New Kenyan Sand Boa and Questions

[Jtmatsumoto]

Hey everyone I just picked up my 3rd snake today. I got it from a local pet store and therefore I am going to label it as a rescue and I have a few questions to bring it to proper health. First off my new baby is a fatty!! The people at Petsmart had the worst feeding schedule I've ever seen...

The records also state the snake arrived on 5/16/14. Therefore based on the records, breeding season of KSB, and length of the snake (10in or less) I'm going to guess the snake was born early March-April. However as you can see from the feeding records they fed this little one 5 pinkies per feeding!!! What would be the best way to acclimate the snake to a normal diet? Should I skip a few weeks or continue in 7-10 days with only one good sized pinky?

I'm going to go buy a scale probably tonight Here are a few pics I took this afternoon:

He burrowed for a while after I put him in the viv but came back up for a long water break so I'm guessing he could have been slightly dehydrated as well.

And here's why I bought him even though he's been overfed and taken care of poorly. I just couldn't resist.

 

[Joba]

HAHA. That last picture is great.

 

[ShelbyScott]

Wow that makes me so angry. Big chain pet stores do a terrible job of taking care of their reptiles. It's a good thing you came along!

 

[cornsnakeforsale_com]

I'd just start feeding it a right-sized meal a week.

 

[Jtmatsumoto]

HAHA. That last picture is great.

Haha thank you! I really like the way KSB's burrow and pop their weird little heads out!! Lol

Wow that makes me so angry. Big chain pet stores do a terrible job of taking care of their reptiles. It's a good thing you came along!

I've heard really bad things but just seeing it on their own records shocked me!!

I'd just start feeding it a right-sized meal a week.

That's what I was leaning towards. Thank you! Is it possible it might lose some weight during the transition? I just weighed him in at 33g

 

[TyeW]

Feed him a fuzzy every 10 days and then move to hoppers when he is large enough. He's already too big for pinkies

 

[daddio207]

I agree, just go to a regular feeding schedule.
Just for comparison, one of my KSB's is a little older and 12'' long weighs 50g. He eats on a 7 day schedule with skipping meals due to shedding and just being occasionally picky.
I would not consider him overweight. He's not fed anything more than a peach fuzzy right now either. That's what I like about smooth and rough scale sand boas, their little fatties.

 

[Jtmatsumoto]

I agree, just go to a regular feeding schedule.

Just for comparison, one of my KSB's is a little older and 12'' long weighs 50g. He eats on a 7 day schedule with skipping meals due to shedding and just being occasionally picky.

I would not consider him overweight. He's not fed anything more than a peach fuzzy right now either. That's what I like about smooth and rough scale sand boas, their little fatties.

Thank you for the comparison that really helped. I am defiantly a beginner when it comes to caring for KSB's so any advice is defiantly appreciated. Would rat pinks be a good substitute for peach fuzzies? Unless I order online it might be hard to find them. I know petco/petsmart only carries larger fuzzies. I can always check this local pet store that has a better selection but I've been feeding my 2 month old BP rat pinks and she's been putting on some nice weight.

 

[daddio207]

Sometimes I feed him a small fuzzy if I don't have the appropriate size peach fuzzy. He really doesn't like anything to big. He'll ignore a average size fuzzy.
I wouldn't want yours to get a preference for rats though since mice are more appropriate in size over its growth to adulthood.
Referencing food size by name (pinky, fuzzy, etc.) is very inaccurate since there can be quite a difference in weights. Since I order all sizes of mice I can pick through the peach fuzzies and fuzzies for the appropriate size. You will have to figure what's appropriate based on where you buy.
Looks like he found a good home. Have fun with him.

 

[Nanci]

He's adorable!

 

[Jtmatsumoto]

Sometimes I feed him a small fuzzy if I don't have the appropriate size peach fuzzy. He really doesn't like anything to big. He'll ignore a average size fuzzy.

I wouldn't want yours to get a preference for rats though since mice are more appropriate in size over its growth to adulthood.

Referencing food size by name (pinky, fuzzy, etc.) is very inaccurate since there can be quite a difference in weights. Since I order all sizes of mice I can pick through the peach fuzzies and fuzzies for the appropriate size. You will have to figure what's appropriate based on where you buy.

Looks like he found a good home. Have fun with him.

Awesome thanks for the help! Do you know the hatch date on your KSB? I'm just trying to get a rough estimate and I'm guessing mine is about the same age.

 

[TyeW]

There is nothing wrong with feeding him rat pinks. All my sand boas eat both. It adds some variety in the diet. I'm sure he could take a good sized fuzzy at 33g.

 

[daddio207]

Awesome thanks for the help! Do you know the hatch date on your KSB? I'm just trying to get a rough estimate and I'm guessing mine is about the same age.

Your Welcome!
KSB's are live bearers. I bought the one I mentioned in the earlier post in late October of last year and he was born a few weeks prior. He is about 10 months old.
I've kept smooth and rough scale sand boa's in my collection for 20+ years. Neat little snakes. Definitely on my Favorite list