Any rosy boa keepers?

[sarae]

I'm thinking about getting a rosy boa... but I can't find two websites that say the same thing as far as temperatures go! :blowhead:

What temps do you keep your rosies at? Do different localities require different temperatures?

Also, are they picky eaters like the sand boas or more consistent feeders?

Thanks!

 

[Tavia]

I keep the hot side between 85 and 90 degrees, for the same reason, no care sheet says the same thing! But that's in-between all the recommended ranges. Mine seem to do okay on it. They are definitely pickier eaters than the corns! I'm still figuring Esme, the female out, I think the temps are okay but she refuses to eat fairly often and has regurged 3 times in the year I've had her. No care sheet seems to agree on feeding intervals for adults, either. But with her, it must be at least every 10 days, any closer together and she either refuses or regurges. She seems to do best at 14 days or so. Hasn't regurged in months, though she did refuse to eat this last feeding day. She was brumated each year with her previous owner and I was wondering if that might be why she refused this last time, am thinking that I might brumate them this year. My male is a consistent eater, except for when the mating bug hits him. He went on a six month strike this spring and summer, which talking to other Rosy keepers, is usual for males but the length of time a bit extreme. I've only had these two a bit over a year, so still figuring out their individual quirks. I adore my male Rosy's personality and think that it's worth the occasional feeding frustrations. Esme is a nice critter too but I'm not as taken with her.

 

[Nanci]

I have one rosy boa, Noah the BOA!!! She is a fairly reliable feeder. Noah is an excellent feeder when she is in the mood, which is usually. She seems better if I rub the mouse along her upper body with tongs rather than if I lay it in the feeding bin with her. She seems to have sort of poor eyesight and looks around past the very obvious mouse laying there without being attracted to it till it moves. She will not eat when she is blue, and it is difficult to tell when she is blue, because she is anery and has blue eyes and a silvery-blue body. I keep her in the top-most bin in a cornsnake rack, so her max temp is about 85. She has never been much of a burrower, more of a hider. Not a climber at all. She has a smaller-than-normal water bowl, but I don't restrict her water. She has never bitten me either by accident or on purpose. Noah has always been fed the same prey I would feed a same-sized corn, at the same interval. As a 500g adult she is eating one adult mouse every ten days.

My suggestion would be to buy a well-established young animal or adult, not a neonate.

 

[Floof]

I have two adult rosies. I keep them with the hot spot about 90-92F, and they both eat like pigs. No finickiness here, that's for sure. They're active, frequently out-and-about, never hesitate to feed, all around great keepers. Granted, I haven't had them long, but so far they seem to do well at this temp range. I've been feeding them adult mice, aiming for about a 10-14 day schedule. They're both in the range of 250-300 grams, if I remember right, and seem to do well on this schedule.

My whitewater is good for handling, usually pretty laid back and easy going during handling sessions; my Anza Borrego on the other hand is convinced everything that touches her or moves near her face is FOOD. All you have to do is blow down through the screen top of her enclosure and she'll strike at the movement thinking it must be feeding time. The whitewater has a similar response, but thankfully only when she smells mice... I once had to pry her off a pillow. She missed when she struck at her mouse and got the pillow instead. She held on for dear life, completely convinced the mouse smell was coming from it, and therefore it must be food! So, I guess what I'm trying to say, is they're definitely NOT the finicky like a sand boa. At least, not from my (limited) experience!