© Jason Richardson 2007
Kenyan sand boa
Gongylophis colubrinus loveridgei
Introduction
The intent of this care sheet is as follows: to teach you everything you need to know to keep and breed Kenyan sand boas.
Kenyan sand boas (like all other pythons and boas) are in the family of snakes Boidae. Members of the family Boidae come in many shapes and sizes from many habitats and inhabit all corners of the globe. Our target species happens to be a small, shy, burrowing boa that inhabits Northern Africa (Tanzania, Kenya, much of Ethiopia, Sudan, northern Somalia, northern Chad, western Niger, Egypt, and western Libya).
Despite there name of sand boa, this species is more commonly found in more dirt-like regions where they occupy burrows of other animals rather than there own (although they are perfectly developed to create their own burrow, more on this in a bit). The vast majority of sand boas for sale in the pet trade are captive bred. Larger females have been known to reach over three feet in length but 2 feet is more common. Males attain 18 inches on average (told you they are small).
While on the topic of size, maybe a description of the animal will do some good. Perhaps a good nickname for Kenyan sand boas is Halloween snake because the normal morph is orange and black. “Normal morph?” you may be asking; morph is a term used to describe an animal that has genetic alteration in the color, pattern, etc. Some examples for Kenyan sand boa morphs are anerythristic (lack of red/orange pigment), albino, and snows, all morphs have a cream color underside. The head has eyes positioned more upward on the head than other snakes. This is because of the hunting method. They lie in their burrow with only head exposed and quickly grab and constrict prey when it wanders within range. At the backside of their body is their little tail. The tail may look like a head to some predators; it is more “armored” than the rest of the body. The scales here are much rougher and thicker than the rest of the body. At the very tip of some specimens lies a small spike. Interestingly, this spike develops with age.
Choosing a sand boa
Due to the availability of captive bred specimens, choosing a healthy animal is just that much easier. First feature that should be looked at is the eyes. Although small, especially in babies, it is important to view. The eyes should be clear and alert. They should not be cloudy or sunken in. Sometimes an eye cap (a piece of skin leftover from a previous shed) may remain. There are a number of reasons for this; the most common is a simple husbandry issue that caused an improper shed, but it can be as complex as medical problems, so retained eye caps should be avoided. Next thing to look at is the mouth. Make sure the tip of the snout is not injured and that the mouth fully closes. Be sure to pay attention to tongue movement as it indicates and alert animal. Sand boas are fat little snakes for their small length; but they should not be noticeably skinny. Don’t confuse this with a form of defense where they occasionally flatten the belly (though this is more common with their cousins the rough-scaled sand boas). Now check the body for any visible injuries. There may be a slight scar-like line somewhere around the third fourth of the body. This is where the baby once received nutrients from the mother (as these snakes are live bearers). Lastly the anal plate should be looked at. It should be free of runny or crusty stools. If possible, dig through the substrate to look for any runny stool. Though I understand this may not always be possible; such as when buying from reptile expos or recent cage cleanings; reptile expos/shows are great places to learn, meet fellow reptile enthusiasts, and browse a variety of reptiles and amphibians up for sale. Never hurts trying o find one in your area.
Handling
For the most part, you should try and handle your snake as little as possible. Of course, this is not because they are aggressive; quite the opposite, they’re usually very docile and almost never bite. Only thing is handling increases a chance for accidents to occur. Too much handling may deprive the animal of useful basking time and may also stress them out, causing feeding troubles and other health related problems. Ten minutes a day is a good rule of thumb on an efficient handling time. Do not hold the animal on days it is getting ready to shed (indicated by a pale coloration and/or blue eyes), or 2-3 days after it has eaten. On a side note, be careful when removing an animal when it is burrowed. Most bites happen during this time. The reason is because they are ambush predators, and something touching (in this case your hand) them near or around the head triggers a feed response in which they will bite. So try and grasp them from the bottom 2/3 of the body.
Housing
The caging for sand boas can be very simple, but can also be a centerpiece to a room. A ten-gallon aquarium is a fairly cheap simple way of housing an adult male, a female or pair can be kept in a twenty-gallon aquarium. We’ll first look at setting one of these up start to finish, and then look at some more complex options.
The Tank
You’re traditional glass sided, screen topped enclosure will do just fine, but remember to get some clips so none of the sneaky suckers get out! There are of course many different types of housing available for reptiles, just be sure it is escape proof and it will work.
