I was told she was not a juvie but no hatch date was given. They said to feed her pinkies but… she’s a big girl I feel like that doesn’t make sense ? They failed to inform us correctly on a lot of things but thankfully I was already prepared for her lol

Hello! I'm very interested in getting a Sand Boa but I wanted to come on here and gets peoples opinions and advice before I go any further.

I already own a ball python and a western hognose so I'm not a beginner just have a few questions!

-What size vivarium would people recommend? I was looking into a 36x18x18

-Best substrate mixes

-Would I be better getting a juvenile or adult?

- And finally anything anyone wishes they knew before getting their sand boa

Thank you :)

I don’t have a sand boa yet, BUT I have a 36” x 18” x 18” exo terra enclosure (front-opening) and I’m looking to get it set up.

Realistically I do not believe I will be adopting a snake this Saturday as the enclosure is not set up. While I know that people do adopt-and-set-up enclosures in the same day, I just don’t know if I’d be able to work that out because inevitably I will have questions or run into some sort of issue. If I somehow become far too charmed with one particular snake this Saturday then… I don’t know, maybe I work it out, but the goal is NOT to do that.

The ONLY thing I have right now is the enclosure. I don’t have a stand, lights, a heat-emitting light / heat mat, substrate, hides, a backdrop (? Seems like most enclosures have one - I guess blocking off walls does make them feel more secure so I think it’s a good idea, I’ve been considering doing the whole expanding foam thing?), water dish, or anything else.

I plan to do a bioactive enclosure. I have isopods and springtails as pets (not the correct kind for an arid environment currently) and I enjoy the whole bioactive system.

Being bioactive is going to affect what goes in - is it ok to put leaf litter in the enclosure for the cleaning crew (what isopods eat)? I do know that things in the enclosure need to be light so that their burrows don’t collapse. And the substrate is going to be a mix of (unfertilized, organic) topsoil, (rinsed) playsand, and a bit of coconut coir (at least this is what I saw on a bioactive care guide on reddit?).

Is there anything that might be cheaper/easier to get at an expo that I should look for? Or is everything cheaper/easier online?

There’s unfortunately no cool small mom-and-pop local shops that have reptile care products. Everything is just Petsmart and Petco.