A small percentage of youngsters may not be feeding after several chances. The enforced close proximity to prey often seems to elicit a feeding response from the little snake. A baby sandboa with a stuck shed can be enclosed in a ventilated plastic butter tub with a piece of wet paper towel. We recommend this rather than soaking in water. Most adult East African sandboas are very docile and reluctant to bite.
Babies are typically snappy, but they are small and the bites are harmless.
But when calmly and consistently handled, the youngsters grow to very docile and trusting adults. This is the only known specimen of albino East African sandboa, Eryx colubrinus loveridgei . She is a wild-caught specimen from the Dodoma population in Tanzania. East African sandboas are among the best snakes to keep in captivity. They are both beautiful and interesting animals.