The Substrate
This is what’s on the bottom of the cage. Several options are available for sand boas. The odds of two keepers completely agreeing on a substrate is almost as likely as two different cultures completely agreeing on clothing. It’s important to allow them to burrow so a loose medium is a good idea. Success has also been reported with a newspaper bottom but a more natural approach makes better sense, don’t you think? Any burrowable substrate should be a minimum of two inches.
As noted earlier, despite the name, sand boas are actually found in a more dirt-like region, but sand is a commonly used substrate. Let’s first look at sand just to get it out of the way. I say that because it’s very controversial. Many people dislike it because it has been known to cause blockage (known more appropriately as impaction) in the intestine. I’ve personally never had a problem with it but will not say it’s impossible. This happens because it may get consumed while eating or drinking if it gets in the water bowl. This can be prevented by having a separate container for feeding. This does not have to be much, just a simple deli cup or shoe box. The benefits of sand are that it is easily cleaned with a sifter and had weight to it to make the snake feel more secure. Weight on the backside makes them feel secure because they are less exposed. But just so we’re on the same page here, this does not mean throw a bunch of rocks in there so that the snake is being crushed.
A cheap, aesthetically pleasing option is aspen shaving. These can be purchased from pet stores. It is lightweight though it is not as easily cleaned as sand. Be careful if you have an animal that likes to make a mess with its water, as many do, because a fungus is quick to develop on moist aspen.
If you’re like me, and save newspapers because you always think you can find a use for them, then you just found one! It can be laid flat on the bottom of the cage but it disallows the natural desire to dig. If this method a hide box MUST be provided or else they will get overly stressed out. It can also be shredded and used that way, either into strips or smaller squares. It’s important though to shred the papers by hand, as machines can make edges to sharp.
Cypress mulch is mulch made from…Well, cypress trees. 95% of the mulch is large enough to not be ingested by even the largest of specimens. The large sized pieces also allow for room to burrow in between the pieces, mimicking the natural tendencies. The only downside is its humidity retention; it can be a tad too good.
There are many more products available and going through all of them with the pros and cons would just take to much time. It is up for you; the responsible pet owner to decide what is right. On a last note though, cedar and pine should always be avoided as they emit harmful fumes that may lead to respiratory infection(s) and even death.
Hidebox
If you choose to go a route with nonburrowable substrate, a place to hide is a must to avoid stress. There is about a million and one things that can be used, quite honestly, probably more than that. You can buy ones made by reptile supply companies, make your own, or even find one lying around the house. Anything where they can safely hide (hence the name) can be used as long as it has no way of causing harm. A hidebox should be provided on both ends of the enclosure. Sharp edged items, chemically poisonous, and anything that may come apart and crush the animal should be avoided.
Decorations
To be blunt, they will turn that decorative cow skull you took the time to position just right over in a matter of minutes, because they dig they get under everything and mix it all up, cover it, move it all over, and just make a mess. If heavy decorations are used, anchor it to the floor of the enclosure to keep it stable. Heavy objects should never be left on top of loose substrate because they can crush the snake should it go under it. A rough, not sharp, rock may be beneficial to aid in shedding but is not necessary. Other things you may include are false (or real for you green thumbed people out there) cacti (not too sharp), animal bones, skulls, and antlers (always a nice touch to desert displays), cholla wood (pronounced CHOY-ah), and other wood pieces. If multiple rocks are stacked together they must be glued or otherwise adhered together so they are not hazardous.
Heating, Lighting, and Humidity
Inside is all setup and ready for the snake right? Not quite yet. Heating, lighting, and humidity are a very important part in the wellbeing of the animal. These three are often called parameters. The first thing you want to do if you’re having problems with any reptile is check the parameters as statistics show the majority of problems are found right here.
