When first bringing a KSB home...

[Tigergenesis]

When I got my Ball Python the general consensus was to not feed or hold and let the snake get acclimated for about 2 weeks. Is this the same for KSBs?

[BoidKeeper]

Depends, where is it coming from? If a breeder and it's established and the voyage home is a short one I would only wait until it's next regular feeding provided it is not with in the first 3 days of arrival. If however it is a pet store animal then I would wait a week and follow my 4 and 1 rule. 4 meals and one dump then I would handle it.
Cheers,
Trevor

[Invictus]

Give it a few days. Being moved around is very stressful to these timid little creatures.

[Tigergenesis]

Thanks guys! I'm hoping to pick one up from the Reptile show next weekend. Hope they have some!

[Stockwell]

I don't find there to be much trouble at all with handling baby kenyans and then having them feed the same evening.

Although its not a bad idea to let them settle in for a couple days, and all the advice given here is great, I just thought I would add that from my experience, its not always necessary.

I find that Sand boas don't spook that easily. They are not half as touchy as ball pythons or even some common colubrids.
They also almost never regurge, even if disturbed the day after feeding. KSB's high excellent digestive systems, that work fast.
This is in stark contrast to rosy boas, which have very touchy stomachs. I've had them regurge by simply lifting their hides to look at them.(with no contact)

Last year I imported both abino and anery KSB's
The same night I brought them home from the airport, they ate.

In fact with neonate I produce, I will sometimes sex them, aid them with a shed, stick their heads in water to ensure they drink, and still they will frequently feed that same night, providing they are fed under the correct conditions.
I highly recommend keeping baby KSB's in 12 or 16 oz deli containers or similar , in a substrate that completely covers them.(Beta or alpha chip)
Keep them in darkness, and at temps of 85 to 90F.
Gently place a LIVE pinky on top of the substrate,put the lid on, shut the lights off, and check it in the morning... most of the time, it will be gone. Some will take the pinky the 2nd night.

One of the biggest mistakes with all baby Erycines, is moving them into large cages too quickly. People think this is more humane, but they actually do better and eat more reliably when kept in small quarters for the first few months.
Feeling the prey moving above them, and concentrating the scent in only a few cubic inches of air, greatly increases the chances of stimulating a strike/feeding response.
I frequently raise Kenyans for 6 months in 16oz round deli containers, before upgrading them to Rubbermaid shoeboxes.
Keepers that try to start baby sand boas in 10 gallon tanks, generally always have trouble. The snakes can't feel the food,and they can't smell it either.
Likewise, trying to have them eat dead, or strike a pinky in a bare container with no substrate covering them, just doesn't work too well for baby sandboas. Its OK for rosies, but sandboas like to be covered as they are ambush feeders, and strike up from below

With time, they can be conditioned into taken f/t pinks, and they will eventually eat without being covered, but never expect that to work first off with a newborn.

[Tigergenesis]

If on beta chips, etc. aren't you supposed to feed in a separate container to avoid impaction?

[Stockwell]

With most species YES... With Kenyans, NO!
I've been breeding them for over 15 years and never had an impaction problem. The reality is, most of them just plain won't eat in bare containers , until they get a bit of size on.
Feel free to try it, as the odd one will reportedly take food under a paper towel or picnic napkin...
In my experience, newborns really need to feel the weight of substrate on their backs to feed regularily.
This of course means they are jumping up out of particulate substrates to strike and constict prey and that substrate invariably adheres to the food.

I would never use Cypress or even Shredded Aspen, as those substrates contain lots of "tooth pics"
and I have suffered losses with other species with both those substrates
I have been using BETA CHIP for 15 years, with hundreds of babies being successfully fed with not a single loss to impaction.
I might also add, I have successfully raised Kenyans through their entire life cycle, from neonate to reproductive adult...all on BETA CHIP!
I only recommend substrates that I have found to be problem free. I used sand for a few years too, and while I had no impaction problems I found it abraided the spectacles.
I produce 50 to 100 Kenyans per year, and I feed every one in either Beta or more recently Alpha chip.
Yes, they ingest some.
No, I've never had any die from impaction. NOT ONE

If you can get them feeding in bare containers...then all the power to ya.

If that fails, try as suggested!

[Tigergenesis]

What are Alpha Chips and Beta Chips - and where would I find them?

Thanks for all the great info so far.

Stockwell, curious on your opinion of crushed walnut shells as a substrate.

[Stockwell]

New Tiger...Alpha and Beta chips are laboratory grade particulate substrates made from cleaned, seived, and graded wood chips.
they are produced by a company called
North East Products... www.nep-co.com
BETA CHIP is hardwood.
ALPHA CHIP is softwood(virgin pine)
They also produce a variety of other lab substrates... including Aspen chip which I can't get but would like to try
In southern Ont, the distributor is Rens Feeds...
For other places, I dont know..
Crushed walnut, I have never used personally, but I hear its bad news.. Reportedly, dusty, and ingestion can be fatal... just like corn cob..also to be avoided
Plain beach sand is probably safer
I'll be there Sunday..come introduce yourself

[Tigergenesis]

Ugh! Seems my timing for questions has been off once again. When I first began researching KSBs I checked out various forum posts, online caresheets and some owners personal websites for info. Among the lists of suitable substrates I often found crushed walnut shells listed. I read nothing but good things about it. The only negatives I heard was price and availability. I read one person say it was dusty, but others came back to say they only found the bottom of the back to be dusty and they remedied the situation by sifting the entire bag before putting in the enclosure. In particular people said their KSBs seem to prefer it over sand, etc because of the extra weight. So at that point I decided to use that as my substrate (and feed outside the enclosure) and ordered some. Then, just recently I decided to post and ask opinions and of course received positive and negative views - although I'm not sure that those with negative views have actually tried it or were just repeating what they've heard/been told.

