Hello there, recently someone in the neighborhood gave away a large cage, its about seven feet long, 4.5 feet tall, and 3 feel wide, i have been wanted i snake for a while, originally i want a BP but i read that they dont like bigger cages on some caresheets, can anyone give me some feedback on what to look for
You should be looking for the right snake for you...what snake YOU"RE interested in....NOT what snake can fit your cage. At 7' long you can fit a lot of boids in there...the real question is if you really want a large boid. You're going about this the wrong way.
I would hold onto the cage, get a smaller cage and start with something like a ball python...its not a good idea to jump right into a huge snake if you have no experience as they can be potentially dangerous.
As a beginner, you shouldn't get a big snake. I'd go for a corn or a Ball Python, both of which need small (much small-er) cages. Try selling the cage on ebay or craigslist.
That cage would be ok for a ball python, you would just have to make sure you have plenty of hides. the snake will have to feel secure with a tank that size.
I'm sorry, but I must disagree. 7x4.5x3' is over 600 gallons. An adult Ball should be housed in a 40-50 gallon. 7x4.5x3 will stress a BP out waaaay too much!
Anything you can fit in that tank will be too big for a begginer. Something small is better. Start out with a ball python or something of that nature. Hold on to that tank for a few years and get experience before you jump into big boids. That tank will only hold BIG reptile adults, any babies will stress out in a space that big.
seriously man, lizards, a beardie would have a ball, a tegu isn't that difficult, same with savanna monitors. maybe a uro, maybe a skink, probably more i can't think of right now.
Yes, Herp Kid does have a point. You could happily house a lizard like a Beardie in that... But if you really want a snake, you'll need a few years of experiance until you're ready for something big enough to live in that sized cage. You can always save it, I guess.
Hmm, that's a thought. They are big and pretty friendly, but a baby would need a smaller cage, I would think. But if you do decide to get a boa, please be aware of how potentially massive they can get (they have been known to exceed 15ft!). So many people get a cute little baby redtail or a nice 5-foot, but aren't prepared to deal with a 10ft+ specimen.
good for beginning into large snakes, not into snakes. +1 to what everyone else is saying on second thought, throw in some divides and get a couple of snakes! like 6 or 7! lol
I'm not arguing here, just asking, but what do BPs do in the wild where there are no walls? I do understand there is a difference in temperament between a CBB and a wild caught. I am asking because I always thought the size and security was based on places to go and feel safe (hides) not the tank itself. That is, for an adult. A baby, I agree, should be limited to a smaller space to ease it into handling regularly, feeding schedules, etc. I actually had been planning on making a large tank for mine (using left over sliding glass doors from a remodel), but if it is bad for the snake I might have to change my plans. I have a juvenile male and female I keep together in a 40 gal now (I have no intention to breed them). They have always been together and it has never posed any issue with them. Either that, or I might have an excuse to get a new snake or 2. I did have a Burmese Python many years ago, and loved it, but I think I'd have to stick to something somewhat smaller, and easier to feed. The Burmese was work come feeding time.
You definitely have a point. I guess they have to eat in the wild. They probably would eat in a larger enclosure, but they would probably be more hesitant, since they might suspect a predator to be hiding somewhere, and they have no way of escaping if they have recently eaten (they can't move quickly with something so large inside them). Regurgitation may become a problem in a larger cage, I would think. They wouldn't feel as secure. Also, if you were to approach a wild ball python living in Africa, it would not let you touch or handle it. From personal experiance, I believe that Ball Pythons should be housed in smaller enclosures. I have recently moved my adult girl from her 40 gallon tank to a 41 quart bin. Everybody who sees her new housing feels bad for her and tells me to move her. However, I take her out every day (aside from when she's recently eaten or is in shed) and let her crawl around, which gives her plenty of time to stretch and have "fun", if that is possible for a snake. In her glass tank, she felt very threatened by the rats I put in her cage (she won't eat f/t). After she killed the rat, she would take it in her hide to eat it in privacy. She has eaten once while in her new bin. I expected her maybe to refuse, since the move to the bin was probably stressful, and she has been fasting lately. I was shocked to see that almost as soon as I put the rat in, she grabbed it. Then she completely swallowed it in front of me, and crawled around for a bit! I was really surprised and happy. I can tell that she is obviously more relaxed and calm in her new home. But that's just my experiance.
