kenyan sand boa or rosy boa?

[hylian]

I'm thinking about getting either a kenyan sand boa or a rosy boa, but i honestly can't decide which one. From my understanding, the kenyans are hardier animals. But i think rosies are much cuter. I also read that kenyans can be kept in a 10 gallon? If thats the case, i could possibly talk my mom into getting both haha.

Mostly, I want your guys' opinions and experiences.

[Sybylum]

I recently got an adult, albino rosy boa. So far she has been great. I've heard from many that they tend to be very docile, and have heard mixed things about Kenyans, some say very good things, others say they are very aggressive, I have no personal experience with them, but that's what I've heard. The reason I got a rosy over a Kenyan is that you will tend to see rosy's more in their vivarium. Kenyans burrow a lot more, whereas my rosy likes to be above-ground a lot of the time, but also burrows a bit as well. They are also a great size, reasonably long, but also somewhat thick, which makes them slower and easier to handle. But, I've never handled a Kenyan, so I don't know how they compare, all I know is that she is very fun to handle, and is also very curious.

From research I can tell you that male Kenyans can be kept in a 10 gallon, as they are a bit smaller. You also have to remember to take floor space into account more than the tank size, a tank with a larger base and less vertical space will be best, as they are limited by their substrate. Rosy's should definitely be kept in 20 gallons or larger. I personally keep mine in a 20 gallon, with a few inches of shredded aspen so she can burrow. I would have gone with a 30 gallon breeder to allow for more floor space, but Rosy's are somewhat pricey, so I decided to go with a 20 for now, and may upgrade to a 30 gallon later. My rosy is very curious, so I also put a few plastic plants and some fake vines for her to climb around on. They are desert snakes, but she seems to enjoy slithering up the side of her tank, and does wander around the plants from time to time.

Good luck and best wishes for whichever one you decide to get!

[Montypython696]

I had a sand boa a few years back, and I had horrible luck with him.

He was a rescue that I "adopted" from a pet store because they had him for months and he never ate, and was in rough shape.

I had him for close to 6 years. He would do really well for awhile, he would eat like a hog and put on weight then would just go downhill really quick. He had this weird infection that just kept on coming back. After about the fourth time of this happening the vet and I decided to put him down.

After that experience I don't think I'll get a Sand Boa again.

[artgecko]

I have only kept kenyans, and have two, so keep that in mind... Mine have been very easy to care for. I keep their hot side at around 94f with ambient temps similar to what you would keep a BP at. I started mine in 10 gallon tanks, but being females, they will eventually need a 20 gallon "long", or similar sized tub.

Both of mine came from good breeders (I would highly recommend look for the kenyan sand boa FB groups if you're looking.. You can get quality animals from good breeders there and good advice). The breeders in both cases had started mine on frozen thawed before I got them so I have had very few issues where feeding is concerned. Some will recommend feeding in a seperate tub and others feed in the enclosure, it's really up to what your boa prefers.

As to temperment and activity level... Both of mine stay hidden in the day and will be seen on surface at night. One of mine even has a penchant for climbing her thermostat cord, or anything else I put in her tank. Because they are buried in the substrate and are ambush predators, you must use caution when removing them for handling or cleaning. I feel around deeply in the substrate and when I find mine, I pull her out gently, but not very slowly. They may "flail" when removed like this.. sortof jerk their body from side to side, but quickly calm down and when held, both of mine will nose around trying to "dig" into clothing, skin, etc. I have only been nipped once, and that was my fault- I was cleaning poo out of the cage at night with her still in there and she "ambushed" my finger. She immediately let go and there was no pain involved. Since then, I've been more careful to remove her when cleaning the cage.

I would say that on the whole, they're docile, have good appetites, and are easy keepers.

If you're wanting a larger snake though... i.e. once close to 3 feet, go with a female or a rosy boa. The male kenyans stay quite small and imo it can be harder to handle a smaller snake.

I've never kept a rosy, but they're "on my list". When I was doing research to choose between the two, I found some threads (I think on here, so do a search... they were old) that said that female rosys can be very agressive / high prey drive to the point that they are difficult to handle as adults. I have no idea if this is common though.

Feel free to pm me if you want to know which breeders I got my KSBs from or have any questions I can help you with.