Kenyan Sand Boa

[Psyche]

I saw an ad on craigslist where someone has two that they need to rehome. I've read a few care sheets on them but i wanted some opinions from people with experience. How are they as pets?

[jaleely]

I absolutely love mine. They are so cute, peeking out of their substrate. THey obviously like to burrow...the are fast, but also docile most of the time. They aren't like my pythons or boas, or corns or hognose. I have a male, and a female and they have distinct personalities. They are soooooo cute! If you can rehome them, do! If you've been looking up caresheets you should have a good idea about them and their care. Totally worth it.

[Psyche]

thank you sooo much. apparently they sold them though :(
Ive been on the lookout for a hognose as well, how are they?

[Psyche]

thank you sooo much. apparently they sold them though :(
Ive been on the lookout for a hognose as well, how are they?

[jaleely]

Another really REALLY cute snake. Hognoses can burrow a little too, but nothing near sand boas. Hoggies are wiggly...they sidewind a bit when crawling. I don't know if you saw my other posts but i have some of my boas and my hogs. My hog Copper is a sweetheart. Just sits in my hand. My brat Perry crawls around, and hisses when he eats...which is not like a lot of hogs. They never bite...but some fiesty ones may play dead! It's THE cutest thing. I've only seen it once though...the first day copper came home. it was just SQUEEE cute! flared out his head, hissed, and flopped over! and musked...lol but it was so funny. and i felt sorry for him!

Perry on the otherhand hisses at his meal, then gobbles it down. THey are worth it too, in my opinion.

Both sand boas, and hognoses are just wonderful pets.

My ball pythons, carpet python, corn snake, and bolivian boa are all nices as well, but they are all not as active as the hogs or sand boas. The only ones i am kind of Ho Hum over in my collection is my Dumeril's boas. I specifically wanted them for breeding, too. They are very pretty, very very sweet and docile...but it's just not the right time of year for them now, still too cold...so they just sit there not eating or moving. It's not husbandry, i've been over that a lot. It's just them. (all of these animals except the two sand boas are houses separately btw)
That's another plus to the sand boas. Those, along with garter snakes, can often be housed together safely.

Anyway, i could go on and on. I love them all. I love them all for different reasons too, but sand boas and hoggies are probably tied for my favs!

[Caylan]

The sand boas I;ve dealt with were very 'flinchy' and I mean toss substrate across the room kinda flinches.. But rarely bit. Usually stab you with their tail instead... Bizarre little things, but actually quite docile once they were out. Feeding them is fun, and they never really need water in my experience(though now I've seen otherwise lol) and humidity is best low, which is easier for most people to deal with. I have no experience with hognoses other then wild ones, which are pissy but don't bite either... Quite the show animals though lol. Much more fun then wild gopher snakes, they'll bite, and chew, and bite and chew some more... Kenyans are great snakes, Hognoses I've heard are equally great, and both very cool unique choices. I would even venture to say they are beginner species lol. Best of luck, Caylan.S.

[CK SandBoas]

Kenyans are absolutely awesome snakes! Their small size makes them quite attractive to owners who want a snake, but don't want it to get too big. Their little shovel faces poking out of the bedding makes them even more cute, at least to me=) I will tell you, they can be picky eaters, especially the males during breeding season. Mine have been off feed since October, and they are still in the mood, so to speak. Feeding Kenyans is a blast, they will literally throw their entire body around the prey item, and will sometimes swallow it upside down!:D

[jaleely]

I have noticed the flinch with my girl...she did have stuck eye caps until just recently though, so i assumed it was that. Now that i think about it i think the m ale has flinched once before. Usually i'll touch the substrate, and then move a hide towards them or kind of reach under them to pick them up so they know i'm coming. I have been bitten by the girl twice! First time was after she'd just eaten, and i'd put her back...she was sniffing around and i was dumb and i KNEW she was still in feeding mode but wasn't thinking, and reached in. THe second time was kind of a flinch, she reacted because of the way i'd reached in and kind of scared her.

