Kenyan sand boa?

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Gourami Swami

Gourami Swami

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Hello, I have recently become interested in getting a snake. I have been researching ball pythons, corns, kingsnakes, etc., and came upon a snake called the kenya sand boa on reptiledepot.com. I was looking d=for some general information on them, like would my 10g or 20g be a good home for life, how often they should be fed, are they active. do they burrow constantly, can they be handled, etc? Does anyone keep this animal?
 
Well there is a user on MFK named KenyanSandBoa. I know that he has a few but I haven't seen him online in a while.
 
a 20 gallon should be fine for a KSB. They do burrow under the substrate about 90% of the time, so you never see them unless you take them out. Yes, most are quite docile and tolerate regular handling. Babies may eat every week or so, while adults may only eat once a month.

I got my GF one in October. He's pretty cool.
 
Vicious_Fish;1425364; said:
Well there is a user on MFK named KenyanSandBoa. I know that he has a few but I haven't seen him online in a while.
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Thanks for the email...I've been super busy lately...but always have time for sand boas.:D

They are great little snakes if you don't mind the fact that you really won't see them too often. They will be on the prowl at night (or late afternoon), so that is the best time to view them.

I've never had a problem handling mine (12 in total)...but make sure to slide your fingers through the substrate to find them versus digging from above because that usually startles them and they may bite (guarantee it won't hurt :D)

If you're looking to house one, a 10 gallon is fine for a male (given you can supply the proper heat gradient) and a 20 long for a female. I use bins that are closest to a 20L fish tank and find those work best. I would keep the tank simple so it is easy to clean. I would avoid using the crushed walnut shell substrate because there have been reports of it causing impaction. Something like CareFresh would work very well.

To get heat to the animal, I find it best to use FlexWatt heat tape. The snakes spend a lot of the time under the substrate so you want to heat them from the bottom up. The hot spot should be in the mid 90's with the cooler side in the low 70's (also, keep the water at the cool end of the tank).

I keep a humidity (shed) box (Plastic box with holes cut in it) in the area where the heat pad ends and the room temp part begins. Pack it with sphagnum moss or damp paper towels...this will help the snake shed in such an arid container...just make sure you change out the moss/paper frequently to avoid mold.

As far as feeding goes, use the standard rule-of-thumb...a mouse/pinkie about the same size as the thickest part of the snake. Babies eat once a week (5-7 days) and adults eat once a month.

Best of luck with these great snakes:headbang2

If you have any questions, don't hesistate to shoot me an email...I could talk about these guys forever.
 
Does anyone actually keep these snakes on sand... or is it a misleading common name?
 
davo;1425656; said:
Does anyone actually keep these snakes on sand... or is it a misleading common name?
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LOL...not that I've experienced. I bought my first KSBs from NERD, which uses paper substrate. I bought some albinos from Regal...paper, and I've always kept mine on paper based substrates as well.

I use paper based products simply because they are absorbant and much easier to clean.

In the wild they hide in the dirt or sand for prey, but they have the ability to leave the sand, where in a sand only enclosure you're limiting their abilty to avoid purely arid areas...a restriction they don't have in the wild.
 
KenyanSandBoa;1425797; said:
LOL...not that I've experienced. I bought my first KSBs from NERD, which uses paper substrate. I bought some albinos from Regal...paper, and I've always kept mine on paper based substrates as well.

I use paper based products simply because they are absorbant and much easier to clean.

In the wild they hide in the dirt or sand for prey, but they have the ability to leave the sand, where in a sand only enclosure you're limiting their abilty to avoid purely arid areas...a restriction they don't have in the wild.
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ah ok. I was trying to think of some non venomous snakes that keep in sand and now not even what I thought MUST be one isn't lol.
 
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