Reptile & Amphibian Forums

After about nine months still can not get the Saharan sand boas to eat. Tried live and dead mouse pinkies, hamster pinkies, and rat pinkies. Help. Hard to find info on these sand boas which are attractive and docile.

Are these babies? (I assume so because you are trying pinky mice / hamsters).

I produced 2 CB E. muelleri this year and have also had difficulties getting them to eat. One ate 2 pinky mice right off the bat and nothing since (several months). The other was small (runt sized) and has never taken a meal on its own.

Both snakes will readily eat mouse tails / legs with a little encouragement. I have also started a colony of Roborovski's hamsters but they don't seem interested (other sand boas seem to love them (kenyans, russians, etc...).

Best of luck!
-Chris
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Christopher E. Smith
Contact
Captive Bred Herps
Wildlife Research & Consulting Services, LLC

The two muelleri I have are adults. I started with four but two died I assume from starvation. They were really emaciated. My son and I are going to force feed them pinky rats today. Muelleri are attractive snakes and the two I have left are still glossy and plump looking even though they never ate. The day I got them one grabbed a small mouse, killed it, started to swallow it but spat it out with no further interest. I read yesterday that muelleri need 90F and a sand substrate. I will try that. Anyone know what their natural habitat is like in the Sahara?

I keep my E. muelleri with a hot spot around 100F on aspen. My two biggest females were picked up at a Florida show as fresh imports and took to F/T mice with ease...

What are your temps?

I tried sand for a while and they didn't do as well IMO. Aspen has worked best and I use slightly damp vermiculite when I am expecting 'eggs'.

Cool end temp is in the mid to upper 70's with warm side temp at ~100F.

Best of luck,
Chris
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Christopher E. Smith
Contact
Captive Bred Herps
Wildlife Research & Consulting Services, LLC

Also, I use under the tank heat (via FlexWatt heat tape).

-Chris
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Christopher E. Smith
Contact
Captive Bred Herps
Wildlife Research & Consulting Services, LLC

Great pictures great info thank you Ernest Plutko