#12 ...sand boa! My first one

[Missy King]

Oh yeah...I couldn't resist this guy...he was SO docile, sweet, and I freaking LOVE his googly eyes!!! They are light colored and you can see the iris...when he looks around it's like seeing a chameleon's eyes or something. SOooooooooooo cute!!

Okay, so now I'm reading up on sand boas. Of course I got it from PetSmart...woohoo %15 off for employees!!! hehehe

I really told myself no snakes from there...but...but...i held him and...well that was it.

Hubby unoffically named him Sandy. He thinks it's a girl, and I think it's a boy *lol* I have looked online, but when i look at the snake for some reason my eyes kind of cross and i have no clue. Although, I tried to pop it and nothing...so My guess right now is that he's an almost grown male.

Okay, so I have no experience with sand, and animals. I told myself i wouldn't do sand...but i found a calcium one that said it was safe if they injest it. Well, last night he peed somewhere...the WHOLE tank stinks, and I tried to sift it...and there was no clump or indication of where it was. So, I'm going to have to change the whole thing (when i get offline, heh). Let me tell you, i am not going to be going through that much sand all the time for replacement. SO, any other recommendations? I really get upset when they ingest they aspin bedding (any of them...bratty baby hognose ate a piece last night, and i have found a random, unpooped (so, it hadn't actually been pooped out) out stick of aspin sticking out of my other hognose's vent...supposedly the dumeril's eat bedding all the time for no reason...) ...but I can't really think of anything else. I tried coconut husk on my borrowers before, but they can ingest that too...and the borrowers i have don't need to be that moist. So, aspin...at least the aspin covers the smell...but...blah...

Anyway...Pics...!

He's adorable, regardless!

[ShutUpAndSmile]

Nice!
Sometimes you can tell gender by there tail. My mail has a longer tail then my female. I can take pics if needed. x3
I use aspen for all my snakes, But then again I feed out of the cage.

[Missy King]

We always do a plate, and a towel on the floor. Feeding is a big event for us. I have only fed one time in an enclosure and it was just recently to my bratty baby hognose because he's still so skittish. My worry is that for some reason the little jerks all seem to be getting it in their mouths ANYway!!!
But....I have heard that many people feed sand boas in their enclosures, because they like to pop out and grab the prey, from the sand. I think after a couple days though and the cleaning, i might not really keep him in sand. He looks so cute in it, and makes little tracks on it (ah so cute!) but i think you're right and i might try aspen or...i dunno yet!

OKay seriously? I did a google search for like an hour yesterday and nothing, and i mean NOTHING said it as simply as "the female has a shorter stubbier tail" lmao! (someone just told me this) SO...This is def. a male!!!
____
Just now I cleaned out the snake cage and switched substrate to a new thing i'm trying called "sani-chips". There was just a dash of calcium sand left in there, so i mixed it all together. It's mostly sani-chips though. I also put a lot less. Just barely enough to cover him for his burrowing. I had way too much sand in there before. He has hides, too.

I did notice a lot of powder covering him, from the sand. I didn't like that, in case dust gets in his lil cute nose!

He seemed happy enough to burrow away when i was done.

I talked to someone at work, and they said they use vita-sand for the sand boas and geckos. Apparently it clumps when pee'd. Anyone use this? It was half again more expensive...I think i might forget the idea of sand, though he does look good in it. I want him to be safe!

[ShutUpAndSmile]

My male bp only eats in his enclosure so I understand that. I'm trying to find a better way to feed him. But I can't just cup him like I do my little boas. :/
I don't think it matters to the snake the whole hunting from under the sand thing. But my sand boas aren't like fierce eaters. They are kinda like "Oh hey looky here...well I guess I'll eat it...-proceeds to eat without even constricting it-"
Damn i took those pics for nothing. xD They didn't come out well anyway. haha
My guys love the aspen. And it's cool seeing the little tunnels when I look in there cage. Just a bunch a little holes.
Does your guy use the hides? I think mine couldn't care less. I may just take them out. They never use them.

[Missy King]

lol i want to see pics anyway!!

and he does use them. He hides under them, under the substrate *lol*

My baby brat hognose has moss in his little cage (i'm a bad mama...i'm holding out on giving him more room until the reptile show in January. Yay good deals!)
and substrate. He goes around the edges of the bottom, on the inside, of course, and makes tracks and holes, and then hides in the moss. I found that he seems to like peeking out of that much more than he liked his wooden hide. He's the only one I had, before the sand boa, making tracks and tunnels.

Sandy seems to come out, make some tracks, and then just hide under the end of one of the hides, in the substrate. (I wonder if i could fit the word Hide into that sentence a little more??)

Okay, so it's right in the middle of the tank. It's a ten gallon, and it's more than enough room for him at this time. It's a long bamboo hide, so the end is right in the "middle" heat zone, and that's where i always find him! Which i guess is good...he's not too hot, not too cold. lol

sorry for the rambles, i'm totally half asleep right now. lol

[muddoc]

Try Sani-Chips for beding. That is what we use for our Kenyans, and I have never had a problem, although I am sure they have ingested a piece or two from time to time. Also, the tail length is accurate. Females do have shorter, stubbier tails than males. However, if you are experienced at popping snakes, then you should be able to get penes. There penes are longer (comparatively) than pythons, so you may have to start your popping process a bit further back the tail, to risk pinching down the penes before you get a chance to invert them.

[DellaF]

I just use aspen for mine. He does fine in it.