She cracks me up though....If i let her know i'm there, i will "pet" her, and rub against the side of her head...and every single time i do it, she pushes against me almost like she's nuzzling and enjoying the pats. I KNOW she's not, and she's probably just wanting to see if i'm food...but i enjoy anthropomorphising all the same!!

In the wild, hognose eat a lot of frogs. A lot of caresheets, etc, agree that their rear fanged teeth are for puncturing the "puff" that frogs can do...sucking in air to seem bigger...and that their siliva..(though other sources say venom) paralyzes the frog. Let me just say that they LOVE frogs.
Both of my hogs try to hunt my pyxie frog...and my pyxie frog tries to hunt them..or the other snakes! lol

Some other posts i have that have photos!

http://www.ssnakess.com/forums/general-discussion/90313-food-chain.html

http://www.ssnakess.com/forums/heterodon/89495-my-first-hognose-shed-pics.html

http://www.ssnakess.com/forums/heterodon/90310-sigh-hognose-bite.html

http://www.ssnakess.com/forums/heterodon/90475-more-copper-perry-hognoses.html

http://www.ssnakess.com/forums/general-amphibian-forum/90471-nomnom-pyxie-frog.html

http://www.ssnakess.com/forums/erycines/89494-oh-no-i-added-another-snake-d.html

http://www.ssnakess.com/forums/general-discussion/89617-snakes-my-christmas-tree.html

http://www.ssnakess.com/forums/general-discussion/89813-just-updating-pics.html

http://www.ssnakess.com/forums/erycines/90652-mooglie-drinks.html

okay i went crazy posting links...but i really love sharing photos of my kids! lol

[Psyche]

i saw that hognose bite one, Yikes! i looked up info on their bites and this guy who was allergic had been bitten and his entire arm ended up swollen o.o

[theapexgerman]

Yea hognose are mildy poisenes just like my night snake he's a rear fang snake but I never seen a hognose really hurt cause any dammage to any one my night snake bite me and the pinky finger and my pinky swole up like a fat hot dog just to some allergie meds and next day all swelling gone away and it didn't really hurt at all just look funny

[Psyche]

I wouldve freaked out had i had either of those snakes and i got bit and had a reaction like that >_<

[theapexgerman]

It really didn't startle me at all nothing compared to what a sidewinder rattle snake bite did to me when I was 11 now that hurt and was in the ER for over a week but if I saw a hognose for sale I would get it but since I buy from only a few people that I trust they never get any hognoses in

[Psyche]

omg a sidewinder?! D: how'd that happen? i wanted to get a big snake (as stated in a different thread) but theres someone in need of rehoming a year old hognose and i'm SOOOOO tempted haha

[theapexgerman]

I was like 10 or a 11 go into my bathroom to take a leak and right under the cabnets I felt a awefull pain on my leg it hurt so bad and I call my dad and he shot the sidewinder and i got taken to the ER and was suferinf for a little over a week my leg turned all black and stuff it look reaally nasty I had some pics around here some were that my dad took but can't find them I see in a years time in my house like 40 rattle snakes some diamond backs and some sidewinders I got like 200 rattles I sell for a buck each make some good money

[Psyche]

oh wow thats insane! the most we've ever gotten in out house was this stray cat that always managed to break in somehow

[theapexgerman]

I live in rattle snake area my buddy house witch is a few miles away from mine he gets a 100 in his house a year I need to learn how to make stuff out of rattle snake skins I could male killer money

[Psyche]

That's crazy o.o i'm surprised you guys dont like... sell em haha :P

[theapexgerman]

I wish we can but its illegale since there native to arizona and I only own hot and that's cause he's cool looking witch is my coral snake and 95 percent of the rattle snakes I see in my house are just plain mean a year or so ago I saw a 6 or 7 foot diamond back it was so huge I didn't kill him cause he was out in the desert I bet his fnags would of made a good neckalace

[Psyche]

oh wow thats pretty big o.o and i didnt know it was illegal >< and people make necklaces from their fangs??

