Hello new member

[BRANT13]

Hello everyone my names brant....im new to the forum and just thought i should let u all know a little about me.....ive been keeping freshwater fish for sometime (african cichlids) and have just recently expanded from just collecting fish to a snake as well.....shes (or so i can tell) is a juvenile kenyan sand boa. She is currently on live pinkies and only 1 every 5 or 7 days...shes housed in a 75G aquarium so shes got her own world in there....shes only about 10 to 12 inches long atm.....the hot side of the tank has an undertank heater that i have set to get up to 97 at the peak of the day and then cools off at anywhere from 80 to 85 at night...to kool side stays 88-80 during day and cools to nowhere below 70 at night....my subsrate is a mixture of sand and calcium sand ive got two big chuncks of drifwood in there with some coconut shavings skatteredunder the drifwood and sparsley around the cage....its more for my liking really i know she wont take full advantage of the wood but i occasionally see her climbing on it....i have water readily available at all times on the cool side....also i got this snake roughly three weeks ago and i have yet to see her go into shed so that will be exciting and i hope all goes well...im aware of possibly needing a humidity box to aid in the shedding......and thats my setup. Im here to help widen my knowledge on these interesting snakes....i would like to know if anyone has any experience with them and what theyre setups are like and if i should change anything with mine. Also would love to know any special details or good to know facts or tricks associated with owning this snake....andy help would be much appreciated...Thank you all in advance. :cool: btw no problems yet besides at first the whole temp with the tank took a while to get it right and she even started eating for me a few days after her arrival so all is well.

[Chu'Wuti]

Overall, you've got a pretty nice set-up for your baby. However, you might want to adjust your temps some more. According to the Western New York Herpetological Society, They are best kept however at temperatures of 80° to 85° F with a basking temperature of 90° to 95° F. Night temperatures can drop to as low as 75° to 77° F. Based on that, your "cool side" temps are too warm; your nighttime temps are a little confusing but if they get down below 70 or even down to 70, it's too cold for a kenyan.

See Kenyan Sand Boa Care Sheet and Information - WNYHS (http://www.wnyherp.org/care-sheets/snakes/kenyan-sand-boa.php) for more info.

Do add a humid hide now to assist with shedding. Just get some long-fiber sphagnum moss (not the milled kind used for soil amendment, but the kind that is used for orchids and reptiles). Soak it in water, then squeeze out most of the water, and put it in the hide. That will provide adequate humidity for ensuring a clean shed.

You probably can also switch her to frozen/thawed (F/T) prey pretty easily right now, which will be a lot less expensive for you in the long run as well as safer for your snake.

Good luck!

[BRANT13]

Hello....thank you for your reply.....ive read the caresheet before along with many others including this one Library (http://lllreptile.com/info/library/animal-care-sheets/snakes/-/kenyan-sand-boa/...which) suggests a slightly higher temp?....im getting alot of different temp recommendations so some clarity on this would be great...as for prekilled or fresh thawed i tried...no succes...i tried a live pinky and he went nuts constricticting it as soon as i introduced the mouse to her feeding box so i think i will stick to this i dont see any harm in doing it this way.....and as for the humidity box....what can be used for the actual structure that will be sturdy and easily cleaned...also this moss u speak of...ive seen it in LPS and its dried green moss that comes in a box cant recall the name offhand but i take it this is the stuff i need...also would i need to show her where its at or would she be able to find this on her own...ive read that its a good practice to show my KSB the water dish upon going back in her tank which is cool because she drinks right out of my hand.

[jonny666]

Welcome to the forum. I read your profile and answer and I have to agree F/T is the best way to go. It is alot cheaper and is also safer for the snake. I've experienced and heard of a mouse getting the final say when it is about to be killed. The perfect example is I have a Ball Python that is a great eater but gave it a live mouse when I first got it. Long story and pricy vet expense later and it is fine but needed stitches form the bite. So think about it and if you have any questions feel free to post them. To many snakes to list......http://www.ssnakess.com/forums/images/icons/icon12.gif

[Chu'Wuti]

Live pinkies are not a threat to your boa, but as your boa progresses to larger prey, the prey will become increasingly dangerous to your boa, as evidenced by what happened to Jonny's BP. That's why we're recommending you switch. It may take you several weeks of persevering to get him switched over. A couple of years ago, WingedWolf posted this info on switching:

What's worked for me:
First, keep in mind that pythons are stimulated to feed by 3 things. Scent, heat, and motion. Some individuals will take anything remotely edible that you offer them, but others are exceptionally picky. Here's what has worked for me to get them eating what you want them to:

First, put them on a regular, consistant feeding schedule, in a consistant environment. It's important that they be eating regularly before you try to switch them to something new.

