I need some help with my sand boa.

Sasha2 · 11-25-16, 12:19 PM

Does anyone know what the average wt is for a 2 year old male?
Mine is about 15 or 16 inches and 187 grams..He is maybe a fat male?
Im not entirely convinced this is a male though I was told it was. Ive never probed a sand boa, they have such stubby tails I wonder how big their hemipenes could be. Ive popped and probed kings and corns only.

**EL Ziggy** · 11-25-16, 09:28 PM

Sorry Sasha, I've never kept sand boas so I can't offer an experienced voice but 187g at a year sounds like pretty hearty growth.

Sasha2 · 11-26-16, 11:02 AM

He is 2 years. I keep coming across males being up to 100 grams.He couldnt be that fat could he? LOL, he eats every ten days one ASF hopper.Its hard to judge how fat they are since 1. He is my first sand boa so cant judge whats normal 2. they are thick bodied and stubby to begin with.
I really like these squishy sausage snakes and want to get an anery soon.But I need to find out if mine is a male or female first and if im over feeding.

MartinD · 11-26-16, 11:12 AM

I don't about sand boa's either, but I have seen this quite a few times....

They are most active at night, but I have seen mine prowling in the afternoon as well. Male sand boas only reach about 15 to 18 inches in average length and about 70-100 grams in weight, although a very old male may reach as much as 24 inches.

The females will generally reach about 24-36 inches, with 28 being typical, and will weigh in the neighborhood of 400-900 + grams. They are much stockier than the males, who are rather stout snakes themselves. They can live well into their teens, with the record for a closely related species being over 30 years.

So you could have a female

Sasha2 · 11-26-16, 12:25 PM

Thats what I have found, with the males being around the 100 gm mark.

I Just took her out and did good measurement and she is a full 21 inches. Has a short stubby tail, not the longer tail associated with a male. So Im leaning toward a female.
I could probe her but they have such small tails I dont know how accurate I can be.I cant imagine there being much room for a hemipenes in there. I probably dont want to reduce her food if she is in fact a female.

MartinD · 11-26-16, 12:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sasha2

Thats what I have found, with the males being around the 100 gm mark.

I Just took her out and did good measurement and she is a full 21 inches. Has a short stubby tail, not the longer tail associated with a male. So Im leaning toward a female.
I could probe her but they have such small tails I dont know how accurate I can be.I cant imagine there being much room for a hemipenes in there. I probably dont want to reduce her food if she is in fact a female.

You could always get your vet to do a probe for you....well not you your snake lol

Sasha2 · 11-26-16, 12:37 PM

LOL, my vet wont see exotics. Anyway probing is not a problem I have probed plenty of snakes but not sand boas.
Im just a bit concerned that the difference between the males and females is probably very small so I could get it wrong because I have nothing to compare it with.
I will have to find a sand boa forum to join. Im betting they could sex him just by looking at the tail.

CK SandBoas · 11-27-16, 06:05 PM

187 for a male is not unheard of...I have quite a few adult males that are in that range and actually over the 200 gram mark...

Sasha2 · 11-28-16, 07:48 PM

what about 21 inches, that seems a big long for a male. Im about 90 percent sure this is a female. Ive fed him very conservatively too, on a ten to fourteen day schedule.
Im going to feed him/her up a bit and see if I get more growth or just weight.

Lykus · 11-30-16, 02:36 PM

This genuinely looks like a female to me. Considering how big it is, and how the tail tapers off very quickly - that's generally how the girls are. Is the vent pretty close to the end of the tail? Because if it is, I would say you have a girl on your hands

I'm new to sexing them, but I hope I could help!

Sasha2 · 12-08-16, 05:34 PM

Thanks, I took a pic of her/his vent. I go back and forth, its pretty wide but stubby..

TRD · 01-03-17, 10:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sasha2

Thanks, I took a pic of her/his vent. I go back and forth, its pretty wide but stubby..

I know its late, but that looks female to me.

I have a very large 3 yo male, and he's smaller than yours. 21" male, is not a male

Mine is considered borderline extreme at 16.5", I think the largest male was around 18"

PS. Don't probe a SB, it's not needed and you would only hurt the snake. It's almost 100% to differentiate with certainty by the look of the tail and the overall size of the animal.

Sasha2 · 01-15-17, 08:31 PM

Thanx for your input. I didnt probe her, I just didnt feel comfortable with such a stubby tail and the probes I have are poor quality, need a better set.

MartinD · 01-16-17, 03:59 AM

Yes I'll go with TRD and say female