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!