The Arabian sand boa ( Eryx jayakari) is a fascinating reptile, and this article provides a detailed guide to its diet and care. Sand boas, as a group, are distributed across the southern regions of the northern hemisphere. The Arabian sand boa is found in sandy deserts.
Background Information
Sixty million years ago, the family Boidae evolved from being egg layers to becoming viviparous. However, the Arabian sand boa is a rule breaker, as only two species of boas lay eggs: the Arabian sand boa and the Calabar python.
Arabian Sand Boa: Physical Characteristics and Comparison
At a length of 16 inches, the Arabian sand boa isn’t large enough to constrict a person. The eyes of the Arabian sand boa are on top of its head, which is the highest positioning of the eyes in sand boas.
Arabian Sand Boa vs. Kenyan Sand Boa
The Kenyan sand boa is the most common pet sand boa. The Kenyan sand boa, a close relative of the Arabian sand boa, is a popular pet. It’s range covers East Africa, Egypt, Kenya, Niger, and Ethiopia. In the Arabian sand boa, the pattern may be darker and more refined. A key difference lies in the eyes; the eyes of the Arabian sand boa are on top of its head. There are no Arabian sand boa morphs, but there are morphs for other sand boa species, especially the Kenyan sand boa. Kenyan Sand Boas are the most commonly available species and they now come in a variety of different colors and markings including Albino, Paradox, Dodoma, and Nuclear. If you truly want a sand boa, consider getting the Kenyan sand boa.
Natural Habitat and Behavior
All sand boas are expert burrowers and spend their days underground. These snakes are exceptional at burrowing and in captivity can be found with just their heads sticking out of the substrate. They lie underground with just their heads exposed as they wait for prey to approach them. Of all the sand boa species, you’re most likely to find the Arabian sand boa in sandy deserts. Arabian sand boas are nocturnal ambush predators. These boas are nocturnal so they are very active at night.
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Enclosure
Because of their small size, you can keep adult sand boas in a 15-20 gallon aquarium. Baby Sand Boas can live in a 5-20 gallon terrarium depending on the species. The enclosure should be no shorter than 1/2 the length of the snake. You can use vision cages for sand boas. Make sure the terrarium has a well-ventilated top. Floor space is much more important than vertical space in this species, strive to offer the most. Ventilation is important. Plastic enclosures such as sweater boxes can have ventilation holes created using a soldering iron or a drill. Vision cages are an excellent option but the substrate depth is rather limited due to front sliding doors.
Substrate
Sand boas love to bury themselves, and their name suggests that sand would be the substrate to use in their enclosure. Sand boas prefer to burrow in their substrate, especially during the day light hours. You can use Sani-chips or Carefresh for these boas. If newspaper, paper towel, or reptile carpet is being used it is recommended to shred newspaper on top to promote burrowing behavior and to prevent undue stress on the animal. Aspen can also be used as long as the aspen is agitated daily and bedding is changed weekly. The aspen must be kept around 2-4 inches deep to offer the appropriate burrowing behavior. Never use pine or cedar shavings as the aromatic oils are irritating to snakes. Some keepers express concern that sand may cause impactions if swallowed by the snake. Although these snakes are called “sand” boas, they are not native to all sand terrains. Sand boas will burrow in sand but the risks are greater than the advantages including impaction from ingestion and abrasions from inappropriately sized sand particles. If a naturalistic set-up is to be created, a 60-70% top soil to 40-30% play sand mixture should be utilized and monitored carefully.
Temperature and Humidity
You should keep the enclosure temperature at 80-95 °F. Daytime temperatures should be around 84-90° F. Keep the enclosure temperature under 95 °F. The night-time temperature can drop to the mid-70s. Night time temperatures should not drop below 78° F. Doing this will allow the snake to find the temperature that best meets its needs at any given moment. The enclosure, regardless of type, should have a gradient of 75-85F° with the warmest spot no more than 90F°. These temperatures should be maintained with a thermostat and monitored with two thermometers ideally. One thermometer should be placed on the warm end an inch above the substrate and the other an inch above the substrate on the cool end of the enclosure. Under tank heaters, heat cable (outside the enclosure not in the enclosure), heat tape are the most appropriate to warm the substrate.
Keep the relative humidity in the enclosure under 50%. Humidity should be maintained under 50% to keep this species healthy as they do poorly in high humidity. No special techniques are needed to keep the humidity low, just proper ventilation and placement of the water bowl on the cool side of the enclosure.
