Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hello everybody! I'm new here, and excited to be here! My wonderful hubby got me a sand boa for my birthday. I've been wanting one for a long time, and am so excited to finally have my little guy! His name's Malcolm, I call him Mal.

He's 6-7 months old and has been raised on live food. However, I live quite a ways from the nearest pet store and am hoping to switch him over to F/T. We just got him yesterday, and he's overdue for a feeding, based on the schedule they had him on. From the way he's eyeing and stalking my betta (who's tank is nearby), I'm guessing he's pretty hungry. Would it be bad to go ahead and try the switch tonight, with his first feeding in his new home? Or would that just add much unneeded stress? Are there any tips on successfully switching him over?

Thank you!
Janelle

Just do it. There is no "switch" on your part. They either eat it or they don't.

Some sandboas will take thawed no problem. Some require warming up the prey item in warm water so it "feels" warm like a live rodent. And some are stubborn as all heck and have to get really really hungry before eating thawed. There may be some that flat out refuse. I've had a handful of sandboas from different sources. All ate thawed, even those that were on live before I got them. A few had to get a little hungry first.

One nice trick is to touch the thawed mouse to the side of the snake's neck close to its head. Sandboas are really sensitive to that area. They seem to lunge and bite when touched there. Probably a reaction to encountering prey in a burrow. In fact, it is a good idea NOT to hold a sandboa near the head for that reason. Some don't care but some will bite. Big females can bite surprisingly hard and amazingly fast.

Good luck. I don't think there exists a snake easier to care for than a sandboa. They can usually easily survive all the dumb mistakes we keepers can make.

Thank you so much! We'll try it out tonight. Hopefully he won't be a stubborn one. =)

Hubby's going to pick a couple of frozen pinkies up today, so we'll try it tonight.

Thanks again!

He ate like a pro!! We nudged him with it and he grabbed it and had it downed within a couple of minutes. Yay!!

Thank you again for your help!

That is good news. Congrats on the big "switch" lol. See? Just do it.