Next, offer it's preferred prey in f/t form on tongs. If it's refused, give them live again.
The next time, wait 2 days beyond their usual feeding time, and offer f/t on tongs again. If refused, give them live.

Next feeding, offer them a stunned prey animal--one that is alive, but unconscious. I have never had this refused by an animal that regularly eats, but if it is, leave it there for an hour, then remove it it and offer live again. Repeat this each feeding until the animal accepts the stunned prey item. Feed stunned prey successfully at least twice in a row, if it was not accepted on the first try.

Next, offer a pre-killed prey item. If it is refused, offer stunned again. If that is refused (backsliding is possible), give live, and try pre-killed again the next time. As with the previous 'step', if the item was refused at first, wait until it is accepted twice in a row before moving on.

After your snake is eating pre-killed, offer f/t again. Make sure it is warm. If it's refused, give it pre-killed and wait til next feeding. This time, offer f/t that has been rubbed with soiled bedding from that animal. As with the previous steps, keep trying, offering the food from a previous step if there is a refusal, until the animal eats.

Now, assuming you have the world's most stubborn gerbil eating python, you now have a python eating frozen gerbils. Make sure it is eating them for at least 3 consecutive feeding sessions, then offer the f/t animal you WANT it to eat (say, a rat).
If it is refused, offer it rubbed with bedding of its preferred prey.
With a bit of persistance, this is your final step, and eventually the snake will switch to eating the f/t rat.


Scenting is a very important step in all of this, and with scenting alone I have converted w/c garter snakes from live earthworms over to f/t mice on the first try.

You can convert a snake from gerbils to mice or rats using scenting by rubbing the mouse/rat with soiled gerbil bedding, if you are persisant, and some people may wish to do that before converting them over to f/t, if they're eating something expensive like gerbils.
I have found that mouse smell tends to stimulate ball pythons better than rat smell, and have gotten some stubborn pythons eating by scenting a rat with mouse bedding.


Though he's referring to pythons, these suggestions apply equally well to boas.

Regarding the temp--I know how frustrating it can be to see different care sheets giving different info. Consider the source carefully--I'd bet the herp society had their experienced members review the care sheet before they posted it; is the same true for the one at the link you posted? I don't know, and I've heard some questionable things about that source that would make me take information from them with a large dose of salt. However, all that aside, you could provide a basking area with temps up to the higher limit AND a basking area with the lower temps mentioned for basking and see what your boa prefers; just watch it carefully for signs of dehydration.

The moss you want can be green, greenish, yellowish, and it comes on pieces that can be a few inches long and actually look like moss. The type of moss to avoid is that used for soil amendment--it is ground up and looks a lot like brown, fine, dirt.

Good luck!

[BRANT13]

what can be used for the humidor then? just a plastic container?

[Chu'Wuti]

Sure, you can do that, or one of the faux rock hides . . . it doesn't really matter as long as your snake can curl up in it and feel safe.

[BRANT13]

would i need to show her this by placing her in it...or can she seek it out by herself....the cage is quite large for her 75G

[Kmef07]

She would find it for herself. they can sense differences in the air and heat. they can find more humid or hotter places. so let her find it for herself. it could take a couple days though for her to get used to it.

[BRANT13]

awesome thanks.......so is there anything that comes with experience from owning these snakes that anybody can tell me to be aware of or little things that i can do to help the overall life of my little snake besides what i am currently doing?

[Kmef07]

Just keep the habitat you made for them perfect and don't worry too much. Snakes have been around for a really long time and they really can fend for themselves.

[BRANT13]

very true ty

[tigerlilly]

hello hello and welcome friend

yes live pinkies are ok now but wen he does get bigger and needs larger prey it will be very dangerous for ur snake..its best to swap to frozen prey now so he gets used to it.

hope this helps.

