While they like to burrow in any substrate, we found that if we created a setup that allowed them to them do so, we then had more difficulties getting them to feed. In each box is a 6 oz plastic water cup, a sprinkling of aspen covering one half of the cage floor, and one folded paper towel placed on top of the aspen. In this setup, a youngster sits under the paper towel nestled in the aspen, but he is visible to us when we lift the paper towel without our having to excavate him. We are thus able to monitor him and present food to him without unduly alarming him. When it comes time to get them to feed, newborn sandboas generally present their keepers with few problems.
Youngsters usually shed within a few days of being born.
We typically wait 2-3 weeks before we feed them, allowing them to utilize the yolk in their bodies. During that time we handle them minimally. We then offer them live small pink mice for their first few meals, simply placing the prey in the cages and letting the babies follow their instincts. Most often we set the pinks on top of the folded paper towels, and close the boxes and place them back in their places as quietly as possible, knowing that the vibrations of the live pinks moving on the towels are intriguing to the youngsters underneath. A small percentage of youngsters may not be feeding after several chances.