Harmless · Popular pet · Native to northeastern and East Africa

Kenyan sand boa

Eryx colubrinus

Also called East African sand boa
Data updated October 2026

Kenyan sand boa resting on sand, showing a thick orange-yellow body with irregular dark brown blotches
Fig. 1 — Adult on sand, showing the stout body and blotched orange-and-brown pattern.
Kenyan sand boa with only its head showing above the sand, eyes set high on the head
Fig. 2 — Small eyes and nostrils sit high on the head, so it can watch while buried.

At a glance

A short, thick-bodied boa of dry sandy country in northeastern and East Africa. It spends most of its life buried, ambushing rodents and lizards from below the surface. Small, calm and easy to keep, it is one of the most popular pet snakes.

01

Identification

The Kenyan sand boa is a short, stout snake built for burrowing. Its body is yellow to orange with large, irregular dark brown or black blotches, and the belly is pale white. The head is small and barely wider than the neck, with tiny eyes and nostrils set on top. The tail is short and blunt, so the head and tail can look surprisingly alike.

  1. 01Blotched orange body. Yellow or orange ground color broken up by bold, irregular dark patches.
  2. 02Shovel snout. A flat scale on the tip of the snout helps it push through sand; the eyes and nostrils sit high on the head.
  3. 03Stubby build. Thick body, short blunt tail, and small hind-limb spurs near the vent, more visible in males.

Commonly confused with

These small North American boas share the stocky build and blunt tail, but rosy boas are striped and rubber boas are plain, not blotched.

02

Size

01 ft2 ft3 ft4 ft Typical adult female · about 24 in (61 cm)

Females are much bigger than males. Adult females usually reach 22 to 24 inches (56–61 cm), while males stay around 15 to 20 inches (38–51 cm). Exceptional females can approach 3 feet (about 90 cm). Newborns are about 8 inches (20 cm) long.

03

Range & habitat

Kenyan sand boa partly buried in loose sandy soil
Fig. 3 — Loose sand and sandy soil let the sand boa stay hidden below the surface.

The species lives in northeastern and East Africa, from Egypt south along the Nile through Sudan, Eritrea, Ethiopia and Somalia to Kenya and Tanzania, with isolated records farther west in Niger and Chad. It is a snake of dry country: desert edges, semi-desert, dry savanna, scrub, grassland and open woodland, usually with sandy ground. It is rare in moist savanna and coastal areas but does well on farmland where rodents are plentiful.

04

Diet & predators

Kenyan sand boas are ambush hunters. They lie buried with only the eyes and nostrils near the surface, then burst out to grab passing prey and kill it by constriction. Rodents are the main food for adults, along with lizards and small birds. Young snakes often prefer lizards.

Feeds on

  • Mice and other small rodents
  • Lizards
  • Small birds

Preyed on by

  • Poorly documented in the wild
  • Likely birds of prey and larger snakes
  • Likely small carnivorous mammals
Small mouse on sandy ground
Prey — small rodents.
Small lizard basking on a rock
Prey — lizards, especially for young snakes.

05

Behavior & seasons

Sand boas are burrowers that spend most of the day underground: in loose sand, under rocks or logs, in rodent holes or inside termite mounds. They come out mainly at night and in the early morning, and often hunt without leaving the sand at all.

They are generally docile. A startled snake may nip, and some are shy about the head being touched, but the bite is not venomous.

06

Reproduction

Kenyan sand boas give birth to live young: the eggs develop and hatch inside the mother. Breeding takes place in spring and early summer, roughly April to July, and the young are born about four to five months later, in late summer or early fall. Litters range from about 4 to 20, with 10 to 20 common. Females typically breed about once a year or every other year. Young reach maturity in roughly 15 months to 3 years.

07

Conservation

The species is rated Least Concern, with much of its population living in protected areas, but its trend is unknown. It is listed on CITES Appendix II, which regulates international trade. In Egypt numbers have dropped, probably because of collection for the pet trade.

08

In captivity

Kenyan sand boas are a common first snake: small, slow-moving and usually calm. Keep one snake per enclosure. A minimum of about 24 × 12 × 12 inches (60 × 30 × 30 cm) suits an adult, and larger females appreciate more room. What matters most is deep, loose substrate, at least 3 to 4 inches (7.5–10 cm) of sand or sandy soil, so the snake can burrow. Secure any rocks or heavy decor firmly so they cannot shift onto a burrowing snake.

  • Heat and light. A warm end around 93–96°F with a cool end near 77–84°F. Belly heat works well for a burrower. Low-intensity UVB is optional but recommended by some keepers.
  • Humidity. Keep the enclosure dry, with a shallow water dish and an optional humid hide to help with shedding.
  • Food. Whole prey such as appropriately sized frozen-thawed mice, about as wide as the snake’s thickest point. Young snakes eat more often than adults.
  • Handling. As ambush feeders they may strike at anything that moves on the substrate, so let the snake know you are there before reaching in.

See a reptile vet if your sand boa refuses food for an unusually long time, has trouble shedding, or shows bubbling at the mouth or nose. More pet care guides

Keep reading

Sources

Data updated October 2026 · How we build these pages