Question
Idrys
Hi there,
I have a sand boa that is a little over a year old, and have had her for about three months. At the pet store she ate live baby mice, and we fed her that the first time we fed her as well. The second and third time we fed her frozen fuzzies, and she took to them just as well as the other. However, now she won't eat, and it's been almost two months! (she used to eat about every week). We thought it was because she was getting tempermental as she appeared to be getting ready to shed. She stil IS shedding, and looks like she's having a bit of a hard time. However, half the skin is off, and the rest is very loose. I keep her in a 40 gallon tank, and she has a heat pad on one side that is about 75, and hasn't changed, and a cool end of the tank with the water source and rocks and such. Any idea why she won't eat, or ideas on how to get her to eat? Thanks!
AnswerHi Katelyn, First thing I noticed from the info you gave me is that her basking temperature of 75F is far too low. That will have a definite impact on her appetite. She should have access to a hot spot of 85 - 90 F. I have a sand skink which has similar burrowing habits as your sand boa. He "basks" just below the surface of the substrate over the heat pad. You may want to measure both the surface temperature of your substrate and also the temperature just below the surface area over the pad. You may need to reduce the thickness of the substrate in the warm end or supplement with a lamp to achieve the appropriate temperature.
It also sounds like you will have to assist her with the remaining shed. A retained shed may affect her feeding, particularly if she has retained the area over her head and eyes. Shedding problems are almost always due to low humidity. Even though sand boas live in arid areas the microclimate of the burrows they inhabit is fairly humid. You can avoid shed problems in the future by providing a humid hide for her. It is just an enclosed plastic container with a small entry hole and damp moss inside. To assist with this shed you will need to soak her in tepid water for 15 - 20 minutes. That will soften the skin and allow you to gently roll it off. If the area of retained skin is over her head and eyes you can hold a damp cloth on the area.
Sand boas should have a substrate that they can burrow in for security, although it doesn't have to be sand. It looks from your photo that she is on a sand type substrate. Just be careful that she is not ingesting any when she feeds.
Considering that she was a reliable feeder up till now, I think these couple things should get her back on track.
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