Too Big?

[beebe_1990]

Hey everyone. I am building a custom enclosure for my ball python and have been looking at the different sizes of terrariums others have. I understand that having a large enclosure is not necessary and can sometimes stress a BP out. I want her to be able to stretch out if she wants and roam a large area. My plans are to have a terrarium that is 50x30x24, inches. It will have at least 4 different hides and plenty of plant coverage. The front will be the only side that will be plexi glass, the rest will be plywood. And my ball is around 4.5 ft long. I want any comments, good or bad. I can also post some sketches that I have drawn if you want to get a better feel of what i am shooting for.

[Kymberli]

Does seem way too big.. I thought I wanted a display enclosure as well, and after spending the money and building the hinged door onto a tank, I realized they suck, quite frankly. So, I went and bought a tub for $12 and now have to sell a 4ft long display tank lol
So, I guess good luck with the enclosure but I suggest tubs!

[Homegrownscales]

Big big enclosures are also hard to heat, maintain and disinfect. Those are all necessities when it comes to housing bps.

[Vypyrz]

You can build whatever size you want to as long as you provide the proper basics for your snake, and it continues to eat. Personally, I would say keep it somewhere between 15-18" tall.

[beebe_1990]

What I don't understand is that wild bp's have a ton of land that they can roam and different hides like rat nests, small dens , and other burrows. Why can't you make a big enclosure with those elements? Plus it is enclosed. Only one side will be open to view and i could put some trimming around the front that will make it a smaller. Or better yet, I could make the front into two window type views. So the front would have only two smaller sized view points. I just want her to have enough room to roam when she wants to. She is usually out a little after the sun has set and roams around, but it looks so cramped and all she has to do is move a quarter of her body to get anywhere.

By the way, she is in a 36x18x18.

[montgomerydrk]

hey, i built a custom inclosure 5Lx2Wx3H (60x24x36) out of ply plexi and welded wire mesh, just want you to no what your getting into iv now spent n upwards of 700 to 750 on the cage, with a custom warm air humidifer, lighting, hot and cool spots,and of course lots of decorations .... the hardest is the humidity so you will need a strong humidiifier to keep the warm cage humid. (keep that in mind its the most important) also seal your wood inside for sure bc your ply will soak up all the moisture on ya.
now iv only got one ball about 4 feet and he loves climing and exporing his enclosure. if your only gunne keep one building a custom is the way to go its an awsome focal point friends and family are always talking adout it.

[Johan]

I honestly think spending lots of time on a custom enclosure for balls is kind of a waste of money. They sit in their hides 90% of the time anyways.

[youbeyouibei]

What I don't understand is that wild bp's have a ton of land that they can roam and different hides like rat nests, small dens , and other burrows. Why can't you make a big enclosure with those elements? Plus it is enclosed. Only one side will be open to view and i could put some trimming around the front that will make it a smaller. Or better yet, I could make the front into two window type views. So the front would have only two smaller sized view points. I just want her to have enough room to roam when she wants to. She is usually out a little after the sun has set and roams around, but it looks so cramped and all she has to do is move a quarter of her body to get anywhere.

By the way, she is in a 36x18x18.

Regarding your question as to why they have so much area to roam in the wild, that's out of necessity. The ratio/density of prey items to snakes is not all that high in the area in which they live, thus necessitating a larger area in which to hunt to locate those prey items they need to live on. I think it's a nice thought on your part to consider her needs as you are but you might be doing her a disservice by building that large of an enclosure.

The points about cleaning and heating an enclosure that size were raised previously were valid points and you should consider them from the point of view of her best interests: a large, "roomy" enclosure that might be too cold and too open for her versus a smaller one that's large enough and is adequately heated? Consider too that snakes are both predators and prey items in their natural habitats and as such, a large, open area like you're talking about might stress her out no end to the point that it impacts her health, especially considering one of their main predators are birds of prey.

Just my nickel's worth of thoughts on that. I think you have the right idea in wanting to make sure she has adequate room but you might think about some of those points before you decide for sure about building an enclosure. Could always get her out and let her roam (supervised!, lol) to stretch her "legs" if you're worried about her cage size... Good luck, whatever you do.

[deftones2015]

I've been looking into building a display as well for my ball and blood pythons. I have looked at melamine and all of that. Most of what I found is sheets of 8ft long by 4ft wide. So I am planning on doing my displays around 48 long x 24 deep x 12 tall. Like a few others have said, the taller and larger the set up, the more difficult in keeping humidity and heat in spec. Quite a few people have told me the dimensions I've stated are fairly easy to keep everything in spec as well as cost effective given the melamine dimensions. Also, I don't plan on making individual display cages, I plan on making one large one, something like a book shelf. Hope that helps a little.

[gardenfiend138]

if you have the means to do so, i think that's great! it will probably be expensive to maintain with heat and humidifiers, and difficult to clean, but i get how that is an acceptable price to pay for creating a naturalistic environment!
IMO there are a lot of opinions thrown around when people suggest using tubs. Don't get me wrong, i get why they are a necessity for some, but just because my snake spends his days in his hide doesn't mean i need to restrict his ability to move around... and aren't bp's opportunistic feeders, not hunters? If they are not hunters, then their roaming must be attributed to something else? My snakes stay in their hide 1-3 days after eating, but after that they are roaming at night... does this mean they are already "hunting" for new food?
I would also second the person who said keeping the height to a minimum...but I love your idea! i think if you put plenty of cover over the bare areas of the enclosure floor, you will be able to minimize any threats of feeling too exposed... sorry this is long but I love seeing people serious about putting the tremendous amount of time, energy, and money to create diverse, naturalistic enclosures