Anyone own Rosy Boas?

[SDA]

As a California native I am really leaning to a little piece of home and taking on a Rosy Boa.

I have the enclosure and husbandry elements ready (still need to pick up some manzanita and rock for that down home touch) but I have a few questions if anyone has had some for years or experience with them.

What is the all time best substrate? I lived around so many rosy's and played with them as a little girl in my grandparent's property but I was wondering...

Sanichips, hemp, or dry Reptile Prime?

Every bit of information says humidity needs to be kept under control including water but how is shed? Do they benefit from a humid hide during shed? Do you keep a water bowl at all times or remove during feeding?

How are they switching to f/t? I am going to be very particular where I would get one and would love a yearling if possible but I am not sure about their feeding response. I have read they have a strong food response so is feeding a hatchling as potentially challenging as a ball python or have your pets been aggressive eaters?

Anyone have tips on top Rosy breeders? Morph Market is pretty much dominated by Strictly Reptiles but I am not familiar with them.

[paulh]

No one has replied to this so I'll have a shot, even though my experience is limited.

I had a rosy boa for a couple of years around 20 years ago. She was around 13 years old and less than 3 feet long when I got her from the original owner, and he had raised her from a baby. She was no trouble to keep in a setup similar to a similar-sized corn snake -- 10-gallon aquarium, under-tank heater, newspaper substrate, water bowl, hiding box and a rock to help shed on. Heat was turned off at night, and cage temperature fell to room temperature. I do not recall giving her a humid hide at shedding time, and I did not remove the water bowl at any time. As for substrates, anything acceptable for corn snakes should also do for a rosy boa.

The little boa was a bit timid. IMO, she benefited from the hiding box. While she was not a particularly aggressive feeder, feeding response was acceptable, about equal to an eastern milk snake's feeding response. I gave her dead mice that had cooled to room temperature but had not been frozen. So I cannot comment on how easily a rosy boa would convert to f/t.

I did a web search for rosy boa care sheets. I looked at this link (http://www.reptilesmagazine.com/Care...oa-Care-Sheet/) and it looked good to me. There are other care sheets that I did not look at.

By the way, be sure to check with your state fish and wildlife department (or Department of Natural Resources or whatever it calls itself) to be sure that it is legal for you to keep a rosy boa. That may be the biggest stumbling block.

Good luck.

[SDA]

Thank you very much for replying. As for regulations, I am in Tennessee so pretty much as long as I don't own a venomous snake, I am good to go

I have been looking at Baja Boas and on Fauna classified (guy form baja boas posts there) so I am going to shoot him an email asking if what he has and some questions.

[Alicia]

One Rosy here. I just adore her. She's 21, about 38 inches. Haven't weight her in a while, but she's lighter than a BP of the same length. Her last weigh-in was ~800 grams. Probably one of the Coastal/Desert intergrades. She was a pet shop snake, so dunno the exact locality.

I keep Kira in a 20gal long with the screen top fully exposed. It allows for low humidity, which is what you want with a Rosy.

Substrate of the last few years has been plain old shredded aspen, and it seems to really agree with her. She does sometimes burrow. It's cute. I've also had her on newspaper and paper towels and it all works fine.

She always has fresh water available. The container I use is relatively small. If any spills, I clean it up right away. I provided a humid hide when she shed about the first year I had her. I don't any more, it's completely unnecessary.

I use a 60 watt incandescent bulb for heat during the day, though she's done fine over the years with a UTH, a heat mat taped to the outside side of her tank for back heat, low wattage colored 'party' bulbs, and a 40 watt bulb. Her UTH was set at 84. Using a light, I provide basking spot over 90 if she wants to sit on top of her hide box right under the light, but she rarely opts to get as hot as she could. In the hot part of summer, I frequently have her at room temp and she's fine with that. Sometimes she has climbing branches (just cleaned hardwood limbs from around the property), sometimes not. When she has them, she investigates them.

I do understand baby Rosies can be tough to start and sometimes need to be cooled over the winter to get them going. I got Kira as a juvenile, and she was totally trouble free. She went through a long phase of trying to eat my hands. It wasn't aggression, it was a food response. She'd just start checking out my hand and then casually open her mouth and try to see if she could swallow it. She's eaten live, fresh killed, f/t, all sizes of mice, and up to large weanling rats. Now I just feed her f/t. She'll take them at room temp, but I get a more enthusiastic response if I warm them under a light bulb for ~5 min. For the last 10-12 years, she's gone off feed from around now through Feb.

That's all I can think of right now. If you get one, post pics

[the_rotten1]

Of the substrates you've listed, I've only used Sanichips. Aspen chips are my preferred substrate for rosys right now, no matter which company makes them, but the others should be fine as long as they keep the humidity down.

They don't need humid hides. I've never provided any and never had any stuck shed problems. In the rare event that it gets too dry, they know where the water bowl is and have no trouble bathing in it.

I also keep the water bowls in year round, but I live in a desert so it doesn't increase humidity beyond what they can handle. Humidity is the important thing. Water bowls are only an issue if leaving them in makes the humidity too high.

All of my rosys have been great about switching from live to f/t, or back and forth between the two. My male was raised on live for 4 years before I got him and he and took f/t the first time I offered. My girl was the opposite, raised on f/t for 10+ years and took live the first time I offered. Both will take either willingly. Rosys are one of the least picky eaters I own, right up there with corn snakes and female western hogs. Even the babies aren't picky. My girl gave birth last month and all four of hers switched over without a fuss. Their first meal was live and every meal after has been f/t. This was my first litter though, so maybe mine are just exceptionally good eaters.

Ryan Shatto and John Columbus both have some amazing animals. You can find them on Fauna Classifieds too. I haven't done business with either of them, but I've been admiring their babies for over a year now. I also have a few hatchlings available, but they are Mexican, not Californian. I'm a new breeder and don't have much of a reputation yet.

[SDA]

Thanks everyone for the input. I most likely will hold off until spring as it can gets cold around here and I am not in any hurry to get a new snake. No need to rush and get something that lives for decades

[DLena]

I have several of Ryan Shatto’s Rosies. They have a unique personality. I leave a small water bowl in the cage all the time without problems. They really like shredded Aspen. Mine eat f/t without fail. I know when they don’t want to eat because they slap at the tongs with the side of their neck! Tavia on CornSnakes.com also has totally adorable rosies. Her snakes are marvelous.

[SDA]

I have several of Ryan Shatto’s Rosies. They have a unique personality. I leave a small water bowl in the cage all the time without problems. They really like shredded Aspen. Mine eat f/t without fail. I know when they don’t want to eat because they slap at the tongs with the side of their neck! Tavia on CornSnakes.com also has totally adorable rosies. Her snakes are marvelous.

This is great to hear. I keep reading great things about Ryan Shatto so it's nice to hear someone with a few from him. I will check out Tavia as well.