[theapexgerman]

Here I've seen everything from rattle skin boots to fangs as ear rings I even saw a fang as a lip ring some places pay people to hunt rate snakes in some areas that's how bad they are they even sell the anti venom at some places and if you go out on hikes or camping almost every rattle snake kits comes with the anti venom

[Psyche]

well i guess thats understandable considering the sheer amount of rattlesnakes there are there apparently

[theapexgerman]

Yea kinda weird tho fangs as earings lol or a lip ring that just plain weird

[Psyche]

Yea to be honest i would have to stop and double-take just to make sure i had seen correctly lol i've NEVER seen anyone wearing fangs as accessories, but then again rattlers and such arent too common over here.

[theapexgerman]

Yea babys love the rattles on the diamondbacks my knife I carry the sheath is made out of rattle snake skin its a prertty tough long lasting to

[Psyche]

whoa thats pretty neat

[theapexgerman]

yup I know some high school kids make good money off of hunting rattle snakes when I was in highschool I could easly make a extra 600 to 900 bucks in the summer time I even think there's a meeting like every week on how to kill rattle snakes properly

[Caylan]

I'm not sure I like where this thread went....

[theapexgerman]

there's nothing wrong with killing rattle snakes here atleast there so many I could go out to my back yard and find atleast 5 or 6 around my shed there a big problem here many bites happen a year in arizona hardly none is fatal but the anti venom is every were I rember this one year this little kid died in gilla bend its likes a 3 hour drive for me the whole city like went on a hunt killed so many rattle snakes and that didn't even put a dent better yet a scratch on the population and plus rattle snake meat is very good like beef but more lean

[Psyche]

I'm not sure I like where this thread went....

It took an interesting turn >_<

[theapexgerman]

Yea it did but that's forums for ya never who well hijack your thread lol

[Caylan]

Well if there's so many people doing it, I see no reason for a supposed snake lover to enjoy it as well. But maybe that's just me. I have a hard time culling babies that won't make it, let alone an apex predator like the rattle snake... better way to deal with the situation if there's that many is let them over populate themselves and run out of food... meanwhile teach people how to stay away from rattle snakes, not how to kill them... how many bites happen in culling attempts, where as if that was taboo, then there would likely be a decreased number... I know rattle snakes are bad in certain parts of Arizona and Texas, but there are more then enough idiots dealing with it that we shouldn't have to.
This started out as a kenyan sand boa thread, talk about derailing...

[theapexgerman]

yea but I'm sure the person who started this thread don't mind and they do try to teach people but hardly none listen I love animals but not more over the life of a littl kid I was a littl kid when I got bit and I was in the bathroom I hunt a lot. I go up north to hunt deer and stuff I don't got a problem with it but then again it never bother me when I saw a animal die I feel sorry that person but I just don't got to much feelings maybe it was the way I was brought up

[Caylan]

Hunting deer for food, is far different then hunting snakes for jewellery I think. Of course we are both different people but I thought we would at least have that in common, but I guess not. I don't go taking vengeance on animals that bit me because when they bit me it was my fault. I entered it's territory and put my hands where they shouldn't be. Not to mention the fact that it seems really mental... I would hate to see a little kid die from a rattle snake bite myself, but its a statistic. It happens, everyone dies from something. I just don't see why snakes of any type to need to die for this reason. I have to cull rats for food, and I'm not a vegetarian, but it still bothers me when animals die. I'll leave though, should have taken my own advice and not posted on what doesn't concern me, sorry if I upset you.

