Children's or Spotted Python?

[Bogertophis]

Your apartment is NOT "too warm for a rosy boa"- I've kept & raised (& in the past, even sold) them for many years. There are coastal, mountain & desert varieties, btw, but pretty much they'd all be happy at your place. But I agree that Aussie pythons prefer & need the higher temps in comparison.

In any case, the little Aussie pythons you're interested in make (IMO) better pets than rosy boas. Some of this is personal preference & admittedly a few decades of experience w/ rosy boas, (so ie. the spotted python is more "novel" to me) but the one characteristic that stands out to me is that rosies often go off eating for a while in winter. Not as bad as BPs- it's all season-related (ie. logical), but my Spotted NEVER fasts. Never. Also, she is more 'nosy', very aware of activity around her home MOST of the time- mine is not a bit shy, more like "on alert" & just nosy.

Nor does she need her f/t or fresh-killed small mice 'warmed' the way BPs do. She's an absolute peach of a pet- a good appetite, eats from tongs, & never bites ME! Accidentally or otherwise.

I can't help much with differentiating between Children's & Spotted pythons, since I've only kept this ONE- a spotted python, which I still have- she's about 13 years old now, & an EXCELLENT small pet python- she lacks for nothing, IMO. She also likes (NEEDS) it warm. Your desired enclosure size is fine also- mine uses her basking branches & driftwood daily when not in shed. Mine does best with a humid hide*- she really needs it for shedding, even though I live in a humid state. *I also think it's probably healthier than humidifying her entire home, since warmth + moisture often nets you mold & thriving bacteria, as BP-keepers know well.

My spotted has remained healthy (thus far)- I got her as an unwanted yearling: she refused to eat live & the guy who bred her was talking about killing her because she annoyed him! Apparently the others he bred would eat live mice (pinkies at the time- he bred them) but she was the horrible hold-out. (jerk!) BTW, had he done some research, he'd have also known that they start off (in nature) eating small lizards, & her fear of mice was well-founded, normal & instinctive. A little research goes a long way... She ate the very first day I got her & hasn't stopped since.

Anyway, as far as I know, there's not much difference between the 2 Aussie pythons- spotted pythons get a little bigger, but that's not saying much. Mine is about 3.5'- easy to hold. If she is typical, they tend to be grippy when held (stronger than you might imagine- apparently they don't like to fall) & since they obviously climb well, I assume they survive & hunt in the wild by doing so. Snakes can pounce on small prey running beneath them, & trust me, even rosy boas know that. Their round bodies don't climb well, but you do find them sometimes in desert scrub bushes, enjoying the "view".

I've read accounts of others keeping the Aussie pythons- many say they're docile pets like mine is, others claim theirs are quite nippy. I think much depends on the keeper & their patience, but there may also be some genetic tendencies- so I'd say research the breeder if you can. In other words, don't buy from a big retailer that may be "unloading" what breeders couldn't sell.