
defect. I was sad & didn't want the same thing to happen the next year (even more likely as the mom-rosy was bulking up nicely) so reluctantly I decided to give her a
mate, so at least she'd be more apt to have healthy viable offspring. She was not a young snake, & had very poor muscle tone from years of neglect, so that even with
ample food, it was very hard on her to push out slugs, whereas live babies ("neonates") push their own way out. To my surprise, she excelled at reproduction (the "TLC"
made all the difference) & then I wondered where the "off switch" was. :rolleyes: It took five years of breeding before her inner biological voice said that was enough. She was
a wonderful rosy boa...that I was privileged to know & care for.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Bogertophis

OK, keep in mind that this was some years back, & when that museum was started by the curator & her father, there was no such thing as "googling"...:D Once upon a
time, people just stuck a light over the screen top to heat a reptile cage. And some of them tried to feed insects to rodent-eating snakes too...etc. :O

To be honest, I never wanted to breed rosy boas, but that r.b. left me no choice. While in the museum, she surprised them once or twice by expelling a pile of slugs, but
when she came to my house ("the land of warmth & plentiful food"), she went one step further, & had not only a pile of slugs that first summer with me, but also one live
(parthenogenetic) baby. Sadly, "Longshot" was born with defects (bent neck, one eye, etc) & she only lived about 7 mos. before expiring from some unseen internal
defect. I was sad & didn't want the same thing to happen the next year (even more likely as the mom-rosy was bulking up nicely) so reluctantly I decided to give her a
mate, so at least she'd be more apt to have healthy viable offspring. She was not a young snake, & had very poor muscle tone from years of neglect, so that even with
ample food, it was very hard on her to push out slugs, whereas live babies ("neonates") push their own way out. To my surprise, she excelled at reproduction (the "TLC"
made all the difference) & then I wondered where the "off switch" was. :rolleyes: It took five years of breeding before her inner biological voice said that was enough. She was
a wonderful rosy boa...that I was privileged to know & care for.

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That’s so cool, I appreciate you sharing that story with me. She sounds like a wonderful snake, I’ve never seen a snake birth in person so I bet that was neat and it was nice having new baby snakes. I hope to get a nice one that healthy, I want to teach my two year old about snakes and warm my wife up to them. My son thinks they are neat, he points at my phone and says “Wow!”.


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Quote:

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Originally Posted by NewmanLovesSnakes

That’s so cool, I appreciate you sharing that story with me. She sounds like a wonderful snake, I’ve never seen a snake birth in person so I bet that was neat and it was nice having new baby snakes. I hope to get a nice one that healthy, I want to teach my two year old about snakes and warm my wife up to them. My son thinks they are neat, he points at my phone and says “Wow!”.


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My pleasure. I think it's wonderful that you'll be sharing what you learn with your son, & the more your wife understands, the sooner she'll change her mind -I'm betting.
Especially if you start with a fragile "baby" snake, she won't be intimidated, though you'll need to refrain from handling while it grows (& might be hard for your son).

About "rescues": I've known many snakes over the years, & as I think more about it, I've learned the most from the snakes that I didn't plan to have & didn't think that I
wanted. :rolleye2: I'll admit that some snakes are more beautiful than others, and there's nothing wrong with buying that perfect "dream" snake, but I'm more interested in
"personality", and the snakes that just happened to come my way have had the most interesting things to show & teach me. Life is strange that way...:snake:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Bogertophis

My pleasure. I think it's wonderful that you'll be sharing what you learn with your son, & the more your wife understands, the sooner she'll change her mind -I'm betting.
Especially if you start with a fragile "baby" snake, she won't be intimidated, though you'll need to refrain from handling while it grows (& might be hard for your son).

About "rescues": I've known many snakes over the years, & as I think more about it, I've learned the most from the snakes that I didn't plan to have & didn't think that I
wanted. :rolleye2: I'll admit that some snakes are more beautiful than others, and there's nothing wrong with buying that perfect "dream" snake, but I'm more interested in
"personality", and the snakes that just happened to come my way have had the most interesting things to show & teach me. Life is strange that way...:snake:

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I’m betting if I have a nice snake she’s going to love it, she loves lizards just not snakes. She said the Rosy that I want is pretty. My son likes snakes, he sees my pictures on my phone and says “WOW!!!!!” I stepped on a speckled king snake a few weeks back and picked it up to relocate it and my son was not scared at all. It scared the sh*t out of me. Those are my favorite non-constricting snake.https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...ea61015d43.jpg


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Quote:

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Originally Posted by NewmanLovesSnakes

...I stepped on a speckled king snake a few weeks back and picked it up to relocate it and my son was not scared at all. It scared the sh*t out of me. Those are my favorite non-constricting snake...

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FYI, speckled king snakes ARE "constrictors"...;) I have kept one in the past.

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Originally Posted by Bogertophis

FYI, speckled king snakes ARE "constrictors"...;) I have kept one in the past.

