Kenyan sand boas are small fossorial snakes native to northern and eastern Africa. Their preferred habitat is areas of loose, sandy soil with low vegetation and rock cover. As a fossorial species, Kenyan sand boas spend most of their time underground, and their nocturnal nature makes them even more elusive. Kenyan sand boas are popular pet snakes due to their manageable size, docile nature, slow movement, and ease of keeping.
Kenyan sand boas are generally between 18-36ā long, with females being significantly larger than males. They have an oval, streamlined head, silky-smooth scales, upturned eyes, and a set of highly textured scales on the tip of their tail.
Kenyan Sand Boa
Enclosure Setup
Kenyan sand boas make minimally-demanding pet reptiles. The minimum enclosure size recommended for housing a single Kenyan sand boa is 36āL x 18āW x 18āH. If you do not know your snakeās sex, itās best to go for the larger enclosure rather than smaller as a precaution.
Lighting
Although technically sand boas can survive without UVB lighting, itās best practice to provide UVB to them. In other words, we recommend installing appropriate UVB lighting as part of your snakeās setup. The 22ā Arcadia 6% or Zoo Med T5 HO Reptisun 5.0 is likely to work the best for a sand boa in a 40 gallon enclosure. Your UVB bulb must be replaced every 12 months to maintain its output. Resist the temptation to use other, cheaper brands - when it comes to UVB, brand matters!
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According to their natural range, lights should be scheduled to be on for 12 hours/day year-round. UVB lighting can be tricky, because in order to get the right strength of UVB (UV Index, or UVI), distance and potential mesh obstruction must be considered. To provide appropriate UVB, you will need a high-quality, low-intensity UVB bulb, roughly 1/2 the length of the enclosure, placed on the warm side of the setup. For best results, house the UVB bulbs in a reflective fixture. Position the lamp on the same side of the terrarium as the heat lamp.
The highest branch should be positioned so the snake is no closer than the following distances from the UVB lamp:
- Arcadia ShadeDweller kit: 7-9ā (mesh), 10-12ā (no mesh)
- Arcadia T5 HO 6% / Zoo Med T5 HO Reptisun 5.0: 10-12ā (mesh), 13-15ā (no mesh)
Use an Arcadia or Vivarium Electronics fixture to maximize UVB output.
Because this is a bioactive setup, you will also need a plant light to encourage healthy plant growth.
UVB Lighting Setup
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Heating
Like other reptiles, Kenyan sand boas are cold-blooded, which means that they need a range of temperatures within their enclosure so they can regulate their own body temperature as needed. Areas of heat speed up their metabolism and promote activities like digestion and healing. In captivity, using halogen flood heat bulbs is the best way to replicate the type of warmth provided by sunlight.
Specifically speaking, Kenyan sand boas should have a basking surface temperature of 93-95Ā°F (34-35Ā°C) and a cool side temperature between 78-83Ā°F (26-28Ā°C). Heating should be turned off at night.
To create a basking area for your sand boa, you will need a halogen heat bulb like the 50w Exo Terra Sun Glo Halogen Lamp (optimum wattage may vary) and a fixture like small Exo Terra Reptile Glow Light. If the basking area gets too warm, you can plug the lamp into a lamp dimmer like the Lutron Credenza and reduce the heat that way. Generally speaking, 50w halogen flood bulbs should be plenty to achieve your target basking surface temperature. The basking rock should be placed on top of the black plastic hide box, which will act as your warm hide. If you notice that theyāre getting too hot, dial it down with a plug-in lamp dimmer. If your basking surface is too cool, you need higher wattage bulbs. You will need multiple heat bulbs to create a large enough basking area to evenly heat your snakeās coiled body. Two bulbs should be enough for an average Kenyan sand boa. To measure the basking surface temperature, use an infrared thermometer (a.k.a.
Provide heat for your snake with at least one halogen flood heat bulb. Do not use ceramic heat emitters (CHEs), heat mats, red bulbs, or blue bulbs, as these are not as effective.
Humidity
Kenyan sand boas need a moderate humidity environment, with most of the moisture being underground rather than in the air. To be specific, they need an average of 50-60% humidity. Although Kenyan sand boas are often thought of as arid, desert animals, they actually come from an area with surprisingly high humidity levels. There should be a 1-2ā layer of damp substrate below the rest of the (drier) substrate. This creates a humid retreat for your snake to use as needed.
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To raise the humidity in your snakeās enclosure and moisten the substrate, use an Exo Terra 2qt Mister to wet things down once a week or as needed. Itās also beneficial to occasionally mist the enclosure with a water sprayer.
Substrate
A thick layer of bioactive-compatible substrate such as Terra Sahara is essential to creating a bioactive sand boa enclosure. Because this is an arid setup, no drainage layer is needed. Instead, you can jump right into the dirt. You will need a soil-like mix that mimics the sandy soil of prairie grassland and will nurture drought-tolerant plants.
As a fossorial (burrowing) species, Kenyan sand boas do best when they have a thick, 6ā layer of sandy substrate in their enclosure. Substrate should be completely replaced every 3-4 months.