[BRANT13]

i was leaning more along the lines of fresh killed.....ive had to my last pinky beacause she finally is beginning her first shed under my care and wouldnt eat for anything...(she ate 2 times for me before)....so i just put the pinky in a sock and hit it on my wall.....is there a better way to prekill mice/pinkies/fizzies? I just see fresh killed or live being better tan frozen....wont some nutrients vitamins ect. be deminished from sitting for an extended period of time in freeze mode?

[BRANT13]

....bump..

[Will0W783]

I don't think the vitamins are depleted by freezing- frozen vegetables have all the vitamins of fresh. It is cooking that depletes vitamins/minerals, and you aren't going to feed your snake cooked meat, so the frozen/thawed are the best way to go. Fresh-killed are fine too, if you can bring yourself to beat a mouse over the head. I tried fresh-killed once, and I tried a cervical dislocation, but didn't quite get it right and the mouse resuscitated, but couldn't move right. The snake was afraid of it, and I felt so bad for it. I ended up having to try 3 times before I finally killed it and I felt horrible for its suffering. I'm a neuroscientist, so I have to deacpitate anesthetized rats for experiments in lab and thought I could do the dislocation right. Also, whacking against a wall if you don't kill it instantly is very painful for the rat/mouse. I just personally feel it's better and much cheaper to do the f/t. But it's your choice.

[BP_okay]

I completely agree with Willow. I am currently trying to convert from live to F/T. There are 2 other ways that I have heard of re: fresh killed. One, you can build a small gas chamber for it; there are directions online if you googlei it. Secondly, you could also just break its neck and it would quick and painless for the mouse.

Also, many companies that sell F/T formula feed their mice with special vitamins and nutrients, as well as a mite free guarantee. I use Arctic Mice for my corn, and it's all on the label. You can actually buy them at lots of petstores, if shipping isn't an option for you.

I really think that you should go w/ the F/T option as your guy is still young. I got my sand boa at four years of age, and it is taking alot of time; younger conversion to F/T is much easier! I hope it goes well for you.

Btw, It is also more time consuming to feed live. You have to go get the mouse everytime, and for me, I won't leave the room until the mouse has been eaten, to supervise my boa's safety.

Good luck and welcome to the forum,
Traci

[BRANT13]

UPDATE:

Well she just finished with her first shed and it went perfect...well almost perfect came of in two big chunks right in half.....she hasnt eaten in 2 weeks i think because she was about to go into shed...i could see her color dulling greatly this is why i thought she was going to go in shed and not eating....am i correct in assuming this? Also she must be really hungry so i will try FT again but if it doesnt work i guess live it is:sorry:

[BP_okay]

Has she shed yet? You are probably correct in assuming that, especially if her eyes are milky. Her vision is impaired, feels uncomfortable about that, and many snakes just won't eat during that time period. 2 weeks doesn seem to be an very long time for her to be "blue"(ready to shed). Usually it's a few days to a week. She will be very hungry after the shed because it takes so much energy for snakes to do so.

I would go with live a day or 2 after if she rejects the f/t, just b/c it's important that she gets her nutrition and hydration from the mouse at such an early age. Next time, go with fresh killed vs. f/t, as this will give her something more closely resembling a live mouse, and it will help her accept the concept of accepting a meal that is not alive. Going from live to f/t is difficult, in my past experience.

Also with the f/k, get some tongs, hold the mouse by the back hind leg, and mimic a live mouses behavior to cause her to feel it's alive. If she attacks, resist just a little, don't let go immediately, then in a little bit, let go, and she'll do all the work...hopefully.

I hope all this helped, and let me know how it goes. It's so nice to have more sand boa owners out there!

Traci :)

[BRANT13]

well as i said earlier she had shed.....the shed was in two pieces the back 3rd fell off allrite but the first quarter is hanging on.....i noticed she was constantly roaming throught the enclosure so i figured she was hungry so i tried feeding and devoured the pinky....i havent seen her in a couple days as shes been hiding in the sand.....so idk if the last of the shed came off yet or not....if it is still on what are some ways i can help rid her of this or should i just wait until the next shed....also what are your feeling about the snale oils that will help with the shed....once again thank you all for being so helpful....i love this snake.

