Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Those are great looking small snakes. I have seen them for sale in area petstore here and there mostly early Summer.
Is it yours? I ask because interested in their long term care but no info available on its captive care .
I know they are sand desert dwellers who prefer insects but thats about all I know.
Thinking of getting a couple in the future.
Fleck

or rather, I am currently responsible for its care. I collected it from a desert backroad near where I live, and I currently have three Chionactis. They are fairly easy to care for; they like loose sand or desert soil from creosote flats, a water dish (they do drink), and crickets about the size of their head to eat. They also eat small scorpions and really relish small centipedes. Road killed ones have had moth pupae in their stomachs, so it's possible they would eat the larvae and pupae of waxworm moths as well. I think they also take mealworms, but I have not actually witnessed that. They do eat the larvae of desert darkling beetles, which are in the same family as mealworm beetles. If they lose weight, a warm zone at one end of the cage seems to fix that. Captive wild caught adults have lived over six years for me.

Great info. Let me ask you can they be housed together--How do you heat them undertank heater or overhead heat--what temps do you keep them at day/night(more or less)--Do you see them much or they mostly stay buried like sand boas do?
Sorry for all the questions but if you have kept them for 6 years you know how to keep them and no info available on their keep.
Thanks
Fleck

They can be kept together for the most part, but last year, I had one that kept biting the others, so I separated it and keep it in solitary. Heat can be provided by under tank heat or overhead, so long as the snakes have access to the warmth--if using overhead heat, it should provide heat that actually reaches the substrate. The snakes burrow almost all the time, so to view them, you can expect to have to dig them out. As far as specific temps, I just keep them at room temp, and if a warm spot is used, it can be around 88-90.

Thanks alot for the excellent care advice. I couldnt find anything on them as far as care went. Your advice is greatly appreciated. I must say the people in this particular forum be it for this type of snake or ringnecks or scarlets(I am interested in small native snakes) are a wealth of information.
I am going to get one maybe two next time they show up in the petstore by me.
Again thanks.
Fleck