Kenyan Sand Boas

Introduction
    Kenyan sand boas are probably one of the easiest snakes on the market to take care of, rivaling even the corn snake for ease of care. They originate from the dry regions of Kenya. They are...

relatives of the rubber and rosy boas of North America. One of the defining features of these snakes is that they live primarily under a sand substrate and thus you will rarely see them in the daytime. They are nocturnal and you will see them out crawling at night.
    There are currently only two common morphs: normal and anetheristic. The normal is a very beautiful snake in its self. These boas have a somewhat blotched pattern of orange and black on their backs with white bellies. The anetheristic has the same pattern but instead of orange, it has white in its place. Some newer but less common morphs are albino and hypomelanistic.

Choosing a Specimen
    Sand boas are fairly active once you pick them up. Unlike most boas, though, they will tend to try to crawl down instead of up. Healthy sand boas will seem to constantly moving and looking for someplace to hide. There should be no gunk at the base of the tail or around the eyes and mouth. Also be sure to make sure that it has successfully shed the eye scale and the skin at the base of its tail. If it has not, most of the time it will come off in the next shed or with warm water. However, this could also mean that the animal has not had the proper care.
    Before you buy your snake, ask to see what kind of mice it has been fed. This should play into your considerations. If a snake has only been fed live mice, it might not switch over to frozen/thawed mice. If you could only feed the snake frozen thawed mice, you might have to find a snake that has already been eating that.


Housing
    Kenyan sand boas are sexually dimorphic which means that the males and females differ physically from one another. The males only reach 15 inches in length on average and weigh 70-100 grams. The females, on the other hand, are 22-30 inches in length and weigh 250-350 grams. Therefore, the cage size needed depends on the sex of your snake. Males can be comfortably housed in a standard 10-gallon aquarium their whole life. Females, however, can start off with a 10-gallon as babies and juveniles but will ultimately need a 20-gallon when they reach adulthood.
    The cage layout can be very simple. The only real “furniture” your boa will need is a water dish. Apart from that, any rocks or hiding logs are optional. Since your snake will be spending a majority of its time under the sand, it will probably never truly appreciate any of the extra items you place in the cage. Anything else that you place in the cage is more to please the viewer than the actual snake.

Heating and Lighting
    Since these boas are under the sand during the daylight hours, no special lighting is required. It has been debated, though, about which method of heating is better: above or below. Some people prefer using a heat lamp to heat the cage while others prefer to use an under-the-tank heat pad. I personally use both. I use a heat lamp placed directly above the middle of the cage and a heat pad placed to one side. The heat lamp is only on for about 12 hours of the day but the heat pad is on 24/7. Also at night I have a lower wattage night bulb that is on so I can view my snake without disturbing its nocturnal activities. The hot side of the tank should be 90-95 and 75-80 on the cooler end. Nighttime temps should be 70-75.

Humidity
    Since Kenyan sand boas are desert creatures, the humidity can remain very low at about 30-40%.

Water
    Even though these boas are desert creatures, they still need to be provided with clean water. The water dish should be kept filled with water at least 4 days of the week. This water should also be dechlorinated.

Food
    Kenyan sand boas, like most pet snakes, will eat a diet of either live or frozen/thawed mice. As juveniles, they should be fed appropriate size mice roughly once a week. Once they reach adulthood, the feeding may slow down to once a month for males but still once a week for females. The females need more food because they have a higher metabolism for the reproduction processes. In some cases, males have been known to only require food four times a year. Also, be sure to feed your snake in a separate cage to ensure there is no ingestion of substrate, which can lead to intestinal impaction that, ultimately, could lead to death.

Substrate
    Substrate is pretty easy for Kenyan sand boas. Sand is probably the most popular choice. Another choice can be crushed walnut shells. Now many people have heard that walnut shells are horrible bedding and should never be used by any herper because it can cause intestinal impaction if ingested. This should not be a problem as long as feed your snake in another container. The substrate should be at least deep enough to completely cover your boa. 2-3x the diameter of your boa is better. Some herpers have also opted to use aspen shavings as substrate.

Shedding
    Your boa may sometimes want to seek out a more humid “micro-climate.” This can be provided by a small container in which is moist moss. The container should have several openings in the sides large enough for your boa to fit through. If you are making this yourself, be sure that the holes in your container do not have sharp edges that might harm your boa.
    You will know that your boa is about to shed when its color seems to hade and gets a duller look to it. Once he starts to look this way, it will be about a week or so before the shed is complete. Once the skin starts to come off, no more than a day or two should go by before it is completed. You should be able to semi complete snakeskin after this. If the skin does not come off in one piece, you may have to place him in a humidity box for a couple of hours. Afterwards, place him back into his cage and see if it completes the shed. Note: During the shedding period, your snake will probably not eat. Wait at least two days after the shed before feeding again. This is because the skin is delicate right after shedding and may tear if it eats right after it.

Supplies
·    10 or 20-gallon aquarium (long)
·    Sand or like substrate
·    Water bowl
·    Live or frozen mice
·    Heat lamp and/or heat pad
·    Flourescent light (optional)
·    Heat bulb (100watt)
·    2x Thermometer
·    1x Hygrometer
·    Humidity box
·    Night viewing Light (optional)
·    Rocks or other cage decorations