[theapexgerman]

I don't get upset just caise some one doesn't agree with me we have diff views doesn't mean that ill get up set bout every one is different and it was my house so my territory so the snake treaspass my dad house but I don't go out looking in the desert to kill I did it when there in people houses and stuff but I don't mean to offend any one that's just me and I think wearinf rattle snake fangs is stupid I was just telling of what I've seen

[Caylan]

That's fair, I guess I took it more offensively then it was being portrayed, I was just blinded by the fact snakes are being culled... Personally I'm all about relocation, I've relocated many snakes away from other peoples homes, as well as around 50 garters from my own back yard... Snakes don't understand the term house, so to him that was his shelter that he found, and he was protecting it. Same goes for all rattlers I'd think. They aren't trying to take over anyone's place, they just want shelter. If they knew humans lived there at the time, they wouldn't have bothered likely. I understand rattle snake culling is big in those few states, but we as snake keepers can go with other means of removing snakes, and we should definitely practice that more often, and preach it whenever we can. I just would hate to see someone take advantage of the knowledge we have, just to make a few extra bucks in the summer killing rattlers... We'd be better at it then anyone else really, but we need to stay away from that side of things, or next thing you know we're breeding ball pythons for their skins.... I won't let that happen. Sorry I assumed I upset you, I just usually do lol.

[theapexgerman]

Not a problem yea killing other snakes for there skins is wrong when I was in high school I went to senior people living places that's were I made money at the time it was good summer job doing a good thing to help some one out but why let the rattle snake go to waste I love there meat and I guess people like there fangs and stuff but now if people was killing snakes just cause of there skin it would make me mad texas I belive is worst than arizona and that's pretty bad they got another kind of diamond back there that's more deadly thaan the one here now that's scasry

[Caylan]

I see no reason to kill a snake for its meat either, they don't have much on them... But at least if your going to kill it you are eating it, I respect that. Using the fangs and skin afterwards is also respectable in a way, but really I prefer they were never touched by humans... Its not like we have to kill them, we just don't know how to deal with them so that's the easiest way to do it... Natives who hunt and use the entire body are at least hunting because they have too, and they still use more of the body when we do. I have the same problem with kangaroos in Australia, but they would literally starve themselves to death if they weren't regulated and culled the way they are. I just hate seeing any animal culled I guess, especially when theres money to be made from it...

[theapexgerman]

Yea rattle snake has like no meat but if get a few enough for a snack deep fry it or cook it over a open flame with some spices its really good and I don't get the fang thing but I see a lot of peoples wearing them here I guess its a new style or something I'm at wwork at the moment and I already see 4 rattle snake with in 10 minutes I'm on my cell phone my laptop broke so been on my phoen all of the time

[Caylan]

Yeah to me rattle snakes shouldn't be a snack.....

[theapexgerman]

There's a restruant close to me that has a rattle snake dish its like 40 bucks I could get one in my house for free and its a fairly order dish but I had notice in the past few years the number has been decreasing of rattle snakes in my house witch is good less of a problem for me

[Caylan]

I guess with me not actually dealing with any snake species that abundent, let alone a venomous species, I have a bit of a skewed vision as to what actually goes on over there. I know you'd be more sympathetic to the snakes then most people at least, I should just accept that and move on. But as much as I would love to try snake, I would never kill my own unless I was surviving...

[theapexgerman]

Yea I don't get why pepole are buying a 40 buck dish wtf and there's like suck little food on the dish but in the past years I've been catching most of the rattle snakes in my house and letting them go far away but I nearly got bite a few times doing it and I got lots of pratice catching and realsing rattle snakes

[Caylan]

Yes I'm sure my approach would end up in a lot more bites per year, but if there could be a group of people willing to catch and release rattlers from other peoples homes, it could be a good business and keep the snakes alive... Key is preventing them from coming back into your home afterwards. That is what I'm curious about... if anyone has anything, fabled or true, you guys would know about it. Anything being done or made to help keep rattlers out of homes, without having to even deal with them? A repellent or something? Or does everyone just leave their doors open all day and night... and then kill on sight...

