some help with a kenyan sand boa

some help with a kenyan sand boa

Postby Mr Jingles » Thu Jun 20, 2013 8:07 pm

I have a small kenyan sand bao that I purchased at the SOS reptile expo. He has really been a sweet snake, lol only biting me once hahaha. However, he is shedding for the first time and this has been going on since last saturday. My only experience with shedding is the chameleons that shed within hours. Is it normal to take so long? Also he has not taken his pinky since just before? And finally, he is as cranky as a bear, just trying to take off my finger as soon as I touch him. Please can you help, as I am getting a little worried. Dont just want to waste the vet's time if this is normal
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Re: some help with a kenyan sand boa

Postby Westley Price » Thu Jun 20, 2013 8:36 pm

Yeah, that's not normal.

I think your humidity is too low. Although one thinks of KSBs as desert-living animals, they still require some humidity to aid them in shedding. When the skin gets dry it flakes off instead of "rolling" off.

Spray or soak him in tepid water. Just keep your eye on him if you do soak. Then leave him overnight to do his thing.

Also, the not feeding before a shed is normal. It's best to leave you snake alone if you notice he's due to shed as it's an uncomfortable time for them and they can stress easily so dont even try to feed in that period. That also explains why he is cranky.
"I am dying by inches from not having anybody to talk to about insects." - Charles Darwin
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Re: some help with a kenyan sand boa

Postby Westley Price » Thu Jun 20, 2013 8:41 pm

If you search the forum using the search bar in the upper right hand corner of the page, there are tons of results and additional advice.
"I am dying by inches from not having anybody to talk to about insects." - Charles Darwin
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Re: some help with a kenyan sand boa

Postby Mr Jingles » Thu Jun 20, 2013 8:46 pm

Cool, thanks, I thought the humidity might be a problem, so I have been spraying his tank the past 2 days to try and up humidity a bit. I'll do the soaking in the morning, and hopefully he will return to be the nice snake he was.
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Re: some help with a kenyan sand boa

Postby it_bit_me » Thu Jun 20, 2013 9:00 pm

Snakes that live underground don't always like handling.

They like to feel secure.....underground.
If I'm gonna be an old, lonely man, I'm gonna need a thing, you know, a hook, like that guy on the subway who eats his own face. So I figure I'll be Crazy Man with a Snake, y'know. Crazy Snake Man. And I'll get more snakes, call them my babies, kids won't walk past my place, they will run. "Run away from Crazy Snake Man, " they'll shout!”
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Re: some help with a kenyan sand boa

Postby Mr Jingles » Sat Jun 22, 2013 8:58 pm

Just a quick update, after increasing humidity and "bathing" Toothless, I saw the skin is all off yesterday evening. He is still a snake from hell and strike everything and anything near him, but he is yet to eat a pinky. How ling after a shed will they eat? He is now on 3 weeks without eating anything.
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