Accessories
Though sand boas take refuge under the sand, we still recommend providing two hides. Cage accessories should consist of two hide boxes with one on the warm side and one on the cooler side of the enclosure if burrowing substrate is not provided. Hides can be as simple as a half a flower pot, half log, or as complicated as a rock structure (make sure it’s well anchored). Rocks added into the enclosure offers enrichment and some variation in the enclosure. Provide a small but heavy water dish for your pet. Provide a very shallow dish of fresh water and make sure it stays clean. These boas are desert dwellers and need very little drinking water.
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Lighting
UVB is not a necessity for these nocturnal snakes, but will not be harmful to your boa. Use a undertank heater. You can use fluorescent lights and leave them on for 8-12 hours a day. Sand boas are nocturnal by nature and do not require intense lighting despite their desert habitats. However, it is recommended that a 5.0 ReptiSun UVB bulb be offered during the day light portion of the light cycle. All snakes can absorb the calcium from their whole prey for their own use but a UVB bulb still offers some health benefits as well as promotion of natural behaviors from the UVA being emitted.
Food and Water
When feeding captive sand boas, offer prey that’s no larger than the widest part of your snake. Boas eat rodents no larger than the snake’s girth. In the wild, these snakes feed primarily on rodents, lizards, and small birds that pass by. In captivity however, most are fed mice with a penchant for smaller rodent prey than what their size could ingest. These snakes seem to relish nestling mice the most and feed well after dusk! It is highly recommended to feed only pre-killed prey as live prey can severely injure or kill a snake. Chicago Exotics recommends feeding properly thawed frozen rodents. These snakes are aggressive feeders despite their slow moving nature.
Baby Sand Boas should be fed once a week. Pinky mice and small mice are ideal meals for baby Sand Boas. Hatchlings are typically fed pinkies or in the cases of the smaller species, pinky mice parts. Adults can eat small mice but tend to prefer hopper mice. Hatchlings should be fed every 5-7 days and adults fed every 7-10 days small meals. The size of food needed will depend on the species of boa. It is best to feed your boa frozen/thawed rodents. For Sand Boas, you must make sure the thawed rodent is not damp as sand will stick on it and the boa will eat the sand. Most Sand Boa keepers feed their boas in a small paper bag or in a plastic dish and then return it to their enclosure. This prevents the boa from eating sand and causing an impaction which can be potentially life-threatening. Also, a live rodent can cause harm to your boa if it tries to fight back.
In captivity, sand boas may be reluctant to take food.
Experiment with Different Meals
For example, if your snake doesn’t accept mice, try small rats.
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Food Size and Time
As mentioned earlier, the size of the prey is important, as is the time of day. Do this for a week and then offer the snake a dead feeder that’s been dipped in water. Feed adult sand boas every seven to ten days.
Temperament and Handling
Sand boas are docile snakes and rarely bite. They’re slow-moving and take well to handling. As with other sand boa species, the Arabian sand boa rarely bites. Sand boas are rarely bite, preferring to ball up or escape rather than attack. Because of their temperament and small size, they make great pet snakes for beginner snake keepers. These snakes are the perfect size for pet owners who want a boa species but one that stays small. Sand Boas are excellent reptile pets. They stress out more easily than other boas and most keepers consider them display pets rather than pets to handle often.
Health Considerations
Shedding issues are often due to not having the proper humidity level. Obesity: Many sand boas are voracious eaters.
Breeding
Of the 13 species of sand boas, three of them breed regularly in captivity. Also, the tails in proportion to body length are much smaller in females than in females. It’s easy to determine the breeding age of sand boas in captive animals. For the rough-scaled sand boa, sexual maturity is reached when females reach 18 inches and a weight of 250 grams.
Stimulating Breeding
When you have sexually mature snakes, the next step is to stimulate them to breed. You can do this by altering their environment. The most common way to alter the captive environment is to enact what is known as brumation. Brumation isn’t the same as hibernation. In hibernation, the bodily functions of the animal all but stop. Breeding often occurs within the first four hours of introduction. However, leave them together for four days and then separate them. If you try this method, only do so for a few minutes.
Gestation
The gestation period for sand boas is around four to six months, depending on the temperature. At that time, your sand boa will give birth to live young. Most species of sand boas are ovoviviparous. Only two species of boas lay eggs: the Arabian sand boa and the Calabar python.
Availability and Cost
The large price difference is due to the species’ unavailability in the pet trade. The Arabian sand boa is difficult to obtain for several reasons. If you’re interested in getting a sand boa, consider other species that are widely available.
Research on Wild Arabian Sand Boas
A research study conducted in the wild analyzed the food contents found in the stomachs of Arabian sand boas.