Don’t feel bad! Many people told me Rosy Boa rarely bite and you’re probably doing something wrong if they are…and so when non-snake people would ask me “aren’t you afraid she’ll bite you?”
I’d say, “nah, apparently you have to be an idiot to get bitten.”
Guess I’m the idiot! Ourea got me twice!
But she was just hungry and I didn’t understand snake body language well enough yet. More handling will teach you AND the snake over time.
Some tips I got from Reddit snake owners that I’ve employed:
- wash with peppermint soap before handling. Never when feeding. This can help them understand the difference.
- put a “feeding dish” in on feeding day. Ourea (the rosy boa) now comes out and hangs out by the dish waiting for me to feed her, so she got the cue! (I don’t usually use the dish for the actual feeding, just as a signal. But if she doesn’t take it from my tongs, I use the dish to keep it from the substrate and she usually comes back to eat it from there)
- They get cranky before they shed and sometimes don’t want to eat. I was all nerves before Ourea’s first shed because I didn’t know if the signs were for shedding or for sickness. Just shedding. She was grumpy.
So far that’s all I’ve got for brand new ownership tips. Try searching for similar posts and you’ll see all kinds of good info from great owners.
I’m new to Sand Boas myself but from what I’ve gathered they seem to be relatively similar with a dash of their own quirkiness.
Good luck! I hope to see more updates from you! Our little boas look really similar 😄
Oh my gosh thank you so much!! This is all so helpful!! :D
The seller told me to feed him in the container he was sold in the first few times he eats so I’ll see if I can get him used to eating in there and hopefully he will eventually see that as his food signal :)
My little guy has bitten me once and tried to bite me another time. Sand boas can be nippy. Don't forget that they're tiny and to them the world-and we-are big and scary. I think you're doing good! And he is very cute!
Right! Thank you!! I’ve done a bit of work over the last few days with him being extra gentle and keeping everything calm and he seems to be getting much more comfortable with being held now, which is really exciting :)
My little guy did well with a little handling the other day too. They might not be able to love us but we can develop a relationship of trust with our scaly friends. 😊
I already have a feeling you don’t have enough clutter in your setup from this pic but I could be wrong. These guys love to hide. Were you digging him out of the substrate when he bit you? I’m guessing the bite was a food response as KSB’s generally try to escape rather than confront a threat.
Mine bit me twice after 6 years of having her and both times it was my fault the first time I mistook her head for her tail, it was feeding time and because I was holding the mouse over her tail my hand was in the way of her and the mouse so she bit me. and the second time someone scared me while holding her and she got scared so she bit me. I think its more of a boundary thing with them when they bite.
When I first got my snake she didn’t eat for about 3 weeks. So it’s normal considering the new environment so don’t stress about it too much.
Also be careful with sand as a substrate they are not the best at holding burrows and dont feed them on it either I read they can cause impaction. I use to use aspen shredding as a substrate its holds burrows really well and its easy to clean, but it’s a bit dusty when putting in and humidity can be an issue. My snake was doing well on it when she was smaller but as she got bigger the lack of humidity was causing issues with her shedding. I ended up switching to a bio active enclosure. There is also aspen chips but the shreds are better at holding burrows.