[theapexgerman]

Well in arizona all the citys have a tweak law like I'm in phoenix now mesa a 29 minute drive from me and in mesa one of the city laws says its ilegale to catch and release a native snake and in phoenix they don't care really what you do now in scotsdale witch is were all the rich people live they say only way to get rid of a rattle snake it has to be done in a humane way but you can't catch and release there its a 7000$ fine and up to 60 days in jail its crazy so it depends witch city your in

[Caylan]

Wow.... that's bull. Somebody needs to fight this.... It's not right.

[theapexgerman]

you can try and fight but every one loses in scotsdale cause the people that live there has some deep pockets bill gates got a big house there and quite of bit movie stars live there so does athleats for a apartment there its like 2000$ a month and that doesn't include the utilitys and in phoenix you can get a nice apartment for under 800$ month and in my opion looks better and you get every thing included I stay out of scotsdale but most of my cleints are in scotsdale they pay good for a PI witch is what my new profesion is

[Caylan]

I wouldn't be able to fight it myself, and I wouldn't be able to use money so my methods wouldn't likely be legal if I were to try. Regardless, its just unfortunate that the rattlers are getting shafted in my opinion. They just aren't respected as the amazing predators they are over there... if they had a clue they would figure something out to deter them from coming into peoples homes, not just allow you to kill the ones that do... that solves absolutely nothing.... I just hope they all get bit as many times as possible in the process if that's how they want to do things...

[theapexgerman]

in recent years only kids are getting bit they don't listen half of the time but I did figure out a way to keep them out some what I keep my house around 60 degress and in the summer time its been helping but I got all of my walls sealed there's like no openings and they still find a way to get in my house I can say this bout them they very smart bout getting into houses lol

[Caylan]

Kids that dumb are just getting picked off by natural selection, I see nothing wrong with that... or is that too harsh? I was that dumb but I never got bit... not that I've learned my lesson or anything yet lol. Bet most of the kids don't touch them any more though. I wish I could keep my house 60* all summer, that would awesome!! I'm not sure how they are getting in, but I assume there's a rather visible spot somewhere that you've missed. Otherwise I see them just parking themselves next to your place, not inside... but then I don't really know rattlers, I can't see them making their way into a sealed house. How many AC units do you have going lol?

[theapexgerman]

I got my central heating and cooling on top of my house and then a windo ac unit in all rooms cept kitchen my eletric bill is more than my house payemnt and car insurance put together in the summer time but my house is almost pay off I pay every month around 4 grand and that includes everything besides food for the house and gas I bring home between 2 grand to 4 grand and Jessica brings home almost the same as me so between the both of us we get like 1 or 2 grand a month for play money and now that I got my PI licesnse I can finaly work on my time for my self I had to work fopr a private invistigator firm now I can do it on mine home so I can charge what I want

And as for getting in my house I don't got a clue I even had some one come and do a second look so I got no clue and yea kids do need to get pick off but they give the rattle snakes a bad rep when getting bite

[Caylan]

Yeah thats what I figured lol, man I would love to be able to do that... some day! Cool you got all your financials in order, thats good to hear. Remember to keep an account for vets! Private investigator eh? That sounds really cool actually!
I'd take a rattler over most kids myself... in fact probably almost any kid but my own(if I have one).... we don't usually get along lol. Rattlers have a bad reputation regardless, they might as well make use of it...

[theapexgerman]

yea bein a PI gives me some cool stuff I can't get into trouble for stalking some one but I'm just any one else wwith a few extras goodies PI school is cheap likes 3 months it cost me 4 grand but only paid like 800 bucks after I got a grant when I hit 18 I got a lot of money some college fund my parents put up for me but if I didn't. Go to college I wouldn't get it so any type of school would wok so I went into the police school still in it but its on hold atm so I went to PI school lot funner and pays way more but after you gradurate from it you got to work 700 hours for a company before you can go on your own and yea I got money saveing for vet bills when I got bit I wasn't doing nothing stupid but as soon as I go into take a leak bam got hit from under the sink it hurt like hell

[Caylan]

Can't get in trouble for stalking someone, that's funny. Awesome your parents were able to help you out with your schooling, gotta like that. Good luck with completing the police schooling.
I guess not every incident is a case of stupidity, like yours for instance. No one really expects a rattler in the bathroom, but I bet you do now lol. That's good, because you may see another again, and your story may prevent others from being in the same scenario.. Just sucks you had to take a hit for it lol. I've never been bit by a rattle snake, but I have been bit by many things, the only one coming close would be a black widow bite, or one of my carpet python bites. How did you react to it? Did you use antivenom? How large were it's fangs? Did it make you sick? Just curious is all..

