FishProfiles.com Message Forums

I got two more sand boas today, so I'll post some pictures.

Here's the first... A female anerythristic Kenyan Sand Boa, Eryx colubrinus. She was born on July 15th, and is unbelievably tiny - only about 6" long and the width of a pencil. I got her so that I have one pair of both normals and aneries, so if I want to breed them some time I can produce something more than hets for anery. She was $40, which is cheaper than retail price.



The other boa I got today is an adult (or subadult, depending on the gender) Saharan Sand Boa, Eryx muelleri. They are a lot like the Kenyans, but are egg-layers instead of livebearers. They've only been known to the hobby since around 2000, so they're still a bit harder to find than the Kenyans. I got this one for free, but they usually retail for around $150.



I like how even the tongue is camouflaged in this species.



This snake has some huge spurs (I can feel it grabbing my arm with them when I hold it), which in most boas would mean the snake is a male. In E. muelleri, though, both males and females have large spurs, probably to somehow aid in locomotion. I've read most of the difference between the sexes is the shape of the spurs - the males' are thicker and the females' are thinner. If this is the case, then I believe this snake is a female.



Here's a comparison shot with my female Kenyan Sand Boa (the larger one). There are slight differences in the body pattern and the background color in E. muelleri, which tends to be more yellow than the typical E. colubrinus.



And this last one is a comparison of the heads of the two species. The Saharans appear to be more adapted to a fossorial lifestyle than the Kenyans, with a shorter face and eyes placed slightly higher on the head. They also lack any facial stripes.

---

I'm not your neighbor, you Bakersfield trash.

The little one is cute!

><>

ZOMG! Cute!!!

I love sand boas!

Good luck breeding them if/when you do!

Yeah, it's going to be at least a few years before that female's big enough to have a litter, though. This weekend I'm going to bring them down to the Vivarium and have them sexed for sure.

I'd like to breed the Saharan some time too, but they are a bit more work. For one, it's just harder to get them to hook up than it is with Kenyans, and second, I'd have to set up an incubator for the eggs and everything.

They retain their eggs until like only two weeks before they hatch, though, so they wouldn't need to be in the incubator too long (at least compared to most Colubrid snakes). The Kenyans just retain their eggs until the day the babies hatch (they don't actually give live birth in the same way mammals do), so that's one less step where something could potentially go wrong.

---

I'm not your neighbor, you Bakersfield trash.

That's pretty nifty o.O

I guess I never knew there was that much involved in breeding snakes. Then again, I don't see why there wouldn't be. I guess I'd never really thought about it o.O