Help! Sand Boa Won't Eat!

Okay, so I've always wanted a Saharan sand boa. I finally got one at a reptile show back in April. He's a wild caught but a long term captive. The buyer told me to call him if he wouldn't eat. ( So, of course, I lose his number! Crap! ) He's been to the vet and was given a clean bill of health a week after I got him. He handles great, sheds well. He just hasn't eaten since I bought him----in April. I tried frozen/thawed. No. I tried live. Nope. I tried live pinkies. No go. I tried scenting in gekko poop. No. I tried braining. Nope. I tried a live anole. Nothing.

I really like this snake. I really want him to do well. I've been avoiding handling thinking that might be stressing him out. I really don't want to do that, he's so smooth and silky. I'm tempted to put him into brumation to try to snap him outta that. I already know he's got an empty belly. ( He's only pooed once since I bought him! )

Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

Devon

I'm stil new so if this technique is frowned upon, don't fry me.

I have always been told to put the snake and the mouse in a dry, clean paper bag and put it somewhere warm and dark over night. Not to big of a bag that the snake can stay away from the mouse all night, but not sitting on top of it either. Just enough so he/she knows its there.

Oh yeah, and of course put the bag in a tank or something so it doesn't escape :O

What is your setup like, temperatures, humidity, substrate used? How big is the enclosure the snake is in, do you have hides for him?

He may not feel secure enough to eat, or the wrong temperatures could be affecting him. Or you just have a picky eater that is just not interested in eating.

My male Kenyans are notoriously picky eaters, especially around breeding season, but they always start eating.

I would keep an eye on his weight, and continue to offer him food periodically.

I'm using sand as a substrate but Oooops! No hide. There you go, that MIGHT be it. I have a big rock, ( NOT a hot rock. All my snakes have one natural goose-egg type rock to use for shedding purposes.) I also have a large bowl of water ( because I got tired of all my snakes spilling the flat bowls they sell at pet shops EVERY DAY! ) I'm also thinking of moving the 10 gallon tank he's in, into the spare bedroom where its very quiet instead of the living room which isn't.

I have a male Kenyan sand boa that gives me no trouble whatsoever. Eats, sheds, loves attention, I can even let children handle him and is HUGE! My Saharan "Smoothie" is almost like him EXCEPT for the eating bit.

Devon

Definitely try the paper bag trick, I have been breeding Kenyans for a few years and the males do tend to be very picky at this time of year. I put my babies in deli cups with a live pinkie and then put them in a closet for a few hours. Good luck!

I have a small group of saharan sand boas, and I keep them on ~3-4" of aspen (tried sand, they didn't do well in it). I feed them in their cages and leave a thawed mouse in overnight. It is almost always gone by morning.

What is the cage temp (warm/cool side)? I provide mine with a hot spot ~95F and a cool area at ~78-82F.

Good luck,
Chris

Sorry to be late about getting back to you. The tank with the Saharan has been moved to the spare bedroom away from any constant traffic, cats, other tanks with snakes in them etc. ( The spare bedroom has become my hubby's man cave storage room! ) I changed the sand substrate to aspen chips. ( I didn't like that batch of sand I bought anyway. It seemed too dusty! ) He's got a nice hide I can bury somewhat in the bedding. I tried to buy a live rat pup at the pet store yesterday but they were out. So I'll try again later this week. Grumble! ( This is why I hate feeding live! I don't raise my own and I have to make a special trip 30 min. away to buy one! )

I did find more poo when I cleaned his tank so something is being digested. Is it possible this is just a breeding season fast??? My large corn did that this spring. He stopped eating and started cruising his tank a lot more. This is the snake that got overweight because I was always giving him the mouse someone else refused because he NEVER refused a meal-----until spring!

Are Saharans a more challenging a sand boa to keep??? Every time I mention my problem with this guy to someone at a reptile show they kinda roll their eyes like, "Well, that's a Saharan!"

Devon

I would set up a mouse/rat tank also. Before I started breeding my own mice, the pet store was always really cool about selling me a pregnant mouse so I would have my own little of pinkies in just a few weeks... however having too many is what got me into breeding them, lol.

He could definitely be in breeding mode still, as long as all your tank conditions are good I wouldn't sweat it. When he's ready to eat he should start taking frozen thawed mice or rat pinks with ease.