[theapexgerman]

It was a sidewinder so not to big they get no were near as a diamondback the sidewinder look to maybe one or two years old but 10 years ago they didn't have all the anti venom as they do now so when I got bit I felt a sharp pain then leg felt numb but a shocking feeling got to the ER quick then they started to give me the anti venom my leg turned black to purpleish look very nasty I was in the ER for a week or two my leg still hurts to this day do tp the bite nerve dammage remains even when I got out of the ER I couldn't keep much food down everything I put in my mouth felt like metal and to this day I keep my bathroom cabints lids close and there in the rear of the bathroom so I can see when I walk in

[Caylan]

Jeeez sounds like lots of fun..... kinda wished I was wrong lol... But that's the nature of things I guess. Sorry to hear you went through such a brutal time with it, and young even... at least you survived it, could have been overhead and got you in the face instead... could have lost the leg... lots to grateful for from that experience still I guess. I love how we turned a thread titled kenyan sand boa thread into a 4 page debate about rattle snakes... Good luck on never getting bit again!

[theapexgerman]

And just think I keep a coral snake to but he's calm every rattle snake I've seen trs to attack sidewinders are the worst doc said since it hit me in the leg it didn't spread to quick hurt like hell tho and everytime I get bite by my bull snake my leg begains to hurt really bad some spots I can't feel nothing like I could get stab and wouldn't feel it in a certain spot

[Caylan]

And just think I keep a coral snake to but he's calm every rattle snake I've seen trs to attack sidewinders are the worst doc said since it hit me in the leg it didn't spread to quick hurt like hell tho and everytime I get bite by my bull snake my leg begains to hurt really bad some spots I can't feel nothing like I could get stab and wouldn't feel it in a certain spot

Rattle snakes can be the same way... but most are the way you described. I couldn't risk keeping a coral snake myself. Odd how bites trigger a pain response in your leg, but yet it's paralysed in spots.... I can put out matches with my dog bite scars, so I know what you mean. Unfortunately it still burns me, but I don't feel it. The 2 teeth went in around 3/4" deep each, just big puncture wounds really. I think they're starting to heal up underneath the scar tissue not but it's hard to say. Crazy what we'll put ourselves through....

[theapexgerman]

I never been bite by a dog but my guessing it would hurt like hell they got some killer bite strenght but I don't know why every time I get bite my leg hurts for a few minutes it really sucks to when I'm cleaning my bull snake cage I get bite like 4 times I got that sidewinder tooth around here some were it got stuck in my leg I was just glad it wasn't diamond back I would of probly be dead there venom is way more toxic than a sidewinder and what kind of dog bite you

[Caylan]

German Shepard Cross Rottweiler. Really sweet dog, just was the first time I really met him and I start petting behind his ears and he thought I was going for his collar.... one quick snap, I didn't really feel it that night, insta shock. It was quite the bite, bled alot, massive puncture wound. Swelled up really good the next day and the scabs were like plugs that kept popping out because of where they were... for some reason all I got was butterfly sutures, not stitches... Could have been so much worse, I just got a warning bite. One of those to the face though and you could need surgery easy... my snake bite healed up fine.
Its a good thing it wasn't a diamond back that got you, that could have been far worse.
Bullsnakes are funny little guys aren't they? I love 'em.

[theapexgerman]

Yea bull snakes are unique I tell you that I've seen some that are nice and then some that are really mean I got the bad apple one then hell hit his tail on the ground to make him sound like a rattler its quite funny