Reps N Pets

Rosy Boa
Charina (=Lichanura) trivigata sp



Rosy boas are one of the smaller members of the boa family. Like many boas and pythons, they are nocturnal (sometimes crepuscular), thus moving around mostly at night or around dawn and dusk. Rosys may live in excess of 15 years. Their name comes from Lichan = forefinger (Gr.(=) and - oura = tail, possibly due to the bluntness of their tail. Trivirgata refers to their prominent triad of stripes.

There are currently four subspecies of rosy boas; as with the classification of many animals, the taxonomists frequently dispute the species and subspecies designations. As more information is learned about the physiognomy and range of the animals in question, these may change Currently, the subspecies designations for the rosy boas are:

C. trivirgata Rosy Boa. to 40 in (100 cm). Ranges through southwestern U.S. (Southern California, Arizona, and northern Mexico). Ground color slate gray or brown.

L. t. bostici Mexican Rosy Boa. Ground color laced with pale, creamy broad longitudinal stripes. (Or, L. t. bostici = Cedros Island Rosy Boa and L. t. trivigata = Mexican Rosy Boa)

L. t. roseofusca Coastal Rosy Boa. Ground color laced with blotchy reddish-brown longitudinal stripes.

L. t. gracia Desert Rosy Boa. Ground color laced with well-defined pink, orange or tan longitudinal stripes.

Rosys look much like their cousins, the Rubber boa (Charina bottae). Rosy heads are set off slightly more from their bodies, and the tops of their heads are covered with numerous small scales, rather then the fewer, but much larger, scales of the Rubber boa. Rubber boas have blunt, rounded tails while the Rosy tails are more tapered, ending in a rounded tip.


Housing
Rosys range in size from 2-3 feet (never more than 4 feet) in overall length and can thus easily be housed in a 20 gallon enclosure. They do not climb much, needing only low branches, so a tall enclosure need not be provided as for the more arboreal boas. Provide bark slabs or half-logs for caves as an occasional alternative to substrate burrowing.

Substrate
Rosys like it dry. Their native habitat is mostly warm savannahs that experience little rainfall. Although they are not desert dwellers, they need to be kept in a dry tank like a desert dweller. Substrates such as cypress mulch, aspen, small wood chips work well. Rosys are burrowing snakes, so the substrate must be layered to a depth of at least 2-4 inches. Plain paper may be used but small hide boxes (big enough for the snake to get into but not so big that they can't feel it around them) will have to be provided on both sides of the temperature gradient.

Humidity
If you live in an area of higher humidity than their native range (60%), you should consider an enclosure with a top or one or two sides made of mesh, or that has solid sides with ventilation panels that may be opened and closed as necessary to keep in warms but provide enough ventilation to keep humidity levels down. In such climates, substrates such as the mulch and aspen may not be suitable as they tend to maintain a slightly higher humidity level than do wood chips. Being kept in humidity higher than they are adapted to can cause skin problems (bacterial or fungal infections) and the stress of being kept in such conditions may lead to illness.

Water
You can provide a water bowl provided the snake is not able to tip it over and that you do not fill it up so high that if the snake climbs into it to soak it will not overflow. On the whole, bowls with less surface area of exposed water will evaporate more slowly than bowls allowing for a wide expanse of exposed water surface.

Temperatures
Rosys are from warm, but not desert climates (except the Desert Rosy). 73-83 F (23-28 C) temperature gradients will work well through most of the year. Night time temps can drop slightly. Rosys spend most of their time underground where the temperatures are more constant than they are above ground. Provide heat by use of an undertank heating pad under one-half of the tank. If additional heat is necessary during the winter months, you may use an overheat heat source. If you need to use the overhead source at night, make sure it is not a white light bulb; use a dim red, blue or one of the nocturnal lights made especially for reptiles, or a ceramic heating element. Be sure to monitor the temperatures to be sure they do not rise over or fall under the temperature gradient.


Feeding
Many snakes can take in surprisingly large (for their body and head size) prey. Rosys have a relatively small gape, however, and so need to be fed small prey items. Captive bred Rosys are easily fed on killed mice, with young started out on pinkies, moving up to adult mice when they are full grown. Young should be fed once or twice a week, adults once every 7-10 days. Given their nocturnal habits, they are best fed at night.