[BRANT13]

Bump.........

[Will0W783]

No, the freezing process does not reduce vitamin and/or mineral content. In fact, most rodent parasites will be killed by freezing, so it is actually healthier for your snake.

[BRANT13]

and what about the little pice of shed that never came off?

[Will0W783]

You can soak her in 85 degree water for 10 minutes, and GENTLY rub at it, do not peel. That should get it off. You can try a bit of baby oil, but I'd go with the soaking first, as putting oil on her will cause the sand to stick to her. Also, I wouldn't use sand as a substrate for any snake; it can cause impaction and also get under their eyecaps and belly scales and cause irritation and infection. I keep my sand boa and all my other burrowing snakes on aspen.

[BP_okay]

Btw, did the top shed come off yet, with the soaking and all?

In the future, just take her out of the substrate when she doesn't want to be seen, just be sure you wait at least 48 hours, after a meal. Some snakes can picked up 24 hours after a meal, but it's not recommended unless necessary. It's more important that you see the condition of your snake than not wanting to disturb her. I mean, taking her out once to see if she needs a soaking won't bother her too much, especially at night, when she will most likely be awake.

Regarding waiting until the next shed, if the soaking doesn't work, it is okay, but make sure the eyecaps come off in the next shed. If they don't I would reommend a visit to the vet to be sure they come off. They can be removed at home, but I would never try myself since I am so new to the herp world myself. Retained eyecaps can cause eye issues, infections, and possibly blindness. I am not trying to scare you, but I just wanted you to be aware. Also if the soaking doesn't work, you can apply a little neosporin very gently to the eyecaps to assist her in shedding them.

I hope this helps, and sorry for the length of the post, but I have been flying waayyyy to much lately.

Good luck,
Traci

[BRANT13]

I tried soacking her and she spazed out and began to bite into my hand so i stopped....i think ill just wait until the next shed.....and as far as the sand goes with impactions and such....wouldnt this be no diferent than a snake in the wild?

[BP_okay]

How deep was the water? It should not be thicker than her body width. I am sure it is do to her young age. Maybe you should try it again in a few days, and if she exhibits the same behavior, I would stop until the next shed. This will probably stress her out too much, and could cause her to stop eating for you.

Regarding the sand, they are called sand boas, but they actually live in a mixture of sand and soil in the wild. In captivity, using only sand can cause nasty belly irritation, as well as the terrible impaction mentioned earlier. You control her environment now, but in the wild they really don't live in just sand :) Funny huh?

[BRANT13]

i tried soaking her in her water dish so it might have been an inch deep....ill try again and well see what happends....and with the sand ...if they live in some sand whats the different with all sand....both environments have sand correct?

[Will0W783]

I usually only have the water come about halfway up the thickest part of the snake. This way, they can touch the bottom. They tend to get upset if they are forced to float and swim constantly. Also make sure the water is warm enough for her- you don't want to chill her and I would also be VERY careful of putting her back in the sand while she's still wet. That could cause really nasty irritation if it sticks to her and gets gritty and gets into her scales. You'll both be much better off if you just switch her to aspen or Carefresh or a like bedding now. Remember not to use pine or cedar- the aromatic oils are poison to snakes. Best of luck! :)

[BRANT13]

I got some stuff when i first bought the snake its ground up coconut shells?....she didnt really seem to like it.....i tried her in a box of sand to see if she would like that better and bam shes was at home....it brings out her personality so much more than the other stuff......n2m u can see all the moves she makes because her tracks are in the sand everymorning....this way i know shes drinking,moving, ect.......and an update: I tried soaking again tonight with a little less water about half her body width deep and she liked it much better.....the water was room temp i didnt want to heat it all.....but ya she soaked for maybe 5 mins.....and yes i was sure to let her move around a towel before i put her back in.

[Will0W783]

Good- glad she's soaking. They usually like that if they can rest. I have a dwarf retic I got from a guy who said she "hated" water and was a nightmare to soak. I've been soaking her the last few nights in mid-body depth lukewarm water and she just relaxes in it and chills out. Amazing how much difference an inch or two can make. Do what you want to do about the substrate; I was just warning you based on my experiences and what I've read. But if you choose to keep her in sand, hopefully you won't have problems. Just keep a close eye on her.

