Up to date Could 20, 2025
Native not solely to Kenya, the Kenyan sand boa (Eryx colubrinus) can be present in Egypt, western Libya, Yemen, Sudan, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Chad, Niger and northern Somalia. Due to its in depth geographical vary, some keepers consult with it because the East African sand boa, however the frequent identify of Kenyan sand boa remains to be essentially the most extensively accepted within the pet commerce.
john virata/snake courtesy brotherboas.com
Feminine Kenyan sand boas develop to about 2 toes in size whereas males are smaller at round 20 inches.
My first contact with the Kenyan sand boa occurred greater than twenty years in the past, and fairly by chance. The impression was a long-lasting one, and I’ve by no means been with out them in my fairly numerous assortment of reptiles ever since. An area animal management officer handed alongside two specimens that had been apparently left behind in an deserted residence. My estimation is that they had been 2 or 3 years outdated, and some years later I might determine that they had been each feminine. I used to be instantly taken by the advanced dorsal sample and pleasing coloration, and completely fascinated by the peculiar head form, clearly designed for burrowing. One other supply of curiosity was the stout tail, resembling one other head, with its enlarged tough scales for cover.
In these days I had no Web, only a few dependable books on reptile husbandry, and no REPTILES journal to information me. I gathered as a lot data as doable, and finally discovered a male with which to pair my two females. I used to be rewarded with a profitable breeding venture and interesting, long-term pets.
Whereas the Kenyan sand boa will not be as in style within the snake interest as a ball python, it has developed a particular area of interest in herpetoculture resulting from its attention-grabbing look, comparatively placid disposition and easy husbandry necessities. Even the most important particular person is manageable for the keeper with restricted area. And whereas a number of the morphs now accessible are leading to new lovers, many keepers appear to agree that the pure salmon with darkish blotches coloration of a Kenyan sand boa remains to be exhausting to beat.
Kenyan Sand Boas Can Make Glorious Pets
A Kenyan sand boa is a superb newbie snake, and in case you like the concept of incessantly dealing with your pet, this is likely to be the snake for you. It doesn’t get very massive—grownup females usually max out at a bit greater than 2 toes, and males round 20 inches—and is often fairly accommodating. Though most sand boas are very effectively behaved, an occasional particular person could also be barely jumpy, however from my private expertise, bites are uncommon. Even essentially the most spirited sand boa prefers to attempt to escape, jerk or spasm fairly than chunk.
I obtained the one non-feeding chunk I’ve ever gotten earlier this 12 months, from a gravid feminine. I used to be inspecting her, and it grew to become clear she wasn’t occupied with tolerating the intrusion. Of the numerous years I’ve been protecting this species, it was the primary time I’ve skilled such an incident.
Most bites are from a feeding response, the place the snake merely errors its keeper’s hand for meals. This may be prevented with a assured, but mild methodology. Don’t attain for the entrance third of a sand boa’s physique approaching from above the snake. This may occasionally set off a feeding impulse or startle the snake, and doing so might routinely put the animal on the defensive.
As a substitute, when reaching on your snake, attain to raise it from beneath the center of its physique. Should you proceed to take action each time, the snake will quickly determine that your hand is just not a rodent that’s being provided. In fact, you possibly can additionally use a small snake hook, as effectively.
When dealing with your sand boa, make sure you present adequate assist alongside its physique. Not like another snakes, sand boas are usually not constructed for climbing, so you could forestall an unintentional fall that would lead to stress and damage to the snake. Present loads of assist.
Should you resolve to maintain a Kenyan sand boa, be ready for a long-term dedication. One in all my two first Kenyan sand boas I discussed firstly of this text remains to be with me, and is nearing roughly 26 years of age. The one signal of slowing down she has demonstrated has been to cease producing offspring after about 15 years. I made a decision to retire her from breeding, however she remains to be a wholesome, great pet, and one which I hope might be with me for a lot of extra years.
Kenyan Sand Boa Fundamental Housing
The Kenyan sand boa’s burrowing nature turns some keepers off, as some equate the show of a sand boa cage with that of an empty one. Kenyan sand boas do make common appearances, nevertheless, and in case you’re affected person, observing their fascinating behaviors may be fairly rewarding. And as soon as just a few primary necessities are met, the captive upkeep of a Kenyan sand boa is about as simple as snake protecting will get.
This stable little boa is just not typically flighty or nervous, however like all captive creatures, people have to really feel safe as a way to do stay wholesome. As soon as established, they’re curious snakes that poke their noses out of the substrate and discover their territories.
The common grownup Kenyan sand boa may be content material in a 36″ x 18″ x 18″ or different enclosure with comparable ground dimensions, although I like to recommend a bigger enclosure for the occasional super-sized feminine. Although it’s not a sand boa’s nature to climb, by no means underestimate its power and agility in terms of the artwork of escaping. Lids for any enclosures have to be tightly fitted and secured.
