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Rosy Boas and Carefresh

Fish_Demon Jan 31, 2009 08:12 PM

Last time I went to the store to get a bale of aspen bedding, they were all out so I got a bale of Carefresh instead. A few days ago, changed my two female Rosy Boas onto it (they had been brumating since October), and they don't seem to like it. They won't burrow into it like they did with the aspen. They have pieces of slate in their tubs to hide under (they normally like to dig their own burrows under them), but they won't burrow under the rocks now with the Carefresh in there. If I dig burrows for them with my hands they will go in them, but they don't do it themselves.

Has anyone noticed this sort behavior in Rosies before?
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- Natalie
(San Francisco Bay Area)

Replies (8)

jenny_tull Jan 31, 2009 09:37 PM

all of my rosys are very tempermental and usualy do not like it when I change things in their set-ups but I have been using carefresh with them for a couple of years now and it took them a few weeks to get used to it and use it to their advantage, I also bury used paper towel rolls in their bedding and they love to squeeze themselves into them, I think that it makes them feel real secure. if they don't take to the carefresh I would say go back to the aspen.
P.s. how are your sand boas doing?

Fish_Demon Feb 01, 2009 01:47 AM

Thanks for the information! I hope they just need some time to get used to it. One of them also ate before I changed her onto the new substrate - I hope she doesn't regurge now. I use paper towel tubes with a lot of my snakes, but the female Rosy Boas are 2008s so they're a little too small to fit in the tubes snugly. Egg cartons are another favorite, especially with my Rubber Boas for some reason. I'm definitely going to get the aspen bedding next time... The Carefresh is a bit too dreary in appearance and my anery Kenyans are nearly invisible on it.

Today I glued some rocks together so they have a gap in the middle and gave it to one of the female Rosy Boas, and she really likes it so far. I think I'm going make some rock crevices for some of the other snakes too.

My Kenyans are doing well... I just fed them all yesterday and today I cleaned their cages and switched them to the Carefresh bedding. The male Kenyans don't like it at all, but the females seem like they couldn't care less, hahaha. The girls just burrowed right in like they would if it was aspen. Strange...


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- Natalie
(San Francisco Bay Area)

jenny_tull Feb 01, 2009 06:24 PM

that is an awsome idea for the rosy rocks, no offense but I think that I am going to have to be a copycat and try making something similar.

Fish_Demon Feb 01, 2009 10:34 PM


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- Natalie
(San Francisco Bay Area)

reako45 Feb 02, 2009 06:14 PM

Jenny's paper towel roll idea is exactly what I do. Even when my boa was small I gave him a toilet paper roll (I offer these to all my smaler snakes). He has a paper towel roll (the only hide he'll use) and does not seem to mind the carefresh. I've probably got to stop being lazy and use your rosy rock gluing idea. What kind of glue did you use?

reako45

Fish_Demon Feb 02, 2009 11:13 PM

.
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- Natalie
(San Francisco Bay Area)

ChristopherD Feb 05, 2009 02:19 PM

GLUE :Aquarium silicone would work great and there is some new stuff that is similar to silicone but dries harder I think its called" Goop"

Fish_Demon Feb 06, 2009 01:04 AM

Thanks, I'll keep my eye out for that stuff if I get some more rocks to glue together.
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- Natalie
(San Francisco Bay Area)

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