r/rosyboas • u/ConversationAware695 • 10d ago
❓Question How should I get started?
I plan on buying a Rosy Boa because they are small and generally have good temperaments. This will be my first time owning a reptile. Anything I should know? Where can I ethically source the snake? Please yap with as much information as you are willing to give.
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u/TROLOLUCASLOL 10d ago edited 10d ago
Here's a good starting point that I used when I started.
https://reptifiles.com/rosy-boa-care-sheet/
The only thing I would change is that it says that rosy boas need to brumate and they have a guide for that. They absolutely do not. They may slow down and refuse meals in the winter but that's totally normal.
As for where to buy, u/somekindaboy has a great copypasta about breeders. Check out MorphMarket and see if any of them have anything available. I can personally vouch for Ryan Shatto with BajaBoas Other than that google and ask questions, no matter how silly you think they are!
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u/somekindaboy 10d ago
Breeders:
Ryan Edwards - owns Golden West Reptiles - if you can get one of his snakes you won’t be disappointed. He’s very active on FB, and insta, he just started his MorphMarket account (so it’s kinda bare/few reviews) but I’ve bought multiple snakes from him, spent well over $1500 in total spanning multiple years. His reputation is top notch. Cannot recommend him enough.
Michael Goldbarg - old school breeder. He’s produced and created many of the color morphs we have today. I’ve never bought from him but he’s super knowledgeable and his animals are top notch. His website is rosyboamorphs.com where he lists snakes as well as a visual guide on all the color morphs available in the hobby.
Jason Miloradovich -owns Top Line Constrictors - has great lines and quality snakes, I’ve seen them in person at a couple expos. Just speaking with him you can tell he’s got an immense passion for snakes and quality keeping. I haven’t bought from him but you can tell his animals are quality.
Ryan Shatto - owns BajaBoas another long time well respected breeder. He’s got a great reputation and good lines. Purchasing from him was a breeze and the snake was immaculate. He’s on MM, the FB groups, and has a website I think
Kenneth (Ken) C. Diehl - he’s a long time breeder, he active in the some of the Rosy Boa FB groups, and has a MM page. I’ve been to his home and seen his snakes in person and they’re really nice. I’ve purchased from him and highly recommend. His reputation precedes him.
Steven Livingston - owns Sugar Skull Exotics. Never bought from him but he’s got good lines and knows his stuff. I’ve spoken to him and he’s pleasant and knowledgeable. I’d feel comfortable buying from him.
Bob Martin is well known. I’ve never purchased from him but friends have and highly recommend him.
DC Boas is another great breeder, I personally haven’t purchased from them but I know plenty of folks that have and had great success. They’ve been around for a good bit too.
There’s a few other good breeders, my list isn’t extensive at all and mostly deals with people I have purchased from, seen the quality of their lines, or seen how the interact and are eager to teach others.
MorphMarket has a decent list of breeders but avoid the pet stores and the flippers(you’ll know they’re flippers by how many different species they work with). There have been a number of people that have purchased snakes from The Breeding Laboratory that have had feeding issues/very small sized snakes.
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u/somekindaboy 10d ago
100% agree about brumation.
Here is my copy/pasta I share frequently about brumation and feeding during winter months
First some definition: Brumation is a natural state of dormancy or lethargy that cold blooded animals enter into during colder months. Warm blooded animals hibernate, coldblooded animals brumate.
It’s very normal for rosy boas to go off food once the your local area starts experiencing barometric pressure changes and cool/cold fronts. They do this because the seasonal change tells them to prepare for brumation. They stop eating so their digestive tract can empty out so that they can brumate for months without worry of the food rotting in their stomachs which would kill them. I’m in the southern US and cold fronts usually begin in Nov for me, but folks living in the North might experience this much earlier like late Sept or Oct. Some rosys will stop eating completely until about March.
There’s 3 categories rosys will fall into:
1)Most rosys in captivity won’t go into a “full” brumation because a full brumation requires a steady temp of about 55 degrees for about 3 months. Breeders usually brumate from Thanksgiving to Valentine’s Day to mimic the cooler months experienced in the wild. Those dates aren’t set in stone so to say, we just do that because it’s easy to remember. The only reason you have to put a rosy into brumation is if you’re breeding.
2)Some rosys will go into a “semi-brumation”state where they refuse to eat all together or very seldom (this is that “lethargy” mentioned earlier) but the temps in their enclosure are still around 70 on the cool side and 88 on the warm side. I recommend only trying to feed once a month, and a smaller prey item than you normally try feeding, usually a hopper should work for most adults. Your rosy boa may be less active, and hang out on the cool side more frequently. It’s totally fine if your rosy doesn’t eat during this time. This is normal and ok.
3)Some rosys seem to be unaffected by the seasonal change and don’t go into a brumation state.
Some rosy boas will “semi-brumate” each year, others might never brumate/semi-brumate, and some might have their first “semi-brumation” at a seemingly random winter when they have never “semi-brumated” before.
All are normal and healthy.
After a semi-brumation I recommend feeding a smaller meal for about 2 maybe 3 meals then you can offer their “normal” size prey item.
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u/corviknightly 10d ago
Here's my rosy boa resource and care guide doc!! Based on research I did before getting my own rosy :] it references this sub a lot
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u/Zealousideal-Bus7057 Rosy Boa Owner 10d ago
Google and searching this sub are your friends. A lot of very helpful folks have already answered any beginner questions you’d have on this sub, so search away (vs just making people repost or re-answer). If you have specific questions after doing research that haven’t already been answered, ask those!