Your point about the sense of security in a smaller enclosure is well taken. I just assumed that a snake that has never known a threat (CBB) would be more accepting of a larger space given enough places to "disappear". My BPs come out at night and climb around their cages almost every night. Of course their natural instincts are what they are, so how they'd react is anyone's guess. I would expect that a snake that has been handled a lot would not be any more of a biter in a larger enclosure than a smaller one. The difference between that and a wild BP is the familiarity. The security thing is a good point I hadn't thought of. Many years ago I had a Burmese (8 1/2 ft) that I didn't keep caged. I did when it was a baby. I had a cage in an empty closet with no cover on it. When I was out, or at night when I was sleeping he stayed in the closet. More times than not I found him in the uncovered cage, but many times he climbed up to the shelf under the light bulb. When I came home (or in the morning) he was allowed out (unless it was feeding time or just after, until he defecated). I had no other pets at the time, and he was too big to get into anything where he could get hurt. He was perfectly OK, and never became difficult to handle (except at feeding time he was jumpy, but that is to be expected). In fact, he often curled up next to me, resting his head on my leg like a dog. It was the damnedest thing, and I would not have believed it if I didn't see it regularly. I know these are 2 different types of snakes, but I just figured that if properly acclimated to being handled the size of the cage wouldn't matter. I don't have the experience with BPs that you do. That's why I asked your opinion, and I appreciate it. As far as feeding goes, I don't feed my snakes in their cages anyway. They eat in the bath tub, actually. The mice/rats can't get away, the snakes feel confined enough, and it cleans up easily (just don't forget to close the drain). Thanks for your input. Jeff
Aww, that is so sweet! That's like my dream to have a big snake loose in the house. I will have a burm sooner or later, mark my words! I can't compare either, as I have no experiance with burms... just from my experiance, BPs like confined space.
Bps do like confined spaces but will totaly take advantage of a larger tank if given the chance. A few years ago I got ahold of a 200 gal tank, I put 1 bp in it just to see how she did. Durnign the day she kept to the hids (lots of hids available) , I would find her in various hids, so she would be moving from the cool hides to the warm hides. But during the night she woud be up and moving and climbing ect. and taking full advantage of the space provided. She ate on a regular basis and shed no differnce that when she was housed in a 40 gal breeder tank. As for free raoming snakes. I let loose my 8 foot RTB once or so a week for an hour or so to explore. like wise with the burm (7 ish feet)he loves to be let loose. Of corse only 1 snake at a time get set to free roam. I only let the two big ones loose, any smaller and there a good chance they could get into some crawl space or heat vent and disappear.
If you don't have any snake experience I would suggest something that stays rather "small". Like a BP or a corn snake. Bp's are a nice choice b/c they come in all different colors. Even the normal phases have a variety of shades of gold, brown, sometimes a litte orange. A lot of the bp's I've seen lately have had some really nice flaming on their sides. The only thing with Bp's is sometimes they're picky eaters. You want to start out w/ a smaller cage for really any baby snake. A large enclosure would add stress and could cause them not to eat. Shop around. My best suggestion to any new hobbyist, Read, Read, READ. Pin point a few species you're interested in. Research them all (size, temp/humidity requirements, etc.) I dislike telling people what they should get. Get whatever fits you best. Red Tails are very docile, mine were a bit flighty, but never offered to bite or hiss for that matter. Also with the red tail you gain experience as is grows. My advice again is RESEARCH. Impulse buys are the devil and cause you and animal a lot of grief.
I agree with you, in the wild there are no walls! I actually feel kind of bad for my Ball only having a 30 gallon tank to explore. Plenty of hides and greenery I think would be the answer, only problem is how do you properly heat a cage that size unless you live in Florida perhaps? I'm new to this so this is just my thoughts on the subject.
