male or female?

[Drgnfly2265]

So I know what kind of snake and color type that I want (a ksb). Now I'm wondering if I should get a male or female. Is there one that has a better temperament than the other? Does one seem to be more mellow or like to be held than the other? One of the reasons that I'm choosing the sand boas is because they don't get too big. And now I'm wondering if a reason to get a male will include because it's smaller than the female. Is the male a lot smaller than the male? I like how females are "fatter" looking. Is their width a lot different too?

[alessia55]

Females will be longer (by a few inches) and "fatter" than males. However, sand boas in general are small, so the difference isn't much.

Temperament and tolerance to handling is individual to the particular snakes. Some will tolerate it better than others. The ones I've handled have been just fine, docile, and easy to handle.

KSB owners with more experience will chime in soon and tell you more :)

[alessia55]

I found this photo of a breeding pair of sand boas. The larger one is the female.
Hopefully other members will share photos that show the size difference between their males and females.

In this photo, the male is about 3yrs old, and the female 5yrs old.
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_t3XAgDA6AGA/TAW-F7HAW8I/AAAAAAAAA1w/2IIWqKP06WU/s1600/Albino-Pair-Adult.jpg
Photo source. (http://sandboamorphs.blogspot.com/2010/06/albino-breeding-pair.html)

[alessia55]

More photos of breeding pairs from the same photo source as the previous photo I posted:

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-4AI5d9z529g/TWnQh9h7TPI/AAAAAAAACY4/jp1YHAgQDWs/s1600/06SnowFwStripeHAneryMIMG_2225.jpg

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-0sCdwBn4h4c/TWnQ6-c0OXI/AAAAAAAACZI/NVe0eAHOQtA/s1600/08AneryJoeFwMRPANeryIMG_2249.jpg

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-cLZThycl4jM/TWnQdMoj73I/AAAAAAAACY0/u03bqyt-oao/s1600/05SanteNormwNucIMG_2233.jpg

[Roadtrash]

Boy, they sure have some great looking animals. I can see how they got so attached to the breed.

[Drgnfly2265]

Looks like the females are fatter than the males, lol. I was drooling over the 2nd pic in the 2nd thread of pics. I love that black and white color (anery?). I really like the look of the size of the females. I just want to make sure it has a good temperament. I think that's why I kinda want to wait till the reptile show next month so I get a hands on experience first and see how the snake is in person.

[Drgnfly2265]

What is the smallest tub/tank size a male or female can be in?

[alessia55]

Looks like the females are fatter than the males, lol. I was drooling over the 2nd pic in the 2nd thread of pics. I love that black and white color (anery?). I really like the look of the size of the females. I just want to make sure it has a good temperament. I think that's why I kinda want to wait till the reptile show next month so I get a hands on experience first and see how the snake is in person.

The best way to judge temperament is to meet the snake yourself. Finding a snake at the expo will let you meet the snake and get an idea for it's temperament before taking him/her home. But don't forget that expos are stressful for snakes, some some normally-docile snakes may be somewhat more temperament (stressed) because of the expo conditions.