Now I don't know whether to use the bag until it's time to change out and switch over then or just ditch the whole crushed walnut idea.

While I've got ya Roy, I'm curious what your thoughts are on water dishes in a KSBs enclosure - what size dish, how often, etc.

What exactly is a good humidity percentage for a KSB?

One other thing - I'm in the state of Indiana. I noticed you're in Canada. Do you have a reptile show coming up there or are you really going to be here for our reptile show on the 30th?

Kelly

[Stockwell]

My mistake Kelly! I thought you were in Ontario.
No I certainly wont be in Indiana. I meant the Toronto show tomorrow

Now about water dishes. I keep water bowls in with most of my KSB adults. I use the American system, started by John Hollister. Which is disposible deli containers in low PVC couplers. The PVC pipe coupler acts as support and standard grocery store round deli containers fit perfectly and are well supported.
When the deli dish looks dirty, I just toss it out.
There's nothing wrong with any type of low water dish though.. I just have too many to be cleaning them. I used to do that, but not any more.

Young Kenyans are quite suseptible to dehydration.
I've lost neonate that I have let go weeks without water.
There's a couple things I do.
When I first have babies, within a few days of their birth, i will sit the entire litter in a rubbermaid shoebox with about an eighth inch of water.. They always drink. It seems odd, but they almost seem to be born thirsty sometimes.
When I have dozens of babies, I put them all in separate containers with Beta Chip. Every week I will simply crack the lid and mist the underside of the lid. I then turn the room lights off.
They always come up from underneath and drink the water droplets off the plastic lid.

Any I holdback will get a small plastic water bowl which I will fill every couple of weeks. Its Ok when it goes dry.
Once Kenyans are feeding well, and several months old, the need for water is less, as they get liquid from their meals.
I'll sometimes go many weeks without offering adult Kenyans water, but they do actually drink more than people think.
some other sand boas, Like Rough scales, and Indian sandboas, drink much less I find.

I never measure humidity in any snakes cages, but sand boas in general should be quite dry, except when shedding. Kenyans will often end up with skin stuck on their heads if they don't have a moist area when they shed.
Babies in small enclosers like deli dishes and shoeboxes, should not have spilled water in their containers. So make sure they aren't in wet substrate other than for a day or two at shedding time.
Once they shed, change any moist substrate, with new bone dry material.
Kenyans will get skin problems if kept wet for a week or more.

I have much more ventilation with adults than with babies. My adult racks all have screened tops, so there is never any problem with high humidty.

[Tigergenesis]

I knew it was a long shot that you'd actually be here in Indiana. I've heard nothing but good things about you as a breeder.

Thanks so much for your help and advice thus far.

I'm getting more excited about getting a KSB now.

:)

[Stockwell]

Well thankyou! And I'm glad you're excited!
All the Erycines are great. They are low maintenance, they stay small and they live a very long time. I've worked with lots of stuff , but I must say it's really nice to not worry about going away for a few days, and having water bowls dry out. There are some weeks I don't even look at them. You can't get away with that with all herps.
Start with a Kenyan, then maybe you'll want Rough scales, or Rubber boas... Rosy boas are great too!

[Invictus]

I have to disagree with you on one point Uncle Roy, and that is the use of shredded aspen. I have never once found anything even remotely toothpick-like in the bags that I buy. I have 4 kenyans, neonate to adult, and all are on shredded aspen. I don't feed in their cage however, and all of them take prey using the dark feed bucket method. Even the youngest sand boa took prekilled prey in a small margarine container with no substrate the day I brought him home, when he was only a few weeks old.

Tigergenesis - KSBs are the most underrated snake on earth, and I'm glad as well that you're so excited about getting one. Just wait until you do - you'll be in love instantly. :) I work with many different species, and kenyans are among my favorite.

[Tigergenesis]

Invictus, what is the dark feed method?

[Tigergenesis]

I'm back! Just wondering if I can get some feed back on how to properly heat my KSBs home. I have a 10 gallon reptile aquarium with a sliding screen top. I ordered a UTH to use for the warm side. I use a UTH on my Ball Pythons tank with Lizard Liner substrate on top so that my BP doesn't rest directly on the glass which is directly attached to the glass itself. If using a loose substrate in my KSBs tank, can the UTH still be attached directly to the tank? Also, should the tank bottom be raised up a bit so that the UTH doesn't rest directly on the stand (I was hoping to actually place the tank on an empty spot on my bookshelf).

Thanks for all your help so far!

[lizardmom]

Hello, just got my first KSB, what is the process for sexing them,not sure M/F, . thanks
lizard-snake mom

[Tigergenesis]

Congrats! A few posts down you'll see a topic on sexing KSBs that may be of some help. I've also been told that you can't reliably sex them visually. The breeder I got my little guy from popped him for me so I could see it was a male. I plan to have my Ball Python probed soon to determine its sex.

How old is your KSB? Mine is 5 months old and so little he's adorable.