Heating and Lighting
All reptiles are ectothermic (the proper term for cold-blooded), and the heat gives them the majority of energy. Proper heat is also beneficial in good digestion. Being from an area near the equator, these little boas like it hot. The heat source should be placed on one side to allow for a thermal gradient. The heat source should be adjusted so that directly under it (or above depending on what you’re using) reads at 90-94 degrees. An electric thermometer is best to read this. Stick-on thermometers should be avoided as they measure the temperature of where they’re stuck to and are highly inaccurate. Heat can be provided via incandescent light bulb, ceramic heat emitter, or from of under cage heating device. Be cautious of hot rocks or heat pads as they often get to hot and need to be controlled with a rheostat or thermostat. Now that one end is at a sufficient temperature, we need to take a look at the other side of the cage. The spreading heat from the one heat source is usually enough to bring up the temperature on the other side to about 75-80. For longer enclosures or if you live in a colder house/climate an additional heat source may be needed.
Lighting isn’t all that important to many snakes, and with sand boas being nocturnal it holds true to them. A florescent light may be added if you want because it can give more “pizzazz” to a decorative setup. The heat and light should only be on for a certain period each day known as the photoperiod. 14 hours is suitable in the summer-fall and 10-12 (it’s disputable, like many things as you cans see now) in the winter and spring. During the transition of the times the photoperiod should be lowered by about 15 minutes every several days.
Humidity
The native range is across many geographical locations so there is debate as to if they need relatively low humidity or relatively high. I personally like to keep the enclosure around 40%-50% humidity and then lightly mist the enclosure once a day when a snake is about to shed so that the humidity is about 70% for a short period of the day. Constant humidity higher than this can lead to skin blisters.
Food and Water
Cost of feed and water is very cheap (unless you have many mouths too feed). Rodents make a good staple diet and are available at many pet stores. A general rule is to not feed a prey item larger than the thickest part of the body. Adults should be fed one appropriately sized mouse once every 7-10 days. Water should be provided at all times in a small water bowl. They do not soak and only need the water for drinking, and of course, avoid water with harmful chemicals.
Breeding
After experiencing how easy it is to care for this specie, I wouldn’t be surprised if you wanted to try your hand at breeding. It is very easy because unlike many reptiles they do not need to experience a brumation (I know I know, more scientific words. This one means “winter cooldown”, it’s similar to hibernation) and, like most boas, they give live birth so no need to worry about those incubating eggs.
The first thing you obviously want to do is make sure you have a male and female. Adults are easily distinguished by size alone; females are always larger than males. I’ve yet to hear of a male who has achieved female size and weight. Methods for younger snakes include traditional probing and “popping”. These are difficult to describe in words and a hands-on example is best. Ask an experienced keeper or breeder to show you the basics of these techniques. Both sexes must be about 2 ½ years old and should be healthy to breed. Animals that are “power fed” to achieve a larger size in a shorter time for breeding purposes often are unhealthy with unhealthy babies. One male can be used to impregnate multiple females. Often times when online somebody list there collection or something for sale it will be represented in a decimal form, i.e. 1.2.3. This is a ratio of males (first number), females (second number), and unknown/unsexed specimens (third number). A 1.3 breeding group can easily work out. These groups can be introduced anytime of the year. Another method some people like is to keep pairs, trios, quartets, what-have-you together year round and allow them to “do there thing” at their leisure. Many may disagree with this practice because when the animals feed they may pose a potential danger to each other. The good news is, though some seem to not realize, is that it’s incredibly easy to separate them whilst feeding. Be advised mature males may go off feed for several months.
Neonate Care
While they may look just like little adults babies are cared for slightly differently to make your life, and theirs, slightly easier. When they are born, each baby should be separated into its own enclosure. They can be kept together but it’s easier to keep track of them if they’re alone. I find a deli cup about 6 inches diameter works best. I would not go bigger than a 10 gallon aquarium or enclosure of similar size. Plastic shoeboxes also work well. A paper towel or two loosely folded and lightly misted placed on the bottom of the selected enclosure allows them to hide but keeps them from hiding on you too much to the point where they can’t be monitored. The light mist keeps it moist to allow for any “goop” that is stuck on them from the mother can easily come off. Change the paper towel as need be. A water bottle cap turned upside down is the perfect little thing for water. After about a week they will begin to shed, after this is when you can offer their first meal. Day old pinky mice are the absolute largest (an oxymoron seeing as how small pinkies are) prey the newborns can handle. They’re often a little nippy so readily accept frozen-thawed mice. After about three feeding they can be placed in a similar enclosure to the adults, but more appropriated to their small size.
All views expressed above are in the sole experience of the author: Jason Richardson. He highly recommends obtaining information from multiple sources when researching care of an animal.
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