Kenyan Sand Boa

Common Name: Kenyan/Egyptian Sand Boa

Scientific Name: Gongylophis colubrinus

Type: Reptile

Family: Boidae

Genus: Gongylophis

Diet: Small mammals, rodents, lizards, and possibly an occasional insect.

Life Span: Live for about 10 years in the wild and up to 30 years in captivity

Size: 15 to 36 inches depending on if it’s male or female (Females are larger)

Weight: 70 to 900 grams depending if it’s male or female

Location: East Africa, south Egypt, southwest Somalia, and west of Kenya

Does it make a good pet?

Yes, they can make great pets. They are for the more experienced keepers.

It’s important that your animal is captive-bred. Captive-bred animals are healthier and are not reducing the wild populations that many wild-caught ones can. Always make sure the habitats are as close to their native conditions as possible.

Heat: 90 to 95 degrees Fahrenheit in basking area and in the rest of the enclosure 80 degrees Fahrenheit

UVB: 10.0 uvb can never hurt it maintains natural health and behavior

Diet: rodents

Water: Water dish

Habitat

They live in scrub savannas and rock outcroppings. Found in sandy soil. The way sand boas eat may have been the first way snakes may have eaten. Living in burrows waiting for prey to come by for them to eat or chasing prey down burrows.

Conservation Status: Least Concern (Population stable)

Family: Boidae

Order: Scaled reptile/Squamata

Phylum: Chordata

Genus: Gongylophis

Common Name: Kenyan/Egyptian Sand Boa

Scientific Name: Gongylophis colubrinus

Type: Reptile

Family: Boidae

Genus: Gongylophis

Diet: Small mammals, rodents, lizards, and possibly an occasional insect.

Life Span: Live for about 10 years in the wild and up to 30 years in captivity

Size: 15 to 36 inches depending on if it’s male or female (Females are larger)

Weight: 70 to 900 grams depending if it’s male or female

Location: East Africa, south Egypt, southwest Somalia, and west of Kenya

Does it make a good pet?

Yes, they can make great pets. They are for the more experienced keepers.

It’s important that your animal is captive-bred. Captive-bred animals are healthier and are not reducing the wild populations that many wild-caught ones can. Always make sure the habitats are as close to their native conditions as possible.

Heat: 90 to 95 degrees Fahrenheit in basking area and in the rest of the enclosure 80 degrees Fahrenheit

UVB: 10.0 uvb can never hurt it maintains natural health and behavior

Diet: rodents

Water: Water dish

Habitat

They live in scrub savannas and rock outcroppings. Found in sandy soil. The way sand boas eat may have been the first way snakes may have eaten. Living in burrows waiting for prey to come by for them to eat or chasing prey down burrows.

Conservation Status: Least Concern (Population stable)

Family: Boidae

Order: Scaled reptile/Squamata

Phylum: Chordata

Genus: Gongylophis

Donate an Artifact

Donate

Address

Phone

Hours

Admission

Explore the Museum Virtually