Care Sheet - Kenyan Sand Boa (Eryx Colubrinus)

Care sheet - Kenyan Sand Boa
Kenyan Sand Boa (Eryx colubrinus loveridgei)

There are two valid subspecies are scientifically recognized G. c. colubrinus
LINNAEUS 1758 and G. c. loveridgei STULL 1832, G. c. rufescens is a synonym
of the latter. It was formerly considered as a part of the Eryx genus.
In the Gongylophis Genus the only boidae species from Europe is found: G.
jaculus lives in Turkey and Caucasia, and is CITES Annex I, totally protected in
his native area .All Gongylophis species are similar in size, build, behaviour and
feeding habits.
Legal status:
These boas are CITES Annex II, thus requiring a CITES number mentioned on
the purchase documents, if it is wild-caught or coming from farming in East
Africa or outside EU. It is also in Annex B of the European Union regulations CE
338/97 and its directive CE 990/97 .When a captive-bred specimen is bought
from the same country or inside EU, a mere purchasing bill is absolutely
sufficient to prove the origin of the animals.
Location:
Savannah and near-desert areas in East Africa: Kenya, Ethiopia, Somalia,
Eritrea, South of Sudan ...It is found in dry grasslands, sand dunes, rocky areas
in which it can dig into the soil to hide from predators and feel secure. Sandy
soils are preferred.
Description:
This is a very small-sized boa, adult males are hardly more than 18 inches long,
and females may grow up to 30 inches in length, the latter being also much more
thickset. As all members of the boa group, they have no heat-sensible dimples on
the upper jaw. The eyes, contrary to most other snakes are mobile thus providing
the Kenyan Sand Boa with a lively expressive gaze. The head is short, hardly
distinct from the body; the lower jaw is slightly protruding and corner-shaped to
enable the KSB to dig in loose soils such as sand.
This species usually spends most of the time buried in the sand, half an inch
under the surface and it can vanish with an amazing speed when burrowing. The
small eyes are well-protected by a transparent scale, and usually the KSB is
totally invisible in its surroundings, eventually leaving a few millimetres of the
snout over the surface. The mouth is quite small compared to the animals size
and they scarcely attempt to bite, the minute teeth usually cannot even pierce
human skin. It is a sit-and-wait predator, most likely sensing vibrations in the
ground of prey or predators.
The back coloration is black with yellow or orange blotches, some individuals
have more black while others have a majority of yellow or orange. Both morphs
seem to occur with the same frequency in the wild. For a few years now
American and European breeders have produced albinos and leucistic morph,
with more morphs becoming available now on the herp market. The belly scales
are pure white.
This species is one of the more primitive of the boas and pythons family, spurs
around the cloacae (vestigial limbs) are easily noticeable on males, but they exist
on females too, It is a nocturnal species, only venturing out of his hide at night to
forage for prey CB specimens are unaggressive and easy to handle.
Sexing KSB is a bit difficult for the inexperienced keepers, popping and probing
may be used with the greatest of care better still get someone who knows what
they are doing to do it for you.
Choosing a KSB: CB specimens are now much more common in the herp trade
and much more available than WC, as the latter are usually heavily infected with
mites and internal parasites. They are a hardy and adaptable species .WC
should be checked for internal parasites through a coprology test from a reptile
vet and correctly treated.
Housing:
Youngsters can be housed in plastic vivarium (Pen-Pal or Critter boxes) with a
secure lid as they are prone to escape and you should not underestimate their
ability to go through the slightest opening or their strength to force any insecurely
fitted lid. Adult or near-adults should be housed in wooden vivarium. Only the
floor surface is important they are not good climbers and a 24 inch vivarium is
adequate for an adult KSB
The substrate I prefer to use for adults is Aspen up to about 30-35mm deep or
preferably playpen sand. They require a dry environment, so a small water bowl
at the cool end of the vivarium will suffice, or a small moss box for shedding and
egg-laying filled with moist vermiculite or moist sphagnum moss.
A heat mat which fits half the floor area should be fitted to the floor of the
vivarium and connected to a thermostat, so as to provide a basking spot with 3035C /86-95F, and the cool end should be in the low 80s /25-27C during the
day. If these temperatures are not reached then the use of a small low wattage
ceramic or infrared bulb is recommended, do not use daylight blue or UV
spots, these snakes shun bright light. At night, all the heating is switched
off/down to lower the temperature to 18-20C/ 70s F. Artificial lighting is
absolutely useless for previously stated reasons .Indirect natural daylight is the
best way to provide them with a good night-and-day photoperiod.
The substrate should be simple and easy to spot clean; flat rocks are appreciated
by the KSB which love to be covered by something a little weighty. An emptied
coconut shell or a piece of cork oak bark makes up a shelter, there should be 2
such hides on each end the cool and hot end. At least one of the hides should be
slightly moist, as previously stated. No branches nor plants, natural or plastic, are
necessary.
Daily tasks are renewing the clean water supply (these snakes often drink at
night), checking for urates and scat/faeces which are tiny and dry and often
buried in the sand by using fingers or a small sieve.
Feeding:
There is very little data existing about their prey types in the wild. Some
hatchlings are small and may require decapitated pinkie mice. In the wild the
hatchlings may take insects as a first food. All sand boas should be fed either out
of the viv or on one of the flat rocks of the vivarium to prevent them from
impaction risks as they are likely to swallow amounts of sand which sticks to
prey.
Feed every 5-7 days.
CB KSB accepts dead thawed prey without hesitating; as long as they are a bit
annoyed with the prey, using tweezers gently tap the food against the snakes
snout. Feeding them regularly is really not a problem. WC may be more difficult
to feed on thawed prey.
Brumation:
Usually they have a resting period which can be simulated in captivity by
progressively decreasing day temperatures of 5C - 8C between December until
the beginning of March. During this period, they usually do not eat at all. Before
cooling down/brumation you should stop feeding for 2-3 weeks so that their
stomachs are empty, as their intestinal flora will be less efficient, if not inactive,
during this time and they will be incapable of digesting food.
Brumation is also a triggering factor for breeding.
Breeding :
Individuals should be housed separately from each other and only put together
for a short period of time (1-2 weeks) in May or June .Taking into account the
size difference between both genders, longer periods may be a little risky .As
soon as 2 or 3 mating are witnessed, each snake should be put back in its own
vivarium. KSB are ovoviviparous, and after 3-4 months the females will give birth
to already well-formed young, from 6 to 20 according to the size and health of the
female; a pre-birth shed always occurs approx., 8-15 days before giving birth to
live young, and they usually stop eating at this time, After birth, females should
be fed more often and with slightly larger prey items to recover from the
pregnancy. The young have often paler hues than the adults, and they are about
6 inches long. They should be housed individually in a small plastic vivarium.
Conclusion:
This is an interesting and beautiful species which will undoubtedly become much
more common in the future.
Their care and breeding is very easy, making them accessible to the beginner in
the hobby, and are usually unaggressive pets.
John

Care Sheet - Kenyan Sand Boa (Eryx Colubrinus)

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Kenyan Sand Boa (Eryx colubrinus loveridgei)

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