Posted by:
markg
at Fri Oct 30 18:51:01 2015 [ Report Abuse ] [ Email Message ] [ Show All Posts by markg ]
4. In the wild rosies can live in some areas where standing water is rather rare. Rosies adapt by conserving moisture. They avoid drying conditions. For example, warming up under rocks or in burrows is less drying than warming up in the open air. Crawling at night is less drying than during the middle of the day.
If the cage is prone to drying, like with the use of overhead lights and a screen top, then constant water in the cage may not be an issue for even a rosyboa. For a more closed cage, the use of a water bowl should be limited or the water bowl small.
One thing is certain - it is far better for a keeper to err on the side of providing water less often than it is to end up with too much humidity for too long and have the snake regurgitate. Not drinking for a week is nothing for a rosy - no problem. Regurgitating on the other hand is traumatic and leads to real issues, like a reduction of good bacteria in the gut leading to further regurges. Given the two scenarios, it is far better to offer water less often. I have been keeping rosies a long time. Regurgitation is preventable, and it is the last thing you want to happen especially when it is caused by the fallacy that snakes need water 24/7.
This was a good post by you, as it is a seed for discussion. One last comment:
Keeping one rosy is one thing. It is when a keeper breeds them and attempts to have the results be nice fat healthy babies that attention to detail is important. One learns alot that way. I can tell you from experience that the best results for me have occurred in setups different than setups one often sees on youtube with all of the decorations. A cage where a rosy hides much of the time is IMO better. A snake on the move all of the time is either hungry or wants to breed or is trying to find better conditions. When you have a cage where the snake is active only when hungry or looking for a mate but is otherwise hiding - that is when you know the cage is more effective.
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