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You learn something everyday lol I think they are neat. I saw a baby one online and consider it [emoji23]


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Quote:

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Originally Posted by NewmanLovesSnakes

You learn something everyday lol I think they are neat. I saw a baby one online and consider it [emoji23]


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Actually most of the snakes we keep as pets are "constrictors" & they come in all sizes. The alternatives are venomous snakes, which immobilize & kill their prey
with sort of "advanced chemical warfare", or snakes (such as coachwhips & garter snakes) that just simply use their strong jaws to simply over-power & gulp down
their prey. Some technically-venomous snakes are widely-kept pets too...hognose snakes are in that category, they are rear-fanged snakes with mild venom that
isn't considered dangerous to the average (healthy) human. But just because a snake is a constrictor doesn't make it a dangerous pet...rosy boas are constrictors
but pose no concern unless you're a mouse. Most kinds of king snakes get bigger than rosy boas, & many have ferocious appetites, but you're still pretty safe. ;)
But they should all carry a warning...snakes are addicting to keep. LOL

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Bogertophis

Actually most of the snakes we keep as pets are "constrictors" & they come in all sizes. The alternatives are venomous snakes, which immobilize & kill their prey
with sort of "advanced chemical warfare", or snakes (such as coachwhips & garter snakes) that just simply use their strong jaws to simply over-power & gulp down
their prey. Some technically-venomous snakes are widely-kept pets too...hognose snakes are in that category, they are rear-fanged snakes with mild venom that
isn't considered dangerous to the average (healthy) human. But just because a snake is a constrictor doesn't make it a dangerous pet...rosy boas are constrictors
but pose no concern unless you're a mouse. Most kinds of king snakes get bigger than rosy boas, & many have ferocious appetites, but you're still pretty safe. ;)
But they should all carry a warning...snakes are addicting to keep. LOL

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Your right about that, I’ve wanted to keep them for years lol did you see that report about the girl getting bit by her pet hog nose snake and it actually envenomating her? Apparently it’s the first reported case of an actual human envenomation.


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Quote:

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Originally Posted by NewmanLovesSnakes

Your right about that, I’ve wanted to keep them for years lol did you see that report about the girl getting bit by her pet hog nose snake and it actually envenomating her? Apparently it’s the first reported case of an actual human envenomation.


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No, but I'm not surprised...it's known that some people are more sensitive than others. Just like with bees, etc. Got a link?

And btw, you're not too "late"...I didn't get into keeping snakes until well into adulthood either. ;)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Bogertophis

No, but I'm not surprised...it's known that some people are more sensitive than others. Just like with bees, etc. Got a link?

And btw, you're not too "late"...I didn't get into keeping snakes until well into adulthood either. ;)

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http://www.fresno.ucsf.edu/wp-conten...ocytopenia.pdf

It was kind of those perfect storm situations but never the less.


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Quote:

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Originally Posted by NewmanLovesSnakes

http://www.fresno.ucsf.edu/wp-conten...ocytopenia.pdf

It was kind of those perfect storm situations but never the less.


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That's very interesting, thanks! I've kept W. hognose snakes but never had any bites, nor from a giant Madagascar hognose snake that I had for a while, after the local
pet store got cold feet about it being in the store. (they hadn't realized what they bought & didn't want to be sued) I was cautious with that snake, but it was docile &
never seemed to consider me a threat, & lapped up f/t rodents even thought I'm pretty sure it was a w/c import.

One thing to always consider, even with "just a rear-fanged snake", is that the venom of any given species is not the same for all members. It is well documented, for
example, that different populations of rattlesnakes can have vastly different components in their venom: some locales with primarily hematoxic venom & other locales
(like a couple hours drive away) can have primarily neurotoxic venom. So if you sustain a bite, assuming the incorrect treatment could be a deadly mistake. I think it's
logical to assume that not all hognose snakes have precisely the same venom either...best to "error on the side of caution". We talked a member here (who has some
immune system issues) out of keeping a hognose snake for this very reason.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Bogertophis

That's very interesting, thanks! I've kept W. hognose snakes but never had any bites, nor from a giant Madagascar hognose snake that I had for a while, after the local
pet store got cold feet about it being in the store. (they hadn't realized what they bought & didn't want to be sued) I was cautious with that snake, but it was docile &
never seemed to consider me a threat, & lapped up f/t rodents even thought I'm pretty sure it was a w/c import.

One thing to always consider, even with "just a rear-fanged snake", is that the venom of any given species is not the same for all members. It is well documented, for
example, that different populations of rattlesnakes can have vastly different components in their venom: some locales with primarily hematoxic venom & other locales
(like a couple hours drive away) can have primarily neurotoxic venom. So if you sustain a bite, assuming the incorrect treatment could be a deadly mistake. I think it's
logical to assume that not all hognose snakes have precisely the same venom either...best to "error on the side of caution". We talked a member here (who has some
immune system issues) out of keeping a hognose snake for this very reason.

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Probably the best idea honestly to err on the side of caution. I’ve learned so much about snakes, it’s crazy to see how different they are in environments only a couple of hours away.


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