Your sand boa spends most of its life buried, so it can't tell you the warm spot has drifted cool or that its weight is creeping up. baskr watches the pattern across your logs, temperature, humidity, weight, feeding and shedding, and shows you what needs attention before it becomes a problem.
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Doing okay
Kenyan Sand Boa
Feeding a little often
Weight up 11% over four weigh-ins. Stretch the interval toward every 7–10 days.
Warm spot
32–35°C · 90–95°F
Cool side
24–26°C · 75–79°F
Humidity
30–40%
Ideal ranges for Gongylophis colubrinus, the same targets baskr scores your logs against.
Basking and warm figures are surface temperatures at the spot; cool and ambient are air. Measure with a probe or infrared thermometer at the animal's height.
Nocturnal
Active by night
Semi-desert of East and Northeast Africa
Wild climate. Hot, dry semi-desert; a life spent buried.
Why the care is what it is. This is why it is kept dry with deep loose substrate to burrow and a ~35°C warm spot, and why staying buried is healthy.
Logging is the input. The product is spotting when a single off reading becomes a pattern worth acting on.
32–35°C (90–95°F) at the warm end
A few degrees cool for a week and digestion, appetite and activity quietly drop.
A cool side of 24–26°C (75–79°F)
No real gradient across the substrate leaves a boa unable to regulate its temperature.
30–40% for a desert species
Persistently damp substrate is a scale-rot and respiratory risk worth catching early.
Steady in adults, gradual gain in growing snakes
Sand boas fatten easily, a steady climb from over-feeding is an early red flag.
An appropriately-sized rodent every 7–10 days
As ambush feeders they'll take almost anything offered, baskr helps you keep the interval honest.
Clean sheds in one piece
Stuck shed or retained eye caps usually point to humidity that's drifted too low.
Safe to include
Avoid
A constant burrower will uproot anything planted directly in the substrate, so sturdy potted succulents or décor work best. A desert species doesn't need a jungle, skip anything you can't confirm is non-toxic.
Staples
Occasional / treats
Never feed
Supplements. Whole rodent prey is nutritionally complete, so dusting isn't usually needed, an occasional light supplement only if advised by a vet.
Good to know. Feed a single rodent roughly as wide as the snake's thickest part every 7–10 days for adults, more often for growing snakes. Because they're eager ambush feeders, over-feeding and obesity are the common mistake, track the interval and weight.
The right kind of kit, pick brands you trust.
Heat source
A regulated under-tank heater or overhead source at the warm end to hold ~32–35°C at substrate surface, belly heat suits a snake that lives buried.
Thermostat
Non-negotiable, it controls the heat source so a burrowing snake pressed against warm glass or substrate can't overheat or burn.
UVB lighting (optional)
A low-output T5 HO UVB tube (Ferguson zone 1) can benefit surface activity, though a mostly-buried species needs less than diurnal baskers. Replace every 12 months.
Thermometer + hygrometer
Digital, with a probe read at the substrate surface, not stick-on dials. Check both ends of the gradient.
Enclosure
A 2×1.5 ft (or larger) front-opening vivarium with a secure lid and deep substrate capacity for burrowing.
Grounded in your own logs and the ideal ranges above, plain language, never a diagnosis.
Warm spot read 28°C for 5 days, below the 32–35°C your sand boa needs to digest. Check the heat mat or thermostat.
Sand boa's weight is up 11% over four weigh-ins, feeds are landing too often, stretch the interval out.
Humidity has averaged 55% this week, high for a desert species. Let the substrate dry out before scale problems start.
Enter your own readings for an instant care score, the same check baskr runs for you every day.
Enter a reading or two above to see Kenyan Sand Boa's care score.
A quick guide, not a diagnosis. Ideal ranges vary with age, morph and setup, and individual animals differ, so confirm anything critical with an experienced keeper or a reptile vet.
Aim for roughly 32–35°C (90–95°F) at the warm spot, with a cooler side around 24–26°C (75–79°F) so it can thermoregulate under the substrate. baskr checks the temperatures you log against this range and flags a sustained drift, but always verify with a good thermometer at substrate surface.
That's completely normal, Kenyan sand boas are fossorial ambush predators that spend most of their lives buried, surfacing mainly to feed or in the evening. Deep substrate isn't decoration, it's a core welfare need. baskr won't mistake normal hiding for a problem, but it will flag if feeding or weight patterns shift.
Adults typically take one appropriately-sized rodent every 7–10 days, growing snakes more often. They're enthusiastic feeders, so over-feeding and obesity are the usual risk, keep prey about as wide as the snake's thickest point and let baskr track the interval and weight trend. Verify sizing against a current care sheet.
Sand boas should look rounded but not bloated, with no rolls or a spine lost in fat. Because they'll eat eagerly whenever offered, weight can creep up quietly. baskr charts the trajectory so a slow climb stands out early; if you're unsure, an exotics vet can assess body condition, baskr is a husbandry assistant, not a diagnosis.
Log your kenyan sand boa's care in seconds and baskr does the watching. Free for your first 3 animals.
Start freeLast reviewed August 2026. General husbandry guidance, not veterinary advice, and ranges vary with age, morph, subspecies and setup. Confirm anything critical with an experienced keeper or an exotics vet.