New Kenyan Sand Boa Issues

Snakes exotic to South Africa commonly known as non-venomous.

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New Kenyan Sand Boa Issues

Postby AdP » Mon Jul 14, 2014 7:33 pm

Hello

I've had my little Kenyan sand boa for about two weeks now.
His substrate is sand, which I bought at a pet store after advice from one of the guys who work with the snakes and spiders. They also have a Kenyan sand boa in sand at the store.
I've noticed that the sand gets stuck to the snake's "lips" and it actually glued its mouth shut.
After soaking him in lukewarm water I could get the sand off, but I'm afraid it might happen again.
After Googling around I am even more confused. So many different sites say so many different things regarding the substrates that should be used. :?:
My snake is also ready to shed, what would he need to shed properly?
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Re: New Kenyan Sand Boa Issues

Postby Ruan Stander » Mon Jul 14, 2014 8:07 pm

Most would advise against sand. However I have used sand as substrate for certain species since I started keeping reptiles without problems. I must mention that I feed snakes kept on sand outside their enclosures, in tubs. For lizards I just placed the food tray on a plastic lid so that anything that messed didn't get sand on it.

To shed a snake only needs a rock, piece of wood or something of the like to rub against.
A slight increase in humidity will also assist in things going smoothly.
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Re: New Kenyan Sand Boa Issues

Postby AdP » Tue Jul 15, 2014 10:21 am

Thanks for the reply. This morning my little guy's mouth had sand stuck to it again, so it seems to happen when he is just burrowing around. He has a rock to rub against, but it doesn't seem like he uses it. It also looks like he forgets that he has a water dish.

For warmth I have a heat lamp on the one side (opposite side of the water dish). Would the heat lamp cause problems if I got another substrate like wood shavings (eg. fire, fumes)? I've read about humidity boxes. Is that really necessary or can I increase humidity in another way?
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Re: New Kenyan Sand Boa Issues

Postby Westley Price » Tue Jul 15, 2014 11:24 am

Hi There

KSB are one of the easier snakes to keep, but people often misinterpret their requirements.

Normal sand from your garden will not work due to the small grain size. This will result in their mouths getting stuck, plugging of nostrils etc. Which type of sand are you using? Maybe you can post a pictures of your setup?

If you plan on sticking with sand, you should find some wind blown desert sand or beach sand, where all the dusty particles have been blown/washed away leaving only the nicely rounded, larger grains (beach sand should be washed to avoid salt). But some pet shops sell nice reptile sand, just check that the grains are rounded to an extent and not angular. Swimming pool filter sand works well and has a larger grain size (available at Builders Warehouse etc.). Newspaper also works well but it doesn't look as good as sand.

The light bulb is also a major issue. They dry out the air a lot which is terrible during it's shedding cycle. These snakes do prefer heat from above as opposed to heat from below (heat pad) but maybe try to find a ceramic heat emitter rather. Undercage heat mats work, but I always feel these snakes prefer heat from above.

A humid hide is an excellent idea. When you raise the humidity within the entire enclosure, you risk respiratory infections and bacteria growing in your substrate, but a humid hide gives the snake a choice of whether it wants to be dry or humid. During shedding you will note the snake will spend the bulk of its time in the humid hide. You can simply use an overturned container with damp sphagnum moss (also at many pet shops) inside which you spray every few days.

Good luck with her! KSBs are super cool critters.
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Re: New Kenyan Sand Boa Issues

Postby Jamster » Tue Jul 15, 2014 11:27 am

Try getting some pool filter sand. It is slightly more coarse so it doesnt stick as easily. Just rinse it out a bit before you use it as it tends to have residual powder on it. We used it at our snake park for practically all the snakes.
1.0-reticulated python (Ripcord)
1.1-burmese pythons
5.5-brown house snakes
1.0-taiwanese ratsnake
3.8-BCI
1.1-corn snakes
1.2-rhombic skaapstekers
1.0-yellow rat snake
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Re: New Kenyan Sand Boa Issues

Postby AdP » Tue Jul 15, 2014 11:58 am

Thanks, I'll look into the pool filter sand. The sand I have is reptile sand I bought at a pet shop.
Currently I have a day heat lamp and a night heat lamp. With the heat coil, won't the snake need some kind of light as well?
I see that there is something called "reptile gravel" and "aspen snake bedding," could that replace the sand?
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Re: New Kenyan Sand Boa Issues

Postby Viper_SA » Tue Jul 15, 2014 4:51 pm

For me normal children's play sand works great and in my experience the prefer belly heat to heat from above. I have two Exo-terra snake caves, the ones with solid bottoms. During shed cycles I just keep the sand in one of the two moist and they shed beautifully.
Happy herping :D

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