Alr ty 🫡 I’m actually already planning to switch his substrate, Never wanted to start him off in sand bc I found out about impacting and such from my research before buying him but my store only had sand in a bunch of different colors😭 found a closer store tho which has more options and I’ll be going back there!! Thank you for your advice 🫡
I use sand in a specific area of my ksb’s tank and a mix with topsoil everywhere else. He likes going to explore in that area. I call it his sand box. Here’s a [pic](https://imgur.com/a/pvNgtfq)
Here’s the whole [tank](https://imgur.com/a/KhszllA)
Also highly recommended the blue hide. I got it from [this guy](https://www.etsy.com/listing/1616524305/) on Etsy and my snakes both love it and it works great 😊
Don’t feel bad! Many people told me Rosy Boa rarely bite and you’re probably doing something wrong if they are…and so when non-snake people would ask me “aren’t you afraid she’ll bite you?” I’d say, “nah, apparently you have to be an idiot to get bitten.” Guess I’m the idiot! Ourea got me twice! But she was just hungry and I didn’t understand snake body language well enough yet. More handling will teach you AND the snake over time. Some tips I got from Reddit snake owners that I’ve employed: - wash with peppermint soap before handling. Never when feeding. This can help them understand the difference. - put a “feeding dish” in on feeding day. Ourea (the rosy boa) now comes out and hangs out by the dish waiting for me to feed her, so she got the cue! (I don’t usually use the dish for the actual feeding, just as a signal. But if she doesn’t take it from my tongs, I use the dish to keep it from the substrate and she usually comes back to eat it from there) - They get cranky before they shed and sometimes don’t want to eat. I was all nerves before Ourea’s first shed because I didn’t know if the signs were for shedding or for sickness. Just shedding. She was grumpy. So far that’s all I’ve got for brand new ownership tips. Try searching for similar posts and you’ll see all kinds of good info from great owners. I’m new to Sand Boas myself but from what I’ve gathered they seem to be relatively similar with a dash of their own quirkiness. Good luck! I hope to see more updates from you! Our little boas look really similar 😄
Oh my gosh thank you so much!! This is all so helpful!! :D The seller told me to feed him in the container he was sold in the first few times he eats so I’ll see if I can get him used to eating in there and hopefully he will eventually see that as his food signal :)
Who’d you buy from, if I may ask? My breeder isn’t responding to my messages 🙃
Their name was Rene something (I have their card put up with my other ones I got, they were at repticon this year)
What's that purple plant/where did you get it?
It’s actually originally meant to be a fish tank plant, found it in a Walmart :)
It's meant to be whatever the fuck I want it to be tysm
My little guy has bitten me once and tried to bite me another time. Sand boas can be nippy. Don't forget that they're tiny and to them the world-and we-are big and scary. I think you're doing good! And he is very cute!
Right! Thank you!! I’ve done a bit of work over the last few days with him being extra gentle and keeping everything calm and he seems to be getting much more comfortable with being held now, which is really exciting :)
My little guy did well with a little handling the other day too. They might not be able to love us but we can develop a relationship of trust with our scaly friends. 😊
Thanks for saying thanks! It's so nice to see Redditors being grateful :)
I already have a feeling you don’t have enough clutter in your setup from this pic but I could be wrong. These guys love to hide. Were you digging him out of the substrate when he bit you? I’m guessing the bite was a food response as KSB’s generally try to escape rather than confront a threat.
He was exploring on top of the sand actually, tried to feed today aswell and he didn’t take the pinkie :(
Mine bit me twice after 6 years of having her and both times it was my fault the first time I mistook her head for her tail, it was feeding time and because I was holding the mouse over her tail my hand was in the way of her and the mouse so she bit me. and the second time someone scared me while holding her and she got scared so she bit me. I think its more of a boundary thing with them when they bite. When I first got my snake she didn’t eat for about 3 weeks. So it’s normal considering the new environment so don’t stress about it too much. Also be careful with sand as a substrate they are not the best at holding burrows and dont feed them on it either I read they can cause impaction. I use to use aspen shredding as a substrate its holds burrows really well and its easy to clean, but it’s a bit dusty when putting in and humidity can be an issue. My snake was doing well on it when she was smaller but as she got bigger the lack of humidity was causing issues with her shedding. I ended up switching to a bio active enclosure. There is also aspen chips but the shreds are better at holding burrows.
Alr ty 🫡 I’m actually already planning to switch his substrate, Never wanted to start him off in sand bc I found out about impacting and such from my research before buying him but my store only had sand in a bunch of different colors😭 found a closer store tho which has more options and I’ll be going back there!! Thank you for your advice 🫡
I use sand in a specific area of my ksb’s tank and a mix with topsoil everywhere else. He likes going to explore in that area. I call it his sand box. Here’s a [pic](https://imgur.com/a/pvNgtfq)
HELLO??!? That looks like such and awesome little home, I love it so much-
Thank you! I just moved him into this tank and he loves it 🥰
Here’s the whole [tank](https://imgur.com/a/KhszllA) Also highly recommended the blue hide. I got it from [this guy](https://www.etsy.com/listing/1616524305/) on Etsy and my snakes both love it and it works great 😊