If you want to make your own, you will need a mixture of 40% organic topsoil, 40% fine sand, and 20% Zoo Med Excavator Clay. Mix that with leaf litter, sphagnum moss, and 1 doses of 36qt Bio Shot to inoculate your soil with beneficial microfauna. To make the substrate functional, make sure to add drought-tolerant CUC organisms like powder blue/orange isopods and arid springtails.
Kenyan sand boas are healthiest and happiest when they are housed on a substrate (a.k.a. ābeddingā) that imitates the conditions of their natural habitat and facilitates appropriate humidity levels. Sand or sandy soil is generally best for meeting a sand boaās needs. Zoo Med ReptiSand and Exo Terra Desert Sand are the best commercial substrates for a Kenyan sand boaās needs, although 1/20 to 1/30 sandblasting media is a good dust-free alternative. Another option is to use a DIY mix of 60% organic, additive-free topsoil + 40% play sand. Whatever you use, the substrate layer should be at least 3-4ā deep, although deeper is likely to be used.
Enclosure DĆ©cor
Enclosure dĆ©cor is more than just making your setup look good. Itās also an important part of providing environmental enrichment to your snake, which enhances your petās quality of life by providing opportunities to express natural behaviors. Although Kenyan sand boas are fossorial, itās still important to give them things to slither around on and explore. Use things like sturdy branches, cork flats/hollows, caves, and plants to fulfill that need. Live plants in particular are critical to helping your mini-ecosystem function properly. Make sure the plants that you choose are drought-tolerant and wonāt be too bothered if their roots get disturbed.
An empty terrarium makes for a bored sand boa, reducing its quality of life. Since Kenyan sand boas are fossorial, many people think that decor items are a waste of money. Not so! They love to climb low branches and explore anything that they are given, as long as they feel secure.
Decorations play an important role in your Kenyan sand boaās enclosure as environmental enrichment. Enrichment items encourage exercise, stimulate your snakeās natural instincts, and help promote overall wellbeing.
Feeding
Feeding Sand Boas
Like other snakes, sand boas are carnivorous. The key to providing a healthy, balanced diet for any reptile is VARIETY! Kenyan sand boas are carnivorous, which means that they need to eat whole animal prey in order to get the right nutrition. Prey items should be around 10% of the snakeās weight and roughly the same width. Prey should be thawed in a BPA-free plastic bag in warm water until it reaches ~100Ā°F, then use a pair of soft-tipped feeding tweezers to offer it to your snake.
Juveniles should be fed every 1-2 weeks, and adults should be fed every 2-4 weeks. Although mice are the most common feeders, the key to providing a healthy, balanced diet for your pet snake is VARIETY. Itās best to offer frozen-thawed prey rather than live to your pet snake. This is safer for the snake and generally considered to be more humane as well. Prey should be thawed in a plastic bag in warm water to around 90Ā°F/32Ā°C before offering. If the snake doesnāt take food from tongs, place the prey on a small plate or bowl to avoid excessive substrate contamination. Young juveniles may refuse to eat pre-killed prey.
To reduce the risk of accidentally getting bitten by your snake, offer prey with a soft-tipped pair of feeding tongs. Keep a large, shallow bowl of fresh water in the enclosure at all times. The water should be changed whenever it gets soiled.
Kenyan Sand Boa Feeding
Supplementation and Hydration
Sand boas can survive without vitamin or mineral supplements, but using them occasionally is a good way to help prevent nutritional deficiencies. Kenyan sand boas can survive without supplementation, but using them every once in a while can help prevent your snake from developing a nutritional deficiency, helping it live healthier.
Your Kenyan sand boa should have free access to a small bowl of fresh, clean water daily. Of course, donāt forget a water bowl for your snake to drink from and soak in!
Handling
After bringing your new pet home, do not handle it until it is eating regularly. This can take anywhere from two weeks to two months, so be patient and use this time to make sure your husbandry is on point.
Once your Kenyan sand boa is ready for handling, take it slow at first - just like any relationship. Start with brief handling sessions (no longer than 5 minutes), and donāt return the snake until it is calm. This teaches your pet how to behave during handling by using rudimentary positive reinforcement. Once this has been accomplished, you can work up to longer sessions. Handling should occur at least weekly, but no more than once daily.
Before you pick up your sand boa, first wash your hands with soap or hand sanitizer. This removes potentially harmful bacteria, viruses, or parasites from your hands, as well as makes your hands smell distinctly inedible. Next, use a paper towel roll to tap its head (gently). This sets expectations by letting the snake know that itās time for handling, not food. Scoop up the snake from below, one hand behind the head and one supporting the rest of the body.
Donāt handle your snake within 48 hours of a meal, as this can stress them out and lead to regurgitation, which is a traumatic experience that can actually lead to death. Also do not handle if your petās eyes have turned opaque or cloudy.
Reptiles generally donāt appreciate petting and handling in the same way that dogs and cats do. That being said, Kenyan sand boas generally tolerate human interaction pretty well!
While handling your snake, be gentle. Rather than grabbing it, let it crawl onto your hand. Lift it from below rather than above, and support as much of its body as possible. Use slow movements and donāt walk around too much.
Kenyan sand boas usually tolerate handling well and very rarely bite. However, they are ambush predators, and instinctively lunge at prey-like objects when they are hidden under the substrate.
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