Kenyan Sand Boa

Psyche · 02-22-12, 10:28 PM

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 · 02-22-12, 11:37 PM

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 · 02-22-12, 11:48 PM

thank you sooo much. apparently they sold them though

Ive been on the lookout for a hognose as well, how are they?

Psyche · 02-22-12, 11:49 PM

thank you sooo much. apparently they sold them though

Ive been on the lookout for a hognose as well, how are they?

jaleely · 02-22-12, 11:59 PM

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 · 02-23-12, 12:19 AM

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 · 02-23-12, 07:34 AM

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!

jaleely · 02-23-12, 11:32 PM

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/gener...ood-chain.html

http://www.ssnakess.com/forums/heter...shed-pics.html

http://www.ssnakess.com/forums/heter...nose-bite.html

http://www.ssnakess.com/forums/heter...-hognoses.html

http://www.ssnakess.com/forums/gener...yxie-frog.html

http://www.ssnakess.com/forums/eryci...r-snake-d.html

http://www.ssnakess.com/forums/gener...tmas-tree.html

http://www.ssnakess.com/forums/gener...ting-pics.html

http://www.ssnakess.com/forums/eryci...ie-drinks.html

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

Psyche · 02-26-12, 07:17 PM

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 · 02-26-12, 07:26 PM

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 · 02-26-12, 07:27 PM

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

theapexgerman · 02-26-12, 07:30 PM

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 · 02-26-12, 07:32 PM

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 · 02-26-12, 07:40 PM

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 · 02-26-12, 07:48 PM

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