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#1776903
Jrh1721
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Rosy Boas 
Anyone who has Rosy Boas: what are they like? I have been looking for a good first snake. I had been considering a Ball Python or a Corn Snake, but I have been reading some good feedback on Rosys. My question is what is the catch? There does not seem to be a huge following for them like Corns or BPs. And does there small size make them difficult to handle?
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06/28/08 08:01pm
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#1778627
Lmonne
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Message To: Jrh1721 In reference to Message Id: 1776903
Rosy Boas
rosys are the best. i dont know what peoples problems are.... they are small so some people dont like that. they want a nice big meaty snake. like a ball. this is not the case with a rosy. they reach about the width of a golf ball and grow about 2 to 3 feet. they are extremely gentle. very sweet slow moving snakes that love to explore. really easy to handle. for me there is no catch. i love my two rosys. at first i was freaking out about humidity because they do need it lower than most snakes but a digital hygrometer took care of that problem. also any cage tank rack with good ventilation will be great. mine seem to love being handled. they wont let go of my hands or wrists. if you are still freaked out about being bitten... they enjoy exploring old shirts. put an worn shirt in the cage with them for a night or so... that associates your smell with comfort so they are even less likely to be aggressive towards you. also i feed my snakes in a separate container than their home so they know when i reach in to pick them up out of their home it is for fun not food. but when they see that brown bag and get put inside it...they know whats coming. anyways rosys are not aggressive to begin with. i cannot tell you enough how sweet they are. truley my favorite snake. while they do burrow a little it is not near as much as a sand boa or even a king or milk snake. they are usually out and about in the early mornig and late afternoon eavning. unless they are digesting. easy to take care of, docile, small...you cant go wrong. i dont know maybe people see them as a beginner snake. i highly highly suggest rosys. look into getting one from Randy Wright at Randys Reptiles he is the best for rosys and gives honest good advise. sorry to go on and on. hope i helped.
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06/30/08 01:26pm
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#1779248
ColdBlooded666
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Message To: Jrh1721 In reference to Message Id: 1776903
Rosy Boas
For a beginner snake, try getting a Rosy Boa. They are VERY docile snakes and actually don’t get all that big. They only grow up to 3 feet and not as big around as say a Ball Python would. Care is easy, all they need is a UTH (under tank heater) but it may be wise to get a heat light for at night to keep the temps up. Cool side temperatures should be about 75-80 and warm side temps should be from 85-90. You will need to keep these up otherwise you may end up with a sick snake. When they reach adulthood, they will mainly eat hoppers and will slowly move up to adult mice. You should feed them no bigger then 1-1/2 the size of the thickest part of their body. You should be able to see a lump in their belly. Some of them aren’t too cheap; especially if you go for an albino you’re looking at around $200. But for a normal one, expect to get them from $55-$75. Housing is easy, they like to burrow so provide aspen, and you may also use paper towel or newspaper. You’ll need two thermometers, preferably digital, which you can get a Wal-Mart for around $6. You will need two hides, one for the cool side and one for the warm side. Also, make sure to have a water dish. They don’t need water as much as say a Ball Python but offer it all the time. You can also include branches for them to climb on if you want, they aren’t climbers though. When you first get one, let them get accustomed to their new home first for about a week before trying to hold them or feed them. Don’t be afraid to get bitten, it really doesn’t hurt. Make sure you don’t have any humidity in their cage, they do not need it. Keep the humidity level at about 20% and that’s perfect. It can be a bit higher but only up to about 30%. I’ll post some pics along of my Rosy Boa and my husband’s.
Note: I need to update these pics, they each are both bigger around and Kain is longer!
Here is my male Arizona Desert Rosy Kain. He’s 2 feet long.
Then this is my husband’s albino female Akira. She’s almost 3 feet long!
Rosies aren’t as popular as BPs or Cornsnakes. They are actually very cool snakes. There really was no catch for me, it started off with how sweet my husband’s rosy was that got me wanting one, plus the idea of breeding. Their small size makes them extremely easy to handle. They don’t get to big or heavy like say a fairly large BP or other Boa would. Best starter snake out there in my opinion even though everyone seems to go for BPs and Sand Boas. And to the above statement, it is actually easier to feed them in their cages. I keep mine in a 20 gallon glass tank and i just take out everything and drop the prey item right in. My male has bitten me about 5 times but it really does not hurt so don’t be afraid trust me. I know one local breeder here in Colorado that has Rosys all the time....go to vmsherp.com. Hes awsome!
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06/30/08 11:58pm
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#1779413
Jrh1721
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Message To: ColdBlooded666 In reference to Message Id: 1779248
Rosy Boas
Thanks both of you. Your snakes look beautiful. I really like the way that Rosys look. I am not overly concerned with getting bitten. Usually if you get bitten by a snake, there is a reason for it. My problem with them as compared to say, a corn snake, has nothing to do with them, but rather my location. I live in South Alabama. I use a UTH on my leos’ cage. This makes the warm end about 88 and the cool about 75 during the summer. During the winter the cool end drops to like 67 and the warm to around 85. This doesn’t really bother them, but it would probably cause illness in Rosys. Also the humidity in my house stays around 45%. I am sure that I could heat both ends of the cage to the desired range with the use of a couple of thermostats, but how would I lower the humidity? Any suggestions? Also, are Rosys active like in their cage? Do they stay hidden? Or do they come out and move around? I appreciate the info.
