Is my enclosure too big for a GTP???

[Exotic Ectotherms]

I'd like to get a young adult GTP that is already established on frozen/thawed prey and that is fairly docile. I have an Animal Plastics enclosure that measures 48"Long x 18"Deep x 23"Tall. I have been reading that like BP's, GTP's can get stressed from an enclosure that is too big. I also know that a vertically oriented enclosure may be better, but I thought mine may be ok due to it's relatively tall height. What do you guys / gals think???

Thanks in advance.

[jsmorphs2]

Here is a great article that describes encosure size for GTPs. It depends on the size of the animal you get if your cage is too big or not (24" high cages are used for adults).

http://www.signalherp.com/whybebitten.pdf

[mainbutter]

I've never seen GTPs housed in 4' long cages, but if it would stress one out.. *shrugs*

[Exotic Ectotherms]

Excellent article Jessica...thank you! What I took from the article is that for an adult, my enclosure is just about the perfect height. Also, the article seemed to encourage extra horizontal space and didn't suggest that it would stress out either species.....

"Horizontal space is far more useful than vertical space when considering the activity patterns of these snakes. After nightfall, these animals become active and spend their time crawling through the trees moving from branch to branch."

I would still like to hear from anyone else who may have some input...especially if you keep a GTP in a horizontally oriented cage.

Thanks!

[purplemuffin]

My view is if you can get all the right temps and a variety of hiding places you'll be fine. GTPs are generally out in the open hiding behind plants, so just put a bunch of plants to let it hide behind. Bigger cages means the snake can also pick whatever exact temperature it wants to help it thermoregulate! I'm sure it will be fine as long as you don't leave it wide open and empty. Snakes do come from the wild where there is no such thing as an enclosure, but there are a variety of hiding places. Over compensate for hiding and your snake won't know the difference.

[Exotic Ectotherms]

Good advice.....I definitely plan on A LOT of greenery in the enclosure....both to make it a nice display as well as to give the snake security. As far as temps and humidity go...Animal Plastics enclosures are fantastic at regulating both parameters...especially since I have a RBI radiant heat panel in there as well.

One thing I was thinking of was using an automatic water mister in the cage programmed to do one or two short mistings a day...kinda like some people have set up for chameleons. Anyone have any thoughts on that? Obviously you don't want the cage soaked, but I have been reading that they need to be misted once a day. Using an automatic mister would make it possible to spray a consistent amount of water every time.

[kristan]

I would think that cage would be fine - I'm guessing that a tame/handleable animal would also be pretty laid back. If not, you can partition the cage. I personally don't see a need for an automatic misting system, esp. if you're only keeping one animal. My gtps don't seem to be too picky about their humidity and giving a spray gives you the chance to look the animal over, inspect the cage, etc. Also, I've used both horizontal and vertical cages, both of which worked well. All of my current cages are horizontal.