[BRANT13]

so how often should i be soaking and for how long exactly?.....isnt too much bad for a snake not accostomed to water?

[Will0W783]

When she's in shed, soak every two or three days. You shouldn't need to soak her when she isn't getting ready to shed. Sand boas aren't from wet areas, and they are better adapted to dryness than the tropical boas. I have never had to soak my sand boa, which is good because he's an a**hole. lol.

[BRANT13]

lol....im glad my little girl is pretty nice :).....tried FK today and no luck :mad:....also...whats ure view on those product like shed ease and ect.. tohelp with the shedding of snakes?

[Will0W783]

I use shed ease and like it. I use one that you can spray directly on the reptile and rub it in. I also use one that gets dissolved in soak water. I personally prefer the spray-on the reptile directly one.

[BRANT13]

awesome....well i think i may get a can of the spray stuff....i like that idea better than soaking.....im sure it makes things far eaier for the snake :)

[Will0W783]

Seems to. ZooMed makes it I think. It came in a green box. I will look at the bottle tonight. It's only a little spray bottle, probably about 4 ounces.

[BRANT13]

So am i correct in thinking she should be shedding everymonth or is this too fast?

[Chu'Wuti]

OK. I've read through everything to catch up here, and I have a couple of comments. First of all, you shouldn't need to soak her or to use Shed-Aid if the humidity is correct and she has something rough to rub against when she's shedding. A bad/incomplete shed is a sign of dehydration/too low humidity.

However: If she has a shed problem, as she did this time, rather than trying to force her to soak (which she appears not to appreciate), get a burlap bag or a pillowcase and soak it. Wring it out so it isn't dripping but just damp. Put her in it and tie it shut so she can't get out. Leave her in it for 3-4 hours. When you open it again, she may have completed her shed.

She may shed about once a month, or she may not. A baby may shed every month or two, and an adult will shed less often. Illness or injury can also affect shed frequency. A single shed takes about 10-14 days.

You're correct that the dulling is a sign of shed. That's the first stage. Once the snake has gone blue, it's really obvious--the eyes turn milky (second stage). The snake can't see and most won't eat. Start raising the humidity.

When you see the eyes clear up (stage 3), you'll know that the actual shed is going to be fairly soon, less than a week, say. Make sure the humidity is up from the norm for the species of snake you have. For BPs, we go from a norm of 60% to 85-100% for the shed cycle. For a milk snake, we could go from 30% to 50-60%. The increased humidity ensures a good shed.

After the shed is complete, your snake will likely be quite hungry.

Good luck!

[BRANT13]

the sack idea is a nice idea i think i may try that.....she actually just ate yesterday and shes already turning a dull color again :).....so Chu'Wuti ypu dont advise using shed ease?.....i had the green moss in there under a faux hide so idk why the shed wouldnt have been complete?......im hoping this time shell get to take it all the way off....i have a peice of slate in there that she hides under constantly so she can rub on that N2M all the rocks and wood i have in the tank also...surprisingly she loves to climb on the wood.....any other suggestions are greatly appreciated ty you all for your help.

[Will0W783]

Brant, sorry I forgot about this post. It's ZooMed Repti Shedding Aid, comes in a 2.5 ounce bottle sold in a box.

[Chu'Wuti]

Unless she spends all her time in the humid hide, the ambient humidity may not be high enough. It could even be that the humidity in the humid hide isn't high enough--things can dry out pretty quickly. If she's having to choose between enough heat to digest a meal properly and enough humidity to shed properly, she'll choose heat for the most part.

You might want to measure the humidity in the main area of the tank as well as in the humid hide to get a better feel for what's she's living in.

I've been using an Acu-Rite indoor/outdoor temp/hygrometer (digital). I place the "outdoor" sensor in the humid hide to get a reading for the humidity in that area, and move it outside the hide to get another reading for the ambient humidity. They can actually be quite different.

Good luck!

[BP_okay]

Btw, did you ever get your digital hygrometer? How is everything going w/ your little gal? Shedding, etc.

