Reptile & Amphibian Forums

i bought a baby sand boa that we have had at my work (a local petstore). he/she is under 10 inches.. i measured about 8. i have it in a 20L aquarium with carefresh and aspen wood as substrate. i have a clamp lamp and a 40 watt nightglo bulb.
the temp directly under the lamp is at 95. i am watching it carefully with my tempgun to make sure it doesn't get any higher. the surrounding bedding in the area is in the 80's. the otherside of the tank is staying around 75-77 degrees.

i want to ask though, for those of you that have sand boa's, do they prefer to stay cooler before they go through a shed? when i got him out of the tank at work he was in a cold spot curled up, and he seems to be staying out of the heat now that i've brought him home.
he is definately going to shed soon, but his eyes aren't clouded over yet. he has a humidity box but he has ignored it so far.
i am just concerned im doing something wrong. do snakes stress like other reptiles and animals when you relocate them?

Congratulations--sand boas are great! What kind of sand boa do you have? Some species like it cooler than other species. To answer your question--yes, snakes need time to acclimate to new surroundings, and this can stress them. Be sure to visit the KS Sand Boa page--lots of useful information there. Best of luck with your little one!
regards,
althea

he is supposed to be a kenyan sand boa. he is some kind of mutation though because he is black and white.
i went to check the temp in the hot spot a few minutes ago and found "mr. zebra" directly underneath. the temp was in the high 80s. i feel better now that i know he is warming himself.

im just not sure if i should turn the heat light off at night or not. i can't seem to find the answer to that anywhere..

What you have is an anerythristic kenyan--absence of the gene which creates red/yellow pigmentation of the skin. By and large very pretty little snakes.

The tank was in the high 80's at the snake's level? My kenyans like it about 86 under their cork bark slabs. After they eat or if they want it warmer, they lie on top of their slabs, where the temp is a few degrees higher. My three week old babies like it about 90 on the warm end. What is the temp on the cool end--about 75? If there is a gradient between the two, then your little one will choose where it needs to be.

regards,
althea

the cool end is in the mid 70's. so far he seems to be staying at the bottom of the substrate under the heat lamp.

how do you find slabs of corkbark? i know they like the feeling of something above them, but i didn't know that came in flat slabs.

Sometimes pet supply chains get it in. Usually I find it at herp shows, or online from reptile supply companies. I've even found it on ebay. Most times I buy it in hollow log segments. I just bring it home and break/cut it up to suit my needs.

The piece directly under my heat lamp is very slightly arched, not flat. My female created a space beneath it, which is where she had her babies. Now she's post-partem with a clean enclosure, and she went right back and created the same space. I know when she's hungry--her nose is visible sticking out from underneath the cork bark.

I keep it in both my kenyan and tartar enclosures. Both species have been observed out basking on it from time to time. Hope this answers your question.

regards,
althea