Former Rat Owner

Céline · 06-14-14, 07:07 AM

This might sound odd, but I actually used to keep Rats and Rabbits as pets. I truly love and understand these creatures.
I haven't had any rats or rabbits lately, because we had our fair share of cancer, tumors and surgery. When my rat pack turned two years old, they died from cancer in a short amount of time, despite all the surgeries, treatments and a natural diet. It just seems to be bred into these little critters. It was very sad and shocking to see 7 beloved pets die one after the other, leaving their big cage and play room empty and useless.
With bunnies it wasn't much different. Cancer, tooth problems and infections of the nervous system were the most common.

Snakes are entirely different animals, not cuddly, but I still admire them. In a different way. They are beautiful and faszinating to look at. I have held a snake before but I never owned any reptile as a pet.

I have done lots of reading to find the perfect first snake and I believe I would do well with a Rosy Boa. The calm nature agrees with me and that they are generally docile and do well being handled.
Like I said, I know a snake is not a dog, but I do prefer a snake that can tolerate being handled once in a while.
I feel like this is a controversial topic among snake owners, and some feel like snakes should never be handled and only looked at? I was hoping maybe someone could explain.

I hope to learn more about snakes/ Rosy Boas and their care here also. They are not very common in Germany and I was not even able to gather information about them on forums. I ordered a book (Rosy, Rubber and Sand Boas), but I'm still a bit unclear about the terrarium. It seems like lots of the info is contradicting (sand/ no sand, water/ no water, light/ no light etc.)

Anyhow, that is pretty much it

alessia55 · 06-15-14, 10:35 AM

Welcome to the forum! Please read our sSNAKESs forum rules.

CosmicOwl · 06-15-14, 10:47 AM

I don't buy that snakes should never be handled. I think snakes enjoy(It's impossible not to view snake emotions through a human filter) time out of their enclosures, and enrichment gained from exploring. Granted this only applies to active snakes. If you want a snake that will do well with handling, you might want to try an active(but still docile) species of snake that will gain something from being taken out of it's enclosure and given the opportunity to move around and investigate stuff.

FWK · 06-15-14, 11:30 AM

Welcome to the forum! Nothing strange about rats or rabbits as pets, they both make great pets. Rats in particular are great captives, very intelligent and entertaining little critters. Sorry to hear you had so much trouble with the fuzzy critters.

I've never kept Rosys but from what I understand they can be kept much the same way I keep most of my snakes, on newspaper substrate with a couple hides, a water bowl and belly heat. Rosys are a dry climate critter which is why there is some debate on whether or not to provide a water bowl as a water bowl increases humidity. I've got some dry climate snakes and they all have water bowls made from plastic tubs with a lid and a slot cut in the side. This way the water has a minimal effect on the humidity in the enclosure and the water bowl doubles as a water hide. I'm sure rosy keepers will comment on your thread in the rosy section soon.

As far as handling I keep a variety of snakes and handle them all on a regular basis. Most snakes can be handled at least a couple times a week without causing undue stress, some can be handled daily. I have a King Snake and a Hognose that are always eager to come out and a few others that don't like being taken out at all. Just depends on the species as well as the individual snake, they all have their own personality. I agree with CosmicOwl, most snakes actually benefit from being taken out and handled or allowed to explore a bit from time to time. Even my Ball Pythons, supposedly very timid animals, happily explore every inch of my snake room when I let them out for a bit. There are certainly times you don't want to handle a snake, such as when it is in shed or for a day or two after eating. Once you get to know the animal you'll be able to tell when it can be handled and when it is best to leave it alone.

sharthun · 06-15-14, 12:27 PM

Hey and welcome!!

marvelfreak · 06-15-14, 12:39 PM

**EL Ziggy** · 06-15-14, 01:00 PM

Welcome and best wishes.

Pirarucu · 06-15-14, 04:11 PM

Welcome aboard! I kept my Rosy on a natural sand substrate with a little bit of aspen scattered on top for a natural look and she did well. The previous owners had her on newspaper but she perked up a lot when I made the switch. Looking back I would have kept her on more of a loamy soil rather than just sand, but both work. I kept her with a decent-sized water bowl and had no issues whatsoever with humidity. Unless the cage has very little ventilation, any humidity from the water bowl will quickly leave the cage. I also kept her with a halogen flood bulb for heat, as did the previous owners.
I no longer have her due to limited space, but she is with a friend of mine and is around twenty years old. She was and is a very sweet snake, very good for someone new to keeping them.

Trent · 06-16-14, 04:22 AM

hi and welcome!

Céline · 06-16-14, 05:33 AM

Thanks for the warm welcome!

And also thank your to everyone explaining a few things about handling and care.

Piracucu, your Rosy had a very pretty color! If we do buy offspring from the breeder we recently found they will be a mix of albino and the dad in my avatar. I am exited to see what the little ones will look like.
I am not sure, but I think they need to mature at least 5 weeks before moving out?

FWK
The plastic bowls with the slit sound like a great idea! Do you have a picture of the whole thing? It is a bit hard to imagine.

Cosmic Owl
Would a Rosy Boa be concidered active?
And I'm glad to hear that snakes seem to enjoy occasional handling. I have seen snakes come out of their terrarium and even onto their owners hand, and I don't think they would do that if they hated handling.

**Pareeeee** · 06-16-14, 07:38 AM

Hello and welcome!

Of my three snakes, my rosy is the only one who seems to almost enjoy being held.

When I open his tub, he will often come out to see what I'm doing. When I hold him, he does not tense up, but feels very relaxed and almost 'limp' compared to my corn and ball python. He is so used to being handled that he trusts me unlike any of the other snakes I've handled. He would fall, because it almost seems that he expects me to stop/catch him. I can touch his head, eye caps, tail, anything I want. He is the friendliest snake I know.

I can not vouch for all rosies, because he is the only one i've ever had.

Rosies need a well ventilated, dry enclosure. Some people go as far as to say that you shouldn't give them a water dish, but that is just stupid advice. Always provide every pet with clean water, at all times.

I've found that aspen is a great substrate for these snakes. I do not recommend sand as I've had a bad experience with using it in the past.

Heat of 85 degrees on the warm side, and 75 degrees on the cool side should be provided via heat mat or heat tape. NEVER use a heat source without first connecting it to a thermostat.

Place hides on both the warm side and the cool side of the enclosure.

Adult mice will be sufficient sized food for adult rosies.

As for having owned rats and rabbits, that is not unusual. I've owned hamsters, guinea pigs and rats ove the years. If I wasn't allergic to rabbits, is probably have owned them too.