[BRANT13]

no money is relly tite right now so no hydrometer my neighbors got a couple beardies so i may ask if hes got an extra till i aquire one....but yes after not seeing her for a few nights i went and dug around in the sand for her and there she was all nice and bright orange and black after her shed.....the top half shes still having troublke with.....i then placed her in a damp sock ( a pillowcase seemed a little to excessive IMO) she loved in i just set it in the tank on the hot samd and she sat in there for quit some time....i actually had to take her out she didnt wanna go.....she had already gotten a little bit off of what had not come off with the rest....i will repeat again tonight and hopefully itll be all the way off n2m ill be feeding her tonight its been a while so hope shes hungry :)

[BRANT13]

so she finally got rid of the last of her shed today .....all the soaking in the sock helped quite a bit.....it loosened it up enough to where i could just peel the little cap off her head....eye caps and all i was pretty surprised and she seemed so happy afterwards she actually let me hold her for quite sometime after without snapping :)

[redx216]

hey guys i am new at this and have know idea what i am ding or even if u all will get thi but if u do hit me back. i have 4 snakes. 1 ball. and 3 boas. i am breeding my 4 1/2 foot anerythristic red tail boa "male" with my 6 1/2" red tail cross. i put them together about a week ago and the male was all over the female. he was trying to pin her down and the were always sleeping together. now the male is on one side of the cage and the feemale is on the other. and she will not come off the heat pad. i dont know what this means i hope she is pregnet but i dont know so if u have any tips plz let me know.

[siz]

When they were 'all over each other' lol, did you see a lock?

[DeesBalls]

this is a long thread and i only read the 1st page, but sand boas are so easy to care for... mine was my 1st snake of my own and she is so easy.. i have her in just a 10G ( i heard to big of aquriums makes them stressed ) and she usually never comes out of the sand, just chills underneath, i feed her 1 frozen mouse about every 2 weeks and she does good. very easy snake to care for.

[BRANT13]

looks like my thread finally died :no:

[BP_okay]

Actually, it hasn't died quite yet. I just wanted to let you know that I was doing some research on feeding saharans/kenyans live vs. f/t, and it seems that saharans are much less likely to take f/t than kenyans, so IMHO, I would do whatever it takes to get your little gal on f/t. I know you have a kenyan, so i understand they are easier to convert. I have also read that certain saharans, just won't take f/t because they are quite new to to captivity, unlike kenyans(so you might be in luck). Saharans were brought here in the 80's.

Also, one last thing, sorry it's taken so long to get back on the forum guys. I am going through alot of drama at home. I truly find refuge in my little guys and reading about all of your experiences with our ectothermic friends.

Traci :)

[BRANT13]

before i get her on fresh thawed im in the process of tryin fresh killed.....she hasnt eaten for about a week and half so at the end of the week ill see if i cant get her to eat a FK and ill let you know how it goes. :)

[BP_okay]

Yeah...keep me updated. I think I was unlucky enough to acquire Saharan food snob who won't take anything but live. I have tried to convert for 6 mos., but Nicolai has only attacked one FT and then went under his substrate, without eating the thing. I think he just won't covert. He's 4, so it's the only thing he knows. Good luck and keep us posted :) Btw, how old is she now? I would love to see a pic!

[BRANT13]

well i got her about 4 months ago whenever i started this thread??.....idk how old she was prior....as for a pic ill have to get a decent picture and put it up.....i dont have a camera so cell pic is all ill have:( ...i only use the computer at my work since i dont have internet at m house so monday ill put a pic up

[BP_okay]

How long is she now? I can't wait to see the pic. Isn't it weird...I am on vacation...having fun, but I miss my snakes. I just always look forward to coming home and seeing what they are up to and playing with them. I am a sad, sad girl, huh? J/K Have a good one.

Traci

[vyip]

I've never owned a snake before, but have recently become very interested and have been reading up on them as much as I can..

