[M:100]
Post by ADMIN on Jan 28, 2013 23:08:28 GMT -5
Kenyan Sand Boa (Gongylophis colubrinus)
Although the name may seem to imply it Kenyan sand boas are not from sand at all. They are found in rock outcroppings , scrublands, near desert areas but not in full desert environment. They tend to be at home in a pliable earth soil and are built for burrowing. Nearly every serious sand boa breeder will tell you DO NOT PLACE YOUR KSB IN SAND. This is one of the number one causes of problems with these animals. It they are kept in propper conditions a KSB can thrive for over 25 years. They are a great low maintenance snake and there small size makes them perfect for anyone who may want a snake but not a bigger breed.
BASIC CARE:
1. HOUSING:
A 10 gallon tank is usually a good starting point for a small KSB, serious keepers and breeders prefer rack systems with plastic totes, these systems allow better control of proper humidity for the KSB which can be a tricky part of keeping these snakes but once figured out becomes second nature to the hobbyist. The size of a KSB means it does not need a large space some suggest a 10 gallon is fine for an adult, I personally like to keep my adults in an area roughly 2X3 ft and shallow (we use racks). If you have to keep your adult KSB in a glass tank then a 20 gallon long is fine. The biggest issue you will have with keeping a KSB in a glass tank will be humidity, temperature regulation and shed issues, which you can learn to negotiate over time. Do not keep small KSB in large enclosures they tend to have feeding issues if housed in larger systems.
2. SUBSTRATE:
Do not believe anyone who tells you to put your KSB in reptile sand, they clearly do not understand the animals needs and are blindly misguiding you. We can not stress this point enough, absolutely NO SAND sold in the pet trade as reptile sand , etc is to be used in the KSB habitat. Some serious breeders do use a special grade of sand blasting sand but it is extremely hard to find on the east coast, therefore nearly everyone else agrees the best medium is no dust aspen bedding (all wooden product). Why wood? Remember I said one of the biggest challenges you will face with your KSB is proper humidity, aspen allows us to regulate the humidity quite well in our KSB systems. It also has these advantages since the cage must be cleaned frequently , aspen is easy to find and very affordable, it's also very light and easy to store. Put no deeper than 2X the height of your KSBs body width into the enclosure and spot check daily for any waste that may need removed.
3. HEAT SOURCE:
A KSB must have a deep (long) enough enclosure to permit a hot end and a cool end. We keep our hot end at 95 degrees and our cool end at around 80. As I said we use a rack system to keep our animals these systems have built in heat strips which connect to a digital controller that regulates the heat in our racks to a constant temperature within 3 degrees of the set point at all times. You likely wont have this kind of set up so what can you do? Simple you will need a undertank heater, which one depends on your tank size, a 20 long for example should be ok with a medium. You WILL NOT use this heat mat without a controller of some sort especially with tanks, never place the heat source in the enclosure. A uncontrolled heat mat can become extremely hot and can bur or even kill a KSB. You must budget in a temperature controller for your KSB it will insure your new pet will have a stable environment , good humidity, and will power off if the temperature exceeds your set point.
4. FEEDING:
Sand boas are notorious for refusing to eat at times. If one is refusing to feed it is most usually related to moving the animal into a new enclosure or a temperature issue. KSB will eat either live or F/T (frozen thawed) prey. We feed our small ones F/T mouse pinks and our adults F/T rat weenlings or adult mice. Typically you want to feed something that has the width of up to two times the body diameter of your snake.
TO BE CONTINUED:
Although the name may seem to imply it Kenyan sand boas are not from sand at all. They are found in rock outcroppings , scrublands, near desert areas but not in full desert environment. They tend to be at home in a pliable earth soil and are built for burrowing. Nearly every serious sand boa breeder will tell you DO NOT PLACE YOUR KSB IN SAND. This is one of the number one causes of problems with these animals. It they are kept in propper conditions a KSB can thrive for over 25 years. They are a great low maintenance snake and there small size makes them perfect for anyone who may want a snake but not a bigger breed.
BASIC CARE:
1. HOUSING:
A 10 gallon tank is usually a good starting point for a small KSB, serious keepers and breeders prefer rack systems with plastic totes, these systems allow better control of proper humidity for the KSB which can be a tricky part of keeping these snakes but once figured out becomes second nature to the hobbyist. The size of a KSB means it does not need a large space some suggest a 10 gallon is fine for an adult, I personally like to keep my adults in an area roughly 2X3 ft and shallow (we use racks). If you have to keep your adult KSB in a glass tank then a 20 gallon long is fine. The biggest issue you will have with keeping a KSB in a glass tank will be humidity, temperature regulation and shed issues, which you can learn to negotiate over time. Do not keep small KSB in large enclosures they tend to have feeding issues if housed in larger systems.
2. SUBSTRATE:
Do not believe anyone who tells you to put your KSB in reptile sand, they clearly do not understand the animals needs and are blindly misguiding you. We can not stress this point enough, absolutely NO SAND sold in the pet trade as reptile sand , etc is to be used in the KSB habitat. Some serious breeders do use a special grade of sand blasting sand but it is extremely hard to find on the east coast, therefore nearly everyone else agrees the best medium is no dust aspen bedding (all wooden product). Why wood? Remember I said one of the biggest challenges you will face with your KSB is proper humidity, aspen allows us to regulate the humidity quite well in our KSB systems. It also has these advantages since the cage must be cleaned frequently , aspen is easy to find and very affordable, it's also very light and easy to store. Put no deeper than 2X the height of your KSBs body width into the enclosure and spot check daily for any waste that may need removed.
3. HEAT SOURCE:
A KSB must have a deep (long) enough enclosure to permit a hot end and a cool end. We keep our hot end at 95 degrees and our cool end at around 80. As I said we use a rack system to keep our animals these systems have built in heat strips which connect to a digital controller that regulates the heat in our racks to a constant temperature within 3 degrees of the set point at all times. You likely wont have this kind of set up so what can you do? Simple you will need a undertank heater, which one depends on your tank size, a 20 long for example should be ok with a medium. You WILL NOT use this heat mat without a controller of some sort especially with tanks, never place the heat source in the enclosure. A uncontrolled heat mat can become extremely hot and can bur or even kill a KSB. You must budget in a temperature controller for your KSB it will insure your new pet will have a stable environment , good humidity, and will power off if the temperature exceeds your set point.
4. FEEDING:
Sand boas are notorious for refusing to eat at times. If one is refusing to feed it is most usually related to moving the animal into a new enclosure or a temperature issue. KSB will eat either live or F/T (frozen thawed) prey. We feed our small ones F/T mouse pinks and our adults F/T rat weenlings or adult mice. Typically you want to feed something that has the width of up to two times the body diameter of your snake.
TO BE CONTINUED: