This page is to help people get their new baby rosy boas set up at home. If you are bringing home a baby from us, hopefully this helps you decide how you'd like to house your new little one!
How are our babies housed before they go home?
Our newborn rosy babies move into our baby snake rack, pictured below. They are housed in 6 quart tubs with ventilation holes. Their substrate is a 50/50 mix of play sand and fermented flake soil, with small pieces of bark and leaf litter for hides/enrichment. We use a rack with clear tubs so that the babies are still exposed to the ambient light in the room for an approximate 12hr light / 12hr dark light cycle. They have small water dishes available at all times, and I spray a bit of water in their tub when filling their waters to provide a humidity spike.
Most important parameter to control is heat - in this rack, they get underbelly heat from a heat tape. We set the thermostat to 84*, with the thermostat probe close to (but not directly on) the heat source.
Here's what two of their baby tubs look like:
How should you house your baby once they come home?
You have a few options!
You could set up a very similar small tub, like they're living in now.
You could set up a "baby tank" like a 10 or 20 gallon tank, which would provide better visibility and the chance to provide overhead basking lights, more space to achieve temperature and humidity gradients, etc.
You could set up the tank you expect them to grow up in, and be happy in as adults! A baby snake will not get "lost" in a larger enclosure, and they will likely utilize the space, even when small!
Here's an example of one of our full-grown rosy boa enclosures, which are live planted and provide light and heat from above. It's totally fine to use belly heat, but we like to provide more natural overhead heat when we can! This tank is a front-opening Exo-Terra, 36x18x12" tall.
You can take a deep dive into our bioactive rosy boa setups, their substrate, plants, lighting, etc at this link! Telos Vivaria: A Rosy Boa Setup
In short, substrate options are pretty open - you don't need something that retains a lot of moisture, so options like sand, top soil, and coco fiber are easily accessible, affordable options to include in your mix.
What about feeding?
Most likely, your baby will be eating large pinky or fuzzy mice by the time they go home. We thaw their frozen meals, then offer it to them using metal tongs to avoid enthusiastic (or scared) strikes that they may start to associate with human hands. If they aren't interested right away (striking and coiling around their food), we leave their meal on top of a leaf or piece of bark, and typically they will smell it and come eat on their own time. We will pull out uneaten meals within about 8hr after giving them a chance to come out and eat.
We feed small babies (ones under 4 months old or so) every 4-8 days. One meal per week is a good routine for most young snakes once they go home.
Here's a picture of tong-offering a f/t fuzzy mouse to one of the baby rosies:
Other FAQs:
I'll add to this post if I come across common questions as babies go home! We're here to help whenever you have any questions. We want you to have a positive experience bringing your new baby home, even if it can be a little daunting! You've got this!
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