Help?!! african sand boa!

[jdmls88]

My friend cant take care for nor house his african sand boa and me being the only person he knows with reptile experience he wants me to take it. Only problem is i dont knwo the first thing about sandboas!! Can anyone help me out? is it similar to housing a bp? low-mid 80's one side low 90's other. mid 50's humidity? what about substrate? is paper towels fine? Please help

[jdmls88]

it would be greatly appreciated

[Shelby]

Hi there.. I assume you mean a Kenyan sand boa. I have two.. they're pretty easy to keep.

You want a similar temp/humidity as for ball pythons, but since sand boas are burrowing snakes, you don't want newspaper, instead use something they can dig in. I use aspen shavings for mine. Just don't use pine or cedar, as they will cause respiratory distress.

If it's a young one, you want to keep it in a pretty small enclosure too.

[jdmls88]

should i put something on the bottom of the cage under the substrate so when they burrow they dont burn themselves on the uth?

[Shelby]

The UTH should never be hot enough on the bottom to burn the snake.. if it is, it needs to be turned down on the thermostat (all UTHs need something to regulate them). Snakes can (and will) get under newspaper to burn themselves.. Not worth the risk.

I don't use anything under the aspen.

[jdmls88]

im thinking way too much like a bp owner lol his area is under the substrate not above it so regulating temps at the bottom of the tank not on top of the aspen, am i on the right track?

[Shelby]

Correct. They spend 99% of the time at the bottom of the substrate. (though even with a BP you want to measure temps on the glass to make sure they aren't too hot)

[N4S]

Here is all you need.

http://www.sandboas.net/

[MelissaFlipski]

My friend cant take care for nor house his african sand boa and me being the only person he knows with reptile experience he wants me to take it. Only problem is i dont knwo the first thing about sandboas!! Can anyone help me out? is it similar to housing a bp? low-mid 80's one side low 90's other. mid 50's humidity? what about substrate? is paper towels fine? Please help

Have you already fallen in love with it, or are you looking for a home for it? I know it's a long shot, but I just thought I would ask since I am looking for a Kenyan Sand Boa and/or a Rosy Boa....