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07/01/08 07:14am
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#1779616
Lmonne
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Message To: Jrh1721 In reference to Message Id: 1779413
Rosy Boas
dude rosys are from southern california to mexico to arizona. some of the arizona and more desert localities have humidity that is around 30 % but in california and mexico humidity can go up to 60% at night in the summer. the average humidity a rosy will live in is 35 to 55 %. 45% is fine. keep good air flow in the room. use a small fan over the cage if you want. if you are really worried about it buy a small dehumidifier at target or walmart or whatever you guys have out there. in colorado where this nice lady is from it is really dry. almost too dry. i’m sure her and her husbands rosys are perfectly happy in 20 to 30 % humidity but in their natural environment rosys will burrow under ground to cool off where the humidity can rise to over 60 % and they will stay there for a while. i advise you not to worry about humidity like i did. you probably end up causing more harm than good. again anywhere from 40 to 55%(the low 40’s being perfect) or so is good. 60% and above is pushing it. oh and buy a digital hygrometer. do not trust the humidity gauge on the little plastic round thermometers. if they are knocked around they give of bad readings. undertank heater is good. use a thermostat. a retostat is fine but you will be constantly adjusting the temp. a thermostat will do it for you. helix is a good brand.
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07/01/08 12:57pm
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#1779634
ColdBlooded666
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Message To: Jrh1721 In reference to Message Id: 1779413
Rosy Boas
Well, with our Rosys..since we do live in Colorado the humidity stays from 20% to about 35%. The highest mine has ever been was like 65% but that was my fault, his cage got slightly to wet. You really don’t want any humidity in their cage and you need to keep the temps as high as possible. My male actually got sick a few months ago and trust me, it scares the living daylights out of you. I didn’t think he’d be around. It was just an RI but it was scary. Even after he got sick, i keep the temps up. Right now, his cool side sits from 75-80 and his warm side is 87-82. Winter is hard to keep them warm. I use a red heat light and it helps ALOT (thats when the bulbs don’t burn out!). But since its been hot,he doesn’t need any light. His cage is facing a window and i let the sun hit him and he seems to enjoy it. Just saying, don’t let the temps get past about 72, its really pushing it on them getting sick. And if you use aspen bedding for one, make sure the change it monthly since it can become dusty and effect them more if they get sick. That was my mistake, i didn’t change it often enough and his cage was cold. I’ll post a pic of his cage so you can see just how i have it set up.
The side wit hthe rock hide is his cool side, the side with the black hide is the warm side.
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07/01/08 01:19pm
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#1780306
Jrh1721
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Message To: Lmonne In reference to Message Id: 1779616
Rosy Boas
Thanx. Ill keep that in mind. Nice Rosy.
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07/02/08 04:14am
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#1780342
ColdBlooded666
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Message To: Jrh1721 In reference to Message Id: 1780306
Rosy Boas
If you have any other questions, let me know!
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07/02/08 08:26am
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#1780695
Rosyballsnake
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Message To: ColdBlooded666 In reference to Message Id: 1780342
Rosy Boas
hi if you live by redlands or yucaipa cali. i have a rosy boa that i am selling if you are interested let me know. thanks rosyballsnake
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07/02/08 03:06pm
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#1782527
Jrh1721
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Message To: Rosyballsnake In reference to Message Id: 1780695
Rosy Boas
How big of a cage would be too big? Because I was thinking about building one at about 2’ by 4’ footprint and maybe 1’ tall. Also, nobody answered this one: how active are they? Like do they move around alot in their cage or hide in the substrate?
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07/04/08 03:13am
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#1782775
ColdBlooded666
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Message To: Jrh1721 In reference to Message Id: 1782527
Rosy Boas
I would actually just start with a 10 gallon glass cage if you get a baby. If i’m picturing it right, the cage dimensions seem a bit big but i can’t tell..i’d have to do some math lol. They are fairly active, they do tend to sleep for a few days after eating but they will move around. They will tend to hide in the substrate occasionally, like i told you..i had to take the aspen out of Kain’s cage since it got him sick, he used to burrow under the aspen and then under the papertowels that were under them. He just has papertowels now..and he does hide under them every once in a while.
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07/04/08 12:44pm
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#1789826
Lmonne
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Message To: ColdBlooded666 In reference to Message Id: 1779248
Rosy Boas
you know i never read the part where you said it is easier to feed them in their cage. and then two lines later you say you have been bitten 5 times. lmao!!!!!!! hilarious. thats why i feed them in a paper bag or plastic bin.
to the guy or girl who did the original post: do not feed your snakes (of any species) in their cage or tank. unless you like snake bites. snakes WILL confuse your hand reaching in to play with them for you feeding them and they WILL snap at you. like i said i use brown lunch bags or plastic tupper-wear***(spelling???). plus you can get some qt in before you feed them because after you feed them it is best to leave them alone for a day or two to digest. rosys should not refuse food but if they do put them in a smaller deli bowl or cup container(with ventilation holes drilled in) with the pinkie or fuzzy for 10 minutes and it should be gone when you get back.
cheers.
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07/10/08 01:35pm
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#1790103
ColdBlooded666
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Message To: Lmonne In reference to Message Id: 1789826
Rosy Boas
Its less stress to put them somewhere else when its feeding time. I just take everything out of his cage and then drop the rat pup in (yes, mine eats rat pups and so does my husband’s) and yes i have been bitten 5 times but that was because i wasn’t paying attention and he had a heavy feeding response at the time, he has calmed down ALOT since then, he was still young. And actually, if they refuse food, that means they are either not hungry, going through a certain season. Our female stopped eating for about 14 days in the fall and a month and a half about a month ago...it was because of the weather and i even told a rosy breeder i know about it and his rosys do the same exact thing. If they refuse food, it just means something isn’t right or the season is changing. Thankfully, my male has had no feeding problems yet...but we shall see.
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07/10/08 04:38pm
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