In regards to making the switch from live to f/t, I came across this: Pro Exotics Reptiles, the Nation's finest captive bred Snakes and Monitors, your source for Infrared Thermometer, Temp Gun. (http://www.proexotics.com/FAQ2.html#3)

Basically, you feed your snake 2 feeders per meal, each one being about half the size of the regular feeding size. The first one you feed would be a live one, a primer to get the snake into feeding mode. Immediately after that one's been swallowed, you offer the second one, a thawed feeder. The reasoning is that "Snakes are instinctive feeders, and it is hard for the animal to shut off the triggered feeding response" and because of that, your snake should just hammer the thawed feeder afterwards. You continue this for four weeks. On your fifth week, you give your snake a full-sized thawed feeder and it should snap it up as it is already used it different smell/flavor..

As I've said, I've never owned a snake before, but I'm just throwing this out here as another possible suggestion. Has anyone tried this? Is this just as effective as the method described on the first page of this thread?

[vyip]

As you can see, I'm kind of new to the whole forums thing too. haha.. I don't know how to post links..... I just copied and pasted the link onto the message box and all that other stuff came out... @_@

Let me try that again.. the link is here (http://www.proexotics.com/FAQ2.html#3)..

[vyip]

I did it I did it!!!! :D

[BRANT13]

sorry all havent had access to a computer for some time....i havent taken a pic sorry i think ill wait till shes done shedding wich shes about to start any day now as to get her full color in the pic....ive got a camera lined up from one of my buddys....i havent actually mewasured her soim not sure how long she is...probably a good thing to find out lol....i can say that shes growing fast and has more than doubled her size from when i first got her.

[BP_okay]

Hey...I am the same way...I finally replaced my broken computer with a cheap little netbook. It has been so hard being away from the forum. It's a bit addictive - looking forward to seeing the pic - sand boa are soooo beautiful right after a shed.

Traci

[BRANT13]

well i noiticed her tracks all over the sand last night which means shes trying to rucb her skin off on the slate and wood....ill have to check in the morning and see if she managed to get it all off in one piece and then pics soon to come :)

[BP_okay]

Hey there,

Glad to see you are posting again. I can't wait for the pics. My sand boa just shed yesterday morning. I am going to try to post pics this week, but I am really excited to see your little gal. How long is she now?

Traci

[BRANT13]

Hello, Ill have to measure her when i take the picture but im gonna guess anywhere from 8-12 inches ....shes growing fast from when i first got her :Wow:

[Chu'Wuti]

I'm glad to read that she's doing so well! I look forward to the pics when you get them. Good luck on the measuring process--that's always interesting! ;)

[BP_okay]

Here's Nicolai - male,believed to be 4.5 yrs old and about 20 inches.

I promise I don't let him ever kiss my mouth, just my nose - I've been told that's a bad idea b/c of samonella. He's fairly friendly for a reclusive sand boa.

[BRANT13]

took her out tonight and she still has her head yet to shed....this is the third time that her head hasnt come off with the rest of her shed so the sock soaking method is at work again......shes a little over 12 inches now and nowhere near as thickbodied as ure guy.....hes absolutely stunning cant wait till mine gets big like that....so ill have to postpong the pics yet again until i manage to get her head skin off, she was a little snappy due to the fact shes super hungry and probably cant see to well with the skin over her eyes.

[BP_okay]

Awww..poor girl. I am sorry to hear you are having problems with the shedding.

Let me tell you what my vet told me...and it worked beautifully. From time to time, Nicolai has had the head thing happen--maybe twice, so she told me to put a humity box in there while he's shedding. He doesn't use it, but it really helps bring up the humidity. The most recent shed was his best, and I attribute that to the combo of the box and I took shed aid and massaged it into his skin twice during his blue phase, and let it soak in before I put him hack. Just a few thoughts and very inexpensive remedies.
I can't wait to see her and sounds like she is growing well. Thx for the compliments. I am a proud mama :)

[BRANT13]

She just ate her first fuzzy tonight wich was exciting.....ill have to invest in a humid box :).....how did u measure ures?....i just used a string and layed it along her body and measured the string seems to be very accurate.

[BP_okay]

Awesome..I am so excited for you. It is neat when they move up a class..it's kinda of like your baby talking or walking or something. I wouldn't know, don't have a baby. Snakes are much easier imho.
Measuring: That's a great way to do it. Or just measure the shed...but of course, that's prob not as accurate your string method b/c of the stretching of the shed.