Adult Weight

[woodini254]

Can anyone tell me what the average weight is of an adult Rosy Boa especially the female which is ready for breeding.

[AncientDNA]

I don't think I've ever bred a female that was below 300 grams.

[woodini254]

Thanks for that information. The problem I have had when I first got the pair was they both kept regurgitating even though all environmental factors were correct. I then left them for a while and then fed them large fluffs which they both managed to keep down, course that is not enough bulk for them but I am a bit reluctant to feed them larger food items in case they regurgitate again. I have also weighed the female over the past 6 months and her weight has been around 251g. So after your reply (again thanks) it is obvious that somehow I need to put more food into her any suggestions would be appreciated.

Thanks

Rich

[AncientDNA]

Try reptibac. You can get it at www.beanfarm.com.
It has done wonders for the regurge/failure-to-thrive rosies in my collection.

[aliceinwl]

You can try feeding small meals more frequently too, to help them put on weight. From your post it sounds like the regurgitation problem was pretty severe. Males often won't eat while courting and females often won't eat while gravid, so it's important to only breed snakes that are in peak condition. I would recommend giving both snakes a year to fatten up and for you to make sure that they're healthy and over their regurgitation problems, before putting them through the rigors of breeding.

If the regurgitation problems continue to be chronic it would be a good idea to have them tested for parasites. Cryptosporidium is notorious for causing chronic regurgitation in snakes, it can only be reliably diagnosed via a gastric lavage and acid fast stain and is currently incurable. It is common in wild rosys and quite contagious. If you have other herps, make sure you're practicing strict quarantine procedures.

Hopefully, it's just irritated tummies from feeding over sized meals. Good luck!

-Alice

[Stevefromsd]

Mine wasn't keeping her food down because I was keeping her at 80 or 85 instead of 90 degrees. After raising it to 90 she was fine.

[AncientDNA]

You meant on the heated end of the tank, right?
I read recently of a study that showed coastal rosies maintaining an 81°F Avg. body temperature year round(certainly a bit higher while digesting).
Gravid females tend to maintain an 88°F temperature(+/- 1°).
-JC

[Stevefromsd]

You meant on the heated end of the tank, right?
I read recently of a study that showed coastal rosies maintaining an 81°F Avg. body temperature year round(certainly a bit higher while digesting).
Gravid females tend to maintain an 88°F temperature(+/- 1°).
-JC

Right. I once had them in an open aquarium which isn't the same as an enclosed cage.

[Stevefromsd]

Speaking of putting on weight, is 2 mice every 4 days a good/safe way to add weight to a adult female?

[aliceinwl]

Four days would be fine, if she'll take them. When I was getting my female rosy prepped for breeding last year, I gave her two mice a week rather than one because I knew that once she got gravid her food intake would decrease dramatically. Just make sure that the mice are small enough that they don't over tax her and lead to a regurge. Sometimes rosys are more willing to take two small mice than one large mouse even though the two small mice have a larger combined mass. If you're just trying to get her up to a healthy weight, cut back once she hits it or you could run into issues with obesity. In terms of general maintenance and growth one appropriately sized meal a week has worked fine for me.

-Alice