Arabian sand boa (Eryx jayakari)

Short answers

Arabian sand boa: How big does the enclosure need to be?

From 60×40×40 cm for an adult animal; floor space counts, height is secondary.

Arabian sand boa: What temperature does it need?

Daytime warm side 29–32 °C, cool side 24–26 °C — there must be a gradient in the enclosure, basking spot Warmest spot in the substrate 32–35 °C, at night 20–22 °C.

Arabian sand boa: Does it need UVB lighting?

UVB: Optional.

Arabian sand boa: How long do they live?

Life expectancy: 15–20 years.

Arabian sand boa: Is it suitable for beginners?

Partly – manageable with some prior knowledge (difficulty: Beginner to intermediate).

Climate

Daytime temperature

warm side 29–32 °C, cool side 24–26 °C — there must be a gradient in the enclosure

Night temperature

20–22 °C

Basking spot

Warmest spot in the substrate 32–35 °C

Humidity

30–40 %

UVB

Optional

Enclosure

Minimum size

from 60×40×40 cm for an adult animal; floor space counts, height is secondary

Substrate

8–15 cm of fine sand or a sand-clay mix for full burrowing, plus a damp moss box to aid shedding

Feeding

Food

Frozen-thawed mice of a suitable size (the prey should be no thicker than the snake at its widest point); in the wild predominantly geckos and amphisbaenians

Feeding interval

adults every 7–10 days

Key facts

Adult size

30–40 cm (♀ up to ~50 cm)

Life expectancy

15–20 years

Origin

The Arabian Peninsula / Middle East, sand deserts

Protection status

CITES Appendix II / EU Annex B (registration required, Boidae)

Brumation

None

Cohabitation

Keeping them singly is recommended. Snakes are solitary and do not seek company. The concrete reason is the feeding accident: if two animals grab the same food item, one can swallow the other along with it. On top of that, once they are kept together you can no longer tell which animal has eaten and which is losing weight. For breeding, put them together under supervision.

Notes

A small, burrowing desert ambush hunter with upward-facing eyes; keep it dry and warm. It spends almost all its time buried, and is non-venomous and harmless.

Do you keep this species?

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Related species

• Egyptian sand boa (Eryx colubrinus colubrinus) – Beginner
• Red sand boa (Eryx johnii) – Intermediate
• Kenyan sand boa (Eryx colubrinus loveridgei) – Beginner
• Saharan sand boa (Eryx muelleri) – Beginner
• Dwarf sand boa (Eryx miliaris) – Beginner
• Tatar sand boa (Eryx tataricus) – Beginner
• Javelin sand boa (Eryx jaculus) – Beginner
• Caatinga rainbow boa (Epicrates assisi) – Intermediate

All species in the care wiki →

What you need to start

To keep Arabian sand boa (Eryx jayakari) you typically need: a suitable enclosure (from 60×40×40 cm for an adult animal; floor space counts, height is secondary), substrate (8–15 cm of fine sand or a sand-clay mix for full burrowing, plus a damp moss box to aid shedding), a heat source with a thermostat, UVB lighting, thermometer and hygrometer, a water dish and hides. You will find equipment in the Reptoria marketplace.