Complete Kenyan Sand Boa Care & Setup Guide

CLICK “READ MORE” FOR TONS OF USEFUL STUFF BELOW
EVERYTHING YOU NEED FOR A SAND BOA:
READ THE FULL CARE GUIDE:

———-

CONTENTS:

Introduction: 0:19
Enclosure: 1:10
Substrate: 3:40
Hides: 6:07
Water: 6:35
Humidity: 9:31
Temperatures: 10:45
Lighting: 17:37
Feeding: 18:04
Handling: 19:18

———-

ENCLOSURE STUFF
It’s best to get actual tanks in pet stores.
10 gallon screen:
20 gallon screen:
Screen clips:

SUBSTRATES
Aspen chips:
Aspen shavings:

HEATING/LIGHTING
Heat mat:
Thermostat:
Day lightbulb:
Bulb dome:
Thermometer:
Temp gun:

MISC:
Small dish:
Medium dish:
Reptile cave:
ReptiSafe conditioner:
Reptile timer:
Feeding tongs:

———-

USEFUL VIDEOS:

Do Kenyan sand boas make good pets?

Sand boas VS Hognose snakes

Impaction in reptiles

Best reptile substrates

Worst reptile substrates

Increasing and decreasing humidity

How to thaw out rodents

How to pick out the perfect reptile

———-

INTRODUCTION

Kenyan sand boas, the weird, chubby noodles of Africa whose head and tail are hard to tell apart, and have pudgy eyes on the top of their head. I don’t know how you could resist. With only a few potential drawbacks and their easy nature, I would definitely consider these sand boas a beginner snake. You may think of very large snakes when you hear the term “boa” however, females rarely exceed 3 feet, while males are even smaller as adults, at around 2 1/2 feet. Keep in mind, they’re nocturnal and love to burrow. Although they often come out at night and may explore their enclosure, you’re going to have to dig around in the substrate during the day to find your boa. Remember, Kenyan sand boas, like many reptiles have quite long lifespans. You can expect them to live anywhere from 15 to 30 years in good care, with some individuals living a bit longer.

ENCLOSURE

Kenyan sand boas certainly aren’t going to be a big issue when it comes to space. A hatchling can start out in a 10 gallon enclosure or larger, and adults don’t require anything more than 20 gallons. As you may know, GoHerping doesn’t believe you can ever have too large of an enclosure, however, your can have too bare of an enclosure. For example, a 50 gallon with plenty of places to hide, explore, and so on (if properly regulated) is much better than a 20 gallon with nothing in it.

SUBSTRATE

Sand. Good option, right? It’s even in the name! Well, in my opinion, sand should always be avoided, even with Sand boas. The risk of impaction exists with all reptiles, and sand is by far the most common suspect of this deadly issue. If you’re unaware of what impaction is, it’s essentially when an animal ingests certain materials that are not digestible, most often through these indigestible materials sticking to their food (like sand on a damp mouse). Overtime, it piles up inside of them and can eventually clog their organs and has lead to the death of way too many animals. Learn more about impaction by clicking here.

Well, why not just feed the snake outside of the enclosure, in a separate cage or tub? In my opinion, this is another big no-no, which was covered in this video.

Now, let’s talk about good substrates. Remember, Kenyan sand boas love burrowing, so paper towel, reptile carpet, etc. are not options. In my opinion, the best substrate has to be aspen. I use “Lizard Litter”, which is made of aspen chips. It’s non-toxic, natural, dry, and lets your sand boa burrow with ease. Adding a few inches of this in your enclosure works great. You may be wondering, what about….. [ FULL WRITTEN CARE GUIDE AT ]

———-

FOLLOW FOR DAILY PICS & VIDS ↴

———-

JOIN THE PUBLIC DISCORD ↴

———-

DISCLAIMER ↴
Opinions are ALWAYS my own on any products or services, paid or not. Some videos include sponsored or free products. I always disclose this in the video if this is the case. Links in the descriptions are often affiliate links, meaning I am paid when you make a purchase.