Got my first Kenyan Sand Boa today!

[ChrisNCT]

I got this girl from Oldhag (Michelle).

She is my first Kenyan Sand Boa (Eryx colubrinus loveridgei).

 

[azra3l]

whoa. thats a pretty snake.

how big do they get? ive had experience with 11+ feet burmese pythons, something that big with that coloration would be awesome

 

[ChrisNCT]

Here's a brief care list for them

Kenyan Sand Boa

(Eryx colubrinus loveridgei)

Native Range: The Kenyan Sand Boa (Eryx colubrinus loveridgei) is found in sandy savannah areas of Kenya and adjacent African countries. Most specimens present in US collections have origins tracing back to imports from Kenya in the late 1970s and early 1980s. These snakes are uniquely adapted to a burrowing way of life, having tiny eyes, valvular nostrils to exclude sand and the lower lip is set back to provide a strong chisel-like nose for burrowing. Strongly tuberculate scales on the posterior provide additional traction for pushing through dense soils. Recently, herpetologist have suggested that these small snakes be placed in a group of related forms including Charina, Lichanura, Eryx, and Calabaria. Needless to say, this is a subject of much debate!

Size: Approximately six to eight inches long at birth, adult females average about two feet in length. Many males are considerable smaller, with sexual maturity being attained at approximately one foot!

Handling: Kenyan Sand Boas rarely attempt to bite, although they may do so if restrained. Handle gently, without pinching or squeezing, allowing the snake to move through your fingers. Do not allow the snake to dangle unsupported.

Caging: Any ‘typical’ snake cage can be used, with a ten or fifteen-gallon aquarium being adequate for an adult.

Substrate: A variety of particle substrates can be used to satisfy the needs of this fossorial specie. Aspen bedding, sand, and Care Fresh are popular with many keepers. Keep the substrate clean and dry at all times. As with all reptiles, do NOT use cedar or pine shavings. These items are toxic to reptiles.

Food: Most Kenyan Sand Boas will be fed a diet of mice throughout their lives. Hatchlings usually feed readily on newborn ‘pinkie’ mice, and should be fed about every five to seven days. Increase the size of the meal as the snake grows.

Humidity & Water: Provide clean water in a small dish. Humidity should be kept low, or respiratory problems can result. Due to the variance in cages and home environments, some snakes may experience shedding problems, particularly the tail tip. If this is noticed, provide a small plastic container with lid (cut an access hole in the side) filled with damp sphagnum moss. This will allow the animal to shed properly. Stuck sheds may harden and constrict the blood flow to the tail, causing loss of the tail tip. Many shedding problems can be rectified if noticed quickly simply by placing the snake in a small deli cup overnight with a wet paper towel. Place the cup in a suitable location in the cage.

Heating & Lighting: Provide a thermal gradient by placing a heat pad under one end of the cage. This should allow the snake to choose from higher temperatures (about 85-90F) at the warm end, and cooler temperatures (about 70-75F) at the cooler end. Provide suitable hiding areas at both warm and cool areas, so the snake can feel secure at any temperature. These snakes seem to prefer enjoy burrowing underneath flat hiding places located directly on top of the substrate, rather than more conventional hiding places. Temperatures below 75F should probably be avoided. No special lighting is required for these nocturnal animals.

Reproduction: While all Kenyan Sand Boas can be accurately sexed by probing, many can be accurately sexed simply by checking for the presence of tiny 'spurs' on either side of the vent. These 'vestigial legs' are nearly always absent in females. The presence of these spurs, along with the noticeably longer and fatter tail of the males is sure visual method of sexing these snakes. Hatchlings can also be sexed by manually everting the hemipenes (a process known as ‘popping’). Probing or popping should only be performed by an experienced individual, as improper technique may result in severe damage or even death. Most specimens will require a mild cooling period to breed, but some readily reproduce under normal conditions. Like all boas, they are ovoviviparous, producing live young in late summer. Typical litters consist of about three to eight offspring, although larger litters are recorded.

