A Few Kenyan Sand Boa Questions From a Newbie

[ashleec]

I’m really thinking about getting a Kenyan sand boa & I have a few quick questions. I’ve heard the sand boats are great snakes, pretty easy to care for, & I like that they don’t get overly big. Also, I think they’re adorable. This would be my first snake, but I have crested geckos so I have some experience with other reptiles. Really the only thing may be stopping me from getting one is the fact that I live at home & my mom thinks snakes (especially big ones) are creepy. She’s not terrified of them, she just doesn’t like them. I don’t know how she’d feel about a small one & if she’d eventually warm up to it.


Anyways, here are my questions:

1. What is the best way to heat their enclosure? The ambient temperature of my house is between 68 & 72, but most of the time it’s 70. I’ve heard heat pads are good for sand boas. I have a Zilla reptile thermostat but I’ve heard from someone that thermostats like that can have a variation of 3-5 degrees. Is that true? If so, what temp should the heat pad be set at? Should I put heat pads under both sides of the cage set to 80 & then have a CHE for a basking spot of 90 somehow, or is one heat pad set to 90 on the warm side sufficient to heat the other side of the aquarium to 80? What do you recommend? I will be keeping the sand boa in a glass 10 gallon aquarium with a screen top.
2. I plan on getting a baby sand boa from a breeder at Repticon. I know baby snakes are supposed to have shed once & eaten a few times before you buy them. What’s the best way to phrase that question when you’re asking the breeder? I plan on asking the breeder to show me the snakes’ chin to check for mites (so I can make sure it doesn’t have mites & so I can learn how to check for mites in the future). I also want to get one that’s already eating F/T mice so I don’t have to figure out how to switch it over to F/T. I’d rather get an older baby that was eating F/T than a younger baby who wasn’t, so I will also ask the breeder about that & choose one accordingly. But I still would like a baby or juvenile as opposed to an adult so I can make sure it’s used to being handled. Is there anything else you should ask when purchasing a baby snake to make sure you’re getting a good, healthy snake?
3. Anything else I should know about sand boas, or that you wish you knew about them before you got one?

Thank you so much for any advice about this!

[Stewart_Reptiles]

1# As far as temps you want to achieve the low 80's on the cool end and reach the 90's on the warm side, that can be achieved with UTH on one side and Heat lamp on the other (no worry on the lamp drying out the enclosure since sand boas require low humidity), or you can have 2 heat mat and two t-star or one if you get the heptstat 2 which will allow you to maintain to sides at 2 different temps.

2/ Best way to phrase is is to ask for the birth date (know that sand boa first shed in average 8 days after birth) and how many meals has the animal had.

[ashleec]

1# As far as temps you want to achieve the low 80's on the cool end and reach the 90's on the warm side, that can be achieved with UTH on one side and Heat lamp on the other (no worry on the lamp drying out the enclosure since sand boas require low humidity), or you can have 2 heat mat and two t-star or one if you get the heptstat 2 which will allow you to maintain to sides at 2 different temps.

2/ Best way to phrase is is to ask for the birth date (know that sand boa first shed in average 8 days after birth) and how many meals has the animal had.

Thank you so much!

What watt heat bulb do you recommend to achieve the 90’s on the warm side?

[Avsha531]

Hi Ashlee, welcome to the forum. KSB's are awesome! A few suggestions:

1. I use a UTH with a thermostat on one end of my 10 gallon. Keep it so surface is about 90 degrees (use a temp gun). Since it in such a small tank, I use a 75 watt bulb on a dimmer over the hot side, on a timer. Typically the UTH barely runs anyways during the day, due to the heat from the bulb which brings it to a high of 92, with it being a bit cooler (80's) on the cool side of the tank. KSB's can tolerate drastic temperature drops and be totally fine at 68-70 at night, but it is much better to give them a UTH as an option for nighttime.

2. GET A FEMALE. Especially if it is your first. Mine is a male and he hunger strikes like nobody's business. I have learned to understand what to expect but it may be difficult for a new owner to deal with. He also climbs a LOT and is always trying to escape. KSB's are escape artists so make sure the enclosure is secure.

KSB's are adorable, cute, derpy, silly, and all around I love mine. He sits buried under the sand all day with his little head poking out, its like where's waldo finding his head lol. Then at night he gets all sorts of active, and then freezes when he sees me thinking maybe I won't notice him being silly. You're gonna love having one!!!

[Stewart_Reptiles]

Thank you so much!

What watt heat bulb do you recommend to achieve the 90’s on the warm side?

It's not an easy question depends on the room temp itself and how much it will vary as well as the distance from bulb to floor area.

To give you an example to warm up a hot spot of 90 degrees in a cage that was 12 inches high in a room that was never no less than 75 degrees I used to use a 50 watts bulb.

I am not a huge fan of bulbs in general it's a lot of heat loss.

[Crowley136]

If your keeping a KSB in a room that's always 76°F or warmer do you need extra heating sources besides a UTH with thermostat?

[ashleec]

Hi Ashlee, welcome to the forum. KSB's are awesome! A few suggestions:

1. I use a UTH with a thermostat on one end of my 10 gallon. Keep it so surface is about 90 degrees (use a temp gun). Since it in such a small tank, I use a 75 watt bulb on a dimmer over the hot side, on a timer. Typically the UTH barely runs anyways during the day, due to the heat from the bulb which brings it to a high of 92, with it being a bit cooler (80's) on the cool side of the tank. KSB's can tolerate drastic temperature drops and be totally fine at 68-70 at night, but it is much better to give them a UTH as an option for nighttime.

2. GET A FEMALE. Especially if it is your first. Mine is a male and he hunger strikes like nobody's business. I have learned to understand what to expect but it may be difficult for a new owner to deal with. He also climbs a LOT and is always trying to escape. KSB's are escape artists so make sure the enclosure is secure.

KSB's are adorable, cute, derpy, silly, and all around I love mine. He sits buried under the sand all day with his little head poking out, its like where's waldo finding his head lol. Then at night he gets all sorts of active, and then freezes when he sees me thinking maybe I won't notice him being silly. You're gonna love having one!!!

Thank you so much for all the great info! Especially the advice about getting a female because I wasn’t sure how bad the males’ hunger strikes were. They sound like super-adorable snakes! 🐍