thinking about sand boas??

[bitzy1]

i think i jst might wanna get a pair of kenyan sand boas, but i thought i should knowlege up. any important tips about these guys? i heard they get pretty snappy when their older? wut tank size should i get for a baby? sand or somthing else? strong lighting? temperature? anything would be great thanks nd i thought i should hear from the owners point of veiw
:?

 

[KENYANS]

well, kenyans (or at least any of the astronomical amount i have had the pleasure in interacting with) tend to be EXTREMELY DOCILE. A baby is perfectly comfortable in a ten gallon, and if its a male, will last it for life. If it is a female, however, you will need to upgrade to a twenty gallon long. You can use a heat lamp or a reasonably sized heating lamp to keep one side of its tank between 85 and 95 degrees. Other than that handle them often feed them every 6 to 10 days andyou'll have yourself some happy kenyans.

 

[the toe cutter]

In addition to that, a good substrate for them is a mixture of sand and something of the eco-earth coconut fiber variety. I usually mix 1 5lb bag with 2 bricks of eco-earth for a nice, natural looking substrate for all of my more fossorial African colubrids. Just make sure to feed them in a separate container to avoid possible impactions from the substrate. Which is rare but best to err on the side of caution. Shedding tends to be an issue with these as most people keep them a little too dry. So wet one corner of the enclosure about 1x a week, and on the opposite side of the heat source. They will in the wild burrow down into the earth for more humidity as needed and this is the easiest way to replicate those conditions. Also give it about 6" of substrate for burrowing.
They are really neat little fellas and long lived in captivity. The only downside is that you will have a very awesome pet hole most of the time! Hope that helps and try to buy captive bred.

 

[LeilaNami]

I use aspen shavings for mine. My two largest tend to be a little nippy but only during feeding time. The bites just kind of tickle. I can never get mine to tong feed but they consistently eat after leaving them in a deli cup for a couple hours.

 

[bitzy1]

oh thanks for the info guys, i wasnt very framiliar with them:/ i have one more question, i have always fed my ball python live but do u prefer live or frozen for a kenyan?:?

 

[LeilaNami]

oh thanks for the info guys, i wasnt very framiliar with them:/ i have one more question, i have always fed my ball python live but do u prefer live or frozen for a kenyan?:?

I always prefer frozen if they'll take it. Only one of my snakes (not a kenyan) will only eat live right now. It's much easier to feed since I can store the mice in my freezer and since I have to leave my kenyans alone for a couple hours in a deli cup, I feel more comfortable if the mouse is dead first.