Color and Pattern Phases: While the average specimen is an extremely attractive animal, many breeders have selected for the brightest oranges possible, giving rise to some extraordinary specimens indeed. Such specimens are often referred to as 'Flame Race'. An anerythristic form, originating from stocks maintained by Trooper Walsh at the National Zoo is well-known, as is at least one form of amelanism. Enterprising breeders have already produced 'Snow' Kenyans from these two mutations, and more mutations are sure to appear as more and more breeders work with these incredibly popular snakes.

 

[Cooper]

Your substrate looks awfully moist for a kenyan.

 

[ChrisNCT]

Yep..just misted it down to get rid of the dust....fresh out of the bag. It's almost dried out already since earlier today.

 

[petitegreeneyes]

Nice looking guy you have there. Now are these the ones that burrow under their substrate and move around underground most of the time?

 

[Fred]

Here's my female. almost 2 feet long

by the way, that's not her substrate I had her out of her tank.

 

[ChrisNCT]

Nice snake fred.

Do they ever come up from the bottom of the dirt? Mine has been moving everywhere in the bottm making tunnels.

 

[Cooper]

Nice Fred, mine is no where near that big yet, maybe a foot long. How do you tell the males from the females?

 

[Fred]

Chris, Mine sometimes comes to the top usually at night though or if there's food.

Cooper, I got this boa from Tim and he said it was a "gauranteed" female.
ps: we have to hang out one of these weekends

 

[Randolph XX()]

the one i got from Jordan is still a foot long, too, probably a male..

 

[OldHag]

Nice snake fred.

Do they ever come up from the bottom of the dirt? Mine has been moving everywhere in the bottm making tunnels.

VERY cute snake

The mom, shes over 24 inches and just HUGE!!! Shes a monster! She is hardly ever buried. Guess at her size she's not to worried about something trying to eat her. The rest of my snakes only come out at night. I do have a male (anerytheristic) that loves to hang out in his moist hide a lot. So I see him quite often.

 

[fluffy]

thats are nice looking sandboas chrisand fred
nice little snakes to keep
id switch to sand as sand boas are used to a dry environment
the mulch bark or soil thats being used is a good burrowing substrate yes but is better for humidity loving burrowers such as your tarantulas and such
lee

 

[ChrisNCT]

I may be switching to a peat/ soil and sand mix. About 30% ratio. I figure this should be good enough for it. I checked today....the soil is just about dry.

 

[OldHag]

I keep mine on Crushed walnut. They like the weight of it overhead ,its not dusty, it looks natural, almost like rough grained sand, its easy to sift through to find them and you can use one of those cat box scoops to clean out the poop really easy As always, I feed them in a different place so as not to ingest the substrate.

 

[ChrisNCT]

Thanks for the tips Michelle....any pics of your in housing so that I can check em out?

 

[Fred]

I use aspen shavings for my girl, and if your interested in shavings pine and ceder are poisonous to them so aspen is that way to go.

 

[OldHag]

Thanks for the tips Michelle....any pics of your in housing so that I can check em out?

The man is gone for a week and took the camera. Ill get one to you Friday or so.
I think aspen is good for the snakes as well, however I find that the walnut has more "weight" to it and seems to comfort the snake more.. The dont wander about as much and seem more content. THATS just my oppinion
Especially the babies. They seem to really like the weight over head. If I do use aspen I will put in some kind of flat object...Tile, flat rock, etc and I find they will spend all their time under that. They just like that overhead weight feel. (or thats how I see it...could be way off for all I know) They will thrive in eather substrate.

 

[Cooper]

Yeah for sure Fred, I was on a roll in halo today as well hahaha.

Back on topic, gotta love thse guys eh, just fed mine today, great little eaters haha.

 

[Damiano]

hi
complimentes for your snake!!!

It's a mine baby '05

http://gallery.pethobbyist.com/index.php?photo=242735&user=90894

http://gallery.pethobbyist.com/index.php?photo=242734&user=90894