Regardless of its frequent identify, a sand boa doesn’t want a substrate of sand to thrive. I’ve stored and bred them on quite a lot of substrates, together with not simply sand, but additionally aspen bedding and coconut and cypress mulch.
As a result of a sand boa spends a lot of its time on the backside of its enclosure, its main warmth supply ought to come from under. A scorching spot must be concentrated at one finish of the enclosure and maintained at roughly 95 levels Fahrenheit. For plastic storage containers arrange in a shelving rack system, quite a lot of warmth cables managed with a thermostat can be found and extensively utilized by breeders and hobbyists. This methodology gives ruled heat that’s particularly efficient for heating numerous containers. For a single terrarium, an under-tank heating pad designed to be used with reptiles must be positioned beneath one facet of the tank following producer directions, and it must be in use 24/7. A thermostat can be utilized to take care of the temperature within the heat finish at 95 levels. To create hotter ambient air temperature in a terrarium with a display screen lid, an overhead incandescent lamp will also be used in the course of the day if mandatory to supply the beneficial temperature. The cooler facet of the enclosure must be round 80 levels, and a drop to the mid 70s in a single day is passable.
In case your choice is an attention-grabbing naturalistic surroundings, bear in mind this can be a burrowing species with a penchant for rearranging the furnishings. Cork bark and different sturdy but light-weight cage décor is beneficial. Keep away from utilizing heavy rocks, or something that would injure your sand boa if it falls over. Climbing branches, crops, and so forth. might lead to a beautiful enclosure, however a sand boa won’t make the most of such furnishings. Hiding locations will also be offered, however once more, will not be mandatory as a result of sand boas are burrowers that search safety beneath their substrate. Even in case you don’t use sand and use newspaper or one other materials, your sand boa will doubtless cover beneath it. That mentioned, it couldn’t harm to supply a cover field anyway.
Like most breeders, I’m inclined to maintain my snakes in separate enclosures. Up to now, I’ve stored Kenyan sand boas communally with none issues, however in case you select to maintain multiple collectively, make sure you separate them at mealtime. Present a small water bowl and exchange with clear water as wanted.
Kenyan Sand Boa Morphs and Breeding
Not solely is the Kenyan sand boa top-of-the-line newbie snakes, it reproduces readily in captivity, making a sand boa breeding venture good for newbie breeders to start out with. The sand boa is a live-bearing species, too, which is one other plus for the keeper who’s simply beginning out and who might need to keep away from buying an incubator and coping with eggs.
Adults exhibit sexual dimorphism, making it simple to decipher the genders by comparability. Grownup females are bulkier, and as talked about will attain somewhat over 2 toes in size, whereas males are smaller and barely exceed 20 inches.
Selective-breeding of explicit people to get fascinating traits by generations is definitely doable. This may be executed for visible enchantment, corresponding to producing animals with extra yellow, brown or orange coloration. These naturally occurring variations are doubtless endemic and geographic in origin, however selectively breeding sand boas that exhibit them over generations will typically lead to enhancing the specified trait. Kenyan sand boas are already lovely of their most pure type, however to make issues much more thrilling, there are additionally loads of colour morphs to select from.
Among the morphs at the moment accessible embody Albino, Anerythristic, Snow, Paradox, Nuclear, Decreased Sample, Striped, Peppered, Tigers, Dodoma, Flame, Splash, Calico, and Mocha (Hypo). Other than its apparent enchantment as a pet snake, I imagine the Kenyan sand boa will proceed to realize recognition due to so many new morphs and new combos but to be found.
Breeding for different non-visual traits, corresponding to persona and dimension, will also be completed, though that is much less commonplace with reptiles than with different sorts of pets.
To set off mating, a cool, dormant interval for the grownup snakes previous to pairing is beneficial. A slight drop right down to room temperature is sufficient to simulate a seasonal change. I shut off the warmth supply round Christmas, and begin warming the snakes up across the finish of February. I’ve had success reproducing sand boas with out cooling, however for long-term breeding and extra dependable outcomes, I like to recommend biking them.
Potential breeders will need to have enough physique weight earlier than cooling. As a result of they won’t be able to digest their meals with out greater temperatures, cease feeding them two weeks earlier than, in addition to in the course of the cooling interval. Throughout brumation your snakes will nonetheless want entry to consuming water. With minimal intrusion, test on them round as soon as per week to ensure there isn’t any spilled water, and for total inspection.
After cooling and the cage temperatures return to regular, I ease my Kenyans again into feeding by providing an under-sized meal of a smaller-than-usual mouse. Just a few days afterward, they’re often able to dive again into consuming full-sized prey.
