Reptile & Amphibian Forums

About to get my first Rosy but have to make a decision on which sex to get.

I have read that there is a significant size difference between the 2...does any one have a picture that could show this difference in size?

Also, Is either sex any easier or more difficult to keep (temperaments, hunger strikes, etc)?

Thanks.
JJ

First the size thing: There is not always a size difference between male and female, or at least a significant one. At least not all rosy populations. I had a Whitewater male that was every bit as large as any female I had from that area. I had Mexican rosies and the male was longer than the females at about 5yrs of age. Just saying - don't bank on the males being tiny and the females huge in many cases.

Mature males tend to go off feed during breeding season. Pretty normal behavior for a male. Of course I always had females in the same room, so maybe it was that.

Some rosies bite - a feed response. Although I've seen this behavior in males and females, it seems that in my collection, the majority of rosies that did this were female, and mostly in Spring when appetites are hearty. The line of Whitewaters I had were biters, so were some mid-Baja rosies I had and a big Borrego female that would clamp on harder than any snake I've experienced a bite from before. And these were very well-fed snakes, I mean fat.

I like how books paint the picture of rosies being so harmless and docile. All are calm, most will never bite, but these animals are very capable predators on rodents and possess a strength that IMO makes kingsnakes seem like nothing in comparison.

So, take your pick. Id get the rosy that you like regardless of the sex.
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Mark

You really can't go wrong with rosys, imo.
I haven't found the size difference to be significant at all when it comes to care, but girls do tend to be a little bigger.
Personally, if I were getting a rosy for a pet I'd choose a female. Females take longer to get to sexual maturity... if down the road you decide to breed your pet it will be much easier to pair up a girl.

Something else to think about... When choosing a rosy, the biggest thing I would look for is that it be locality specific (or a good morph).
My webpage (not sure if I'm allowed to post a link) has over 700 images of rosys from more than 100 localities.

As I said, you can't go wrong with rosys. They're awesome!
-Josh

http://borderboas.com/