Sand Boas

[msubigdawg]

Hey everyone,
I am looking to add to my small collection of reptiles. I have a BRB and two geckos. I either want to get a sand boa or a uromastyx next. I know they are quite different. I want to know what everyone thinks about sand boas and/or uromastyx if you know about them. Tell me what I need to know about sand boas and keeping them. How hard are they to keep and all?
Thanks

[BoidKeeper]

Do not use sand with sand boas. I use rubbermaids filled about half way with shreded aspen. Hot spot of 90-92.
My advice would be to do a google on sand boa care sheet and go from there.
Trevor

[msubigdawg]

What about things like Repti-sand or Calci-sand. Would that stuff not work?

[CHRISANDBOIDS14]

No, its still sand, Aspen is the best. I've also heard rumors that sand can dull their color. And any or too much of that stuff is not good. Stick with aspen shavings. As stated, a google search will turn up all you need to know.

C.

[smeagel]

i use sand will my sand boa, and he is doing great. he eats every week like clockwork, and is 3 times the size he was when i got him. they are great starter snakes, and very easy to take care of, i recomend them as a starter snake.

[CHRISANDBOIDS14]

People do use sand, though aspen is more reccomended and there is usually less to worry about. I am actually using sand with my pair right now but that is because I didnt have time to get any aspen.

C.

[Invictus]

Just because the snake is doing fine on sand doesn't mean you should use it. Some people do fine free-handling inland Taipans too... that doesn't mean it SHOULD be done.

Sand has way too many problems associated with it, the first of which is that sand boas do not actually live in sand in the wild. They find underground burrows, yes, but not sand. Secondly, sand retains heat way too much. You may THINK your hot spot is 92, but it won't stay there, I guarantee it. Thirdly, have you ever noticed that when kenyans are on sand, they always have their noses poking out? Why do you suppose this is? Because they can't breathe, that's why. They can stay completely buried in aspen or carefresh, with no heat retention, and good air circulation.

[smeagel]

thats a good point about their noses sticking out, i'll have to rethink my sand substrate. you say shreded aspen is good?

[msubigdawg]

What about coconut bark?

[Invictus]

I've never used coconut bark, but the problem with that is, it retains humidity too well, which can lead to RIs. Kenyans like it bone dry.

Smeagel - all 4 of my Kenyans are on shredded aspen, and they are all able to completely bury and still breathe just fine. With the exception of one female who is an absolute terror, it seems to have helped their sense of security. When my adult female came to me she was very nervous. Now she is very comfortable and doesn't mind getting yanked out of the aspen shavings.

[Tigergenesis]

My 2 sand boas that are on aspen actually stick their heads out more often than my Kenyan who is on crushed walnut shells. Perhaps it's sometimes instinct and not always due to not being able to breath?

[dave68]

Just reading this thread and had to add to it. My husband has been keeping sand boas for I guess around six years now and has had much success keeping and breeding them. Our oldest couple which we bought as babies, just recently had 10 babies, which to me says they are quite healthy. We have kept them in deep sand, shallow sand, shredded papertowel and all of these methods seemed fine. I'm imagining if they couldn't breathe they wouldn't have bred or surrvived for that matter. The only time I ever saw their noses poking out was right around feeding day/night. In a large enclosure that goes from planted rocky arid substrate to a sanded substrate our boas always choose the sand. Also, looking at a site recently about kenya's wildlife it specifically mentioned sand boas and how they bury themselves in dirt or sand and wait for prey with nose barely surfacing. Anyways just thought I'd share that, so not everybody is scared off from using sand.

Thanks for reading,

Allison

[aztec]

I personally love my two sand boas. their friendly easy to handle easier to keep then a corn, eat like hogs, and grow like weeds, ofcourse i keep them on beta chips which are a dream to work with and feed the female fuzzy rats and the male hopper mice

[Stockwell]

I've produced hundreds of sandboas and have tried most substrates including play sand, orchid bark, aspen shaving,pine shaving, shredded aspen, Beta chip and currently Alpha chip.

There is no perfect substrate...Period.
Some of the main criteria for consideration are:
1. What is available in your area
2. Does it pose a risk if swallowed(avoid long tooth pic type stuff)
3. Is it prone to mould if the water spills
4. Is it of decent mass so it doesn't fly all over the place and fill the water dish
5. Is it dusty or fairly free from minute particles that could be inhaled
6. Can it be easily spot cleaned.
7. Does it allow decent heat and airflow through it.
8. Is it economical to use for the size of collection you have.

I feel sand is safe, but don't use it anymore because it weighs too much and wrecks my racks. It also gets all over the floor every time you pick the animal up and every time they do that classic annoying, sand boa twitch to the side thing which shoots sand all over the floor and tracks all over the house.

When using sand , I also noticed abradied spectacles and a general dusty appearance whenever they were removed from their trays... This was not a major problem as the eye caps were never permanently damaged, just scratched up a bit between sheds.., but the big thing for me was the mess.

Shredded Aspen I have used, and it is preferred by many and a pretty good choice, but I don't like the long tooth pics chards that the brand I have access too, seems to contain. The only reason I don't use it is because I have lost snakes that have ingested long bits and died.. Not sand boas mind you, but a rosy boa, and a grey banded king...
I have also lost snakes to ingesting Cypress mulch for the same reason... It's a bag of toothpics

Sand boas generally have to be fed in their substrate, as they come up from below to snatch moving prey. This means that they will be consumming substrate, so it needs to be small enough to pass without trouble, or big enough to not fit their mouth.
If you have only a couple of snakes and they will eat with no coverage, then to remove all risks, feed them in bare containers, however most will not eat under those conditions, and breeders with large collections cannot be juggling charges in and out of feeding containers...

For this reason I started using the small particulate lab bedding called BETA CHIP. It's not available everywhere, but I have honestly raised sand boas through their complete life cyle, numerous times, on this product...That means I feed babies in it, and those babies grow up eating it, and going on to breeding and having babies in it. I recommend it, only because I have over 15 years of success with it.
I have yet to have a single death due to impaction from BETA CHIP.
The only problem with BETA CHIP , is it tends to stain water bowls, and moulds quickly when wet.
For this reason I have switched to ALPHA CHIP that is made also by NEPCO, and is particles of vigin pine rather than Hard wood.
I like it and have used it for about 2 years now, with no problems.
But its not perfect either.. It doesn't stain bowls, and it doesn't mould as bad as BETA but, its much lighter, therefore it flies around alot and gets into the water more than BETA.
If I could get it, I would probably try Aspen Chip, as some Americans herpers are using that with good reports.

Different people are having success with numerous substrates, including Carefresh, newspaper, Shredded aspen, crushed walnut, shredded coconut... and various types of sand.

[Tigergenesis]

If I could get it, I would probably try Aspen Chip, as some Americans herpers are using that with good reports.

That's the kind of aspen I use for my Saharan and Roughscale. Without even asking, Roy answered a question I'd had. I had been wondering how safe the 'toothpick' aspen could be and was thinking/wondering if my aspen chips were safer. Right now I do feed them on their substrate. They stopped eating when I got them and my main goal is to get them eating. My ksb is on crushed walnut shells and I feed him on a piece of carpet I place in his cage - he doesn't seem to need to be feed from above (lucky me). I hope to get the other 2 to do the same because I'm always worried about them possibly injesting substrate.