After a few weeks, I begin the introductions. Often breeding is initiated inside just a few hours. If any of my snakes are in a shed cycle, I wait till they’re completed earlier than pairing them up as a result of they usually have little interest in breeding after they’re in shed.
To begin the breeding motion, I often introduce my grownup sand boas all through April to August. The timeframe varies, relying on numerous components, together with the quantity of meals the feminine has eaten (she must have ample weight to be able to breed) and the climate. I’ve had child Kenyans born in each month from October to April. In reality, one among my females has infants on or round Easter weekend yearly.
I all the time introduce the males into the females’ enclosures. The one cause I do it this fashion is as a result of I preserve the females in bigger enclosures, so by placing a male in with a feminine they’ve extra room. This methodology works for me, however I can’t say from private expertise if reversing the introductions would change the outcomes.
Hold pairs collectively for 3 days to per week, then separate them and provide meals to each women and men. By repeating this for a month or so, your sand boas ought to have loads of time to finish the duty. Generally it’s possible you’ll witness courtship and copulation, typically you received’t. I’ve had profitable sand boa copy with out figuring out any mating had taken place.
In case you are involved that the chosen mates are usually not exhibiting any curiosity in breeding, strive introducing a second male to get the figurative fires burning. The 2 males will turn into conscious of one another’s presence right away, and infrequently fight begins. I don’t let it get very far, not more than 5 minutes, though I’ve by no means seen any harm outcome from this observe. There are tales about males biting each other, although, so I by no means depart them unattended. Simply the scent and presence of the extra male is commonly sufficient to get the beforehand uninterested male to snap into breeding mode.
You could discover some refined behavioral modifications in a gravid feminine, corresponding to a change in disposition or urge for food, and as you would possibly anticipate, a swollen stomach. She may also spend an excessive amount of time stretched out together with her abdomen positioned instantly over the under-tank warmth supply. Stomach warmth is very very important for a gravid feminine throughout gestation, to ensure that the infants to develop correctly. The cage temperature and scorching spot might have some affect on the size of gestation, too, which is usually rather less than 4 months.
Gravid feminine sand boas are likely to eat enthusiastically till the previous couple of weeks earlier than their due date, after they fully lose curiosity in something however basking on the warmth supply. Whereas it’s essential to maintain a watchful eye on the snake and its progress, discover a steadiness to permit her as a lot privateness as doable. Slightly peek as soon as a day is appropriate, however frequently disrupting her may cause pointless stress.
I want to change to layers of paper substrate throughout gestation, or at the very least previous to the large day, as a result of it’s far much less messy in the course of the birthing course of and makes discovering all of the infants easier. Kenyan sand boa litter sizes vary from six to twenty, and bigger females have been reported to provide greater than 30 infants.
I’ve by no means had a sand boa give beginning in the course of the daytime, it all the time occurs in a single day, presumably for the security of the darkness and since there are much less intrusions. Within the wild, it could additionally assist that nighttime is cooler, permitting the infants time to retreat with out getting cooked within the blazing solar.
After having her infants, the feminine might enter a shed cycle earlier than accepting meals. I all the time provide a small prey merchandise instantly after I take away the infants and clear the enclosure. About half the time she’s going to eat, so it’s price a strive. After a sand boa offers beginning, it may be startling how a lot she hollows out! To not fear although; it doesn’t take lengthy for a feminine to realize again her sturdy determine with common feedings.
I set new infants up in a plastic shoebox, in what’s mainly a miniature model of the adults’ setup. I preserve the within easy, utilizing solely paper lining, a small disposable cardboard cover field and a small water bowl. Many breeders set every of the infants up individually proper from the start. That is completely acceptable, though my methodology has served me effectively for a few years.
I preserve the complete litter collectively in the identical container till they begin feeding, although I don’t provide them any meals till they’ve all had their fist shed, which all the time occurs inside per week of their being born.
When feeding, I’ll transfer a child sand boa to a separate feeding enclosure and provide it a pinky mouse, useless or alive. As soon as a child accepts this merchandise, it’s moved to its personal enclosure; if it doesn’t, it goes again in with the others. The method is repeated till every child has taken its first meal, often after per week or so. As soon as they’re all feeding and arrange individually, infants are provided meals each 5 to seven days.
Any snake fanatic can get pleasure from protecting the Kenyan sand boa. Its ease of care and breeding is interesting to newcomers, and the recognition, constant worth and growing morph potentialities provide good alternatives to the skilled breeder. After all of the years I’ve stored and bred this distinctive little boa I nonetheless take into account it an interesting and rewarding member of my menagerie.
Darren Boyd is an expert herpetoculturist and author. He owns and operates The Reptile Rainforest, an education-based business reptile breeding enterprise in Kemptville, Ontario, Canada. He has been working with reptiles for greater than 20 years, and he has expertise with many different unique animals.
