Can I make a 35 gallon suitable for a baby?

So I'm basically really frustrated right now... I had a deal set up with someone who was adopting out her BP, but then she changed her mind last minute and decided to give the snake to her sister's friend... the day before she was suppose to ship her out to me! She refunded me the cash I paid for shipping, but I still spent a lot of money on caging and equipment in anticipation of getting this new snake ):

So now I still want a BP, and I was really excited. I found a couple nearby breeders who might be willing to drive and meet me so I could get a baby BP. But the only free tanks I have right now are a 50 gallon and a 35 gallon. I know baby BPs are timid and stress easily in larger enclosures, but is there any way I could easily make adjustments to by 35 gallon so a baby would feel safe in it?

I was thinking of using a piece of wood or something to section off just a portion of the tank so that it has roughly the same ground area as a 10 gallon. I already have 3 sides of the tank blacked out, and I could buy some more fake plants (I need to get smaller hides too, ugh.) to make a dense cozy little area. Luckily I bought an extra heatpad on accident, which is much too small for an adult BP, but I can hook it up to the thermostat and use the little one instead of the big one until the snake gets older.

What do you all think?

If you are planning to section off and clutter I think this will do well! And plus side, when your BP is large enough all you have to do is remove the wood. Just make sure the wood is very secure and cannot fall and injure you BP and I think this would work well enough :)

I think partitioning off the extra space in the tank is a great way to keep your baby feeling secure. Plus you can then let the snake grow into their home.

I would recommend getting a smaller hide if you got one for the larger snake. And the fake plants will definitely help to make the place feel more enclosed.

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Originally Posted by ViperSRT3g

I think partitioning off the extra space in the tank is a great way to keep your baby feeling secure. Plus you can then let the snake grow into their home.

I would recommend getting a smaller hide if you got one for the larger snake. And the fake plants will definitely help to make the place feel more enclosed.

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Yeah OP mentioned getting smaller hides :) I think they pretty much have it worked out very well :)

Okay, so thinking on it more, what's something that I can use to secure the piece of wood? I was thinking hot glue... since I know it easily peals off of glass aquariums. At the very worst I can use a razor blade to scratch all of the glue off later if necessary.

Then I'll just make sure to cut the wood exactly so that it is flush with the top of the screen lid, and I wont have to worry about escapes/falling wood. Does anyone think the moisture and wood combo would be bad? Do you think I could buy a sheet of opaque plastic and use that instead.... hmmmm.

I think a plastic partition may work better than wood.

Plastic would work and maybe it would bond better when using hot glue?

I have my juvenile BPs in 40g breeders. I did some research before getting the BPs, so that I could have the tank(s) set up properly before introducing the BPs to them. I heard that a large enlcosure could stress out a smaller snake, but I also heard that a large enclosure is fine, as long as there were plenty of hides/tight spaces to snuggle up into. After giving it some thought, I decided to put them in the larger enclosures and added ample hiding spaces on both the "hot" and "cold" sides of the tanks. It's been about a month and they're doing fine.. better than fine. Keep in mind, different snakes have different personalities. What works for some, may not work for all. Go with what you think is best, based on your research, and make adjustments accordingly.

I've included a couple pictures of my current setup. Hope this helps! Enjoy your new baby!! :gj:


http://i998.photobucket.com/albums/a...psfac42a2e.jpg

There is more hiding space in the back right corner, but this should give you a general idea. I can always take another pic later, if you think it'd help.

http://i998.photobucket.com/albums/a...psc1618149.jpg

Loving the over/under stand!

If you go for wood as a partition, just make sure it isn't pine, or a composite that might have pine in it like plywood (plywood isn't great anyway because of the adhesives and formaldehydes used to glue all the wood back together!). So a sheet of PVC may work much better as a partition. If you have any local sign shops, they may have something that would work, and could probably cut it to the dimensions you need. Then slap some hot glue on it and you're good to go. =]

Partitioning the tank is an excellent idea, I would use plastic over wood.
Sorry the other snake didn't work out, I know the weather was becoming an issue so maybe it's for the best.
You must post pics of the new baby!!

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no need to partition it off (unles you want to keep two hatchlings in there), also no need for a smaller enclosure.


what makes BPs feel insecure is large open lines of sight, where for example a predator could spot them and attack them from the distance. like a bird of prey or something.

apart from that, no reason to refuse them a large and luxurious enclosure, if you can provide one. Just add enough hides, fake plants and decoration to break these lines of sight. lots of room for creativity here.

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Originally Posted by Pythonfriend

no need to partition it off (unles you want to keep two hatchlings in there), also no need for a smaller enclosure.


what makes BPs feel insecure is large open lines of sight, where for example a predator could spot them and attack them from the distance. like a bird of prey or something.

apart from that, no reason to refuse them a large and luxurious enclosure, if you can provide one. Just add enough hides, fake plants and decoration to break these lines of sight. lots of room for creativity here.

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This is also true. My new hatchling is in a 15, and even that seems a bit big for her, so I just make sure she has plenty of dark holes to hide in and she's good to go. I also have the back, sides, and part of the front blacked out with posterboard, which helps to enclose her space, since she's currently central in my room.

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Originally Posted by xStatic

So I'm basically really frustrated right now... I had a deal set up with someone who was adopting out her BP, but then she changed her mind last minute and decided to give the snake to her sister's friend... the day before she was suppose to ship her out to me! She refunded me the cash I paid for shipping, but I still spent a lot of money on caging and equipment in anticipation of getting this new snake ):

So now I still want a BP, and I was really excited. I found a couple nearby breeders who might be willing to drive and meet me so I could get a baby BP. But the only free tanks I have right now are a 50 gallon and a 35 gallon. I know baby BPs are timid and stress easily in larger enclosures, but is there any way I could easily make adjustments to by 35 gallon so a baby would feel safe in it?

I was thinking of using a piece of wood or something to section off just a portion of the tank so that it has roughly the same ground area as a 10 gallon. I already have 3 sides of the tank blacked out, and I could buy some more fake plants (I need to get smaller hides too, ugh.) to make a dense cozy little area. Luckily I bought an extra heatpad on accident, which is much too small for an adult BP, but I can hook it up to the thermostat and use the little one instead of the big one until the snake gets older.

What do you all think?

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I have honestly never found a need to section off cages for one animal...if the enclosure is large then I simply add more hides and fake plants, I have yet to have a problem feeder in fact most of the animals in my collection took prey soon after arriving regardless of cage size. If you are unwilling to provide extra hides then yes sectioning off a portion of the cage is fine. I would use a simple piece of plexi-glass attached to the sides via silicon, sticks hard but comes off cleanly with some elbow grease.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Pythonfriend

no need to partition it off (unles you want to keep two hatchlings in there), also no need for a smaller enclosure.


what makes BPs feel insecure is large open lines of sight, where for example a predator could spot them and attack them from the distance. like a bird of prey or something.

apart from that, no reason to refuse them a large and luxurious enclosure, if you can provide one. Just add enough hides, fake plants and decoration to break these lines of sight. lots of room for creativity here.

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Wha he said ^^^^

What you can do is go to Dollar Store/ 99 cents store and get a bunch of fake plants and just clutter the terrarium. Really don't need to section off the enclosure.

Okay, thanks everyone!

I will most likely pic up some fake plants and get/make some small tight hides for a baby. Hopefully I can pick one up soon!

Woohoo! I just got confirmation from a local breeder that I will be getting a 2012 male normal het piebald for $40! She lives almost 2 hours away but is willing to drive the snake to me so that I don't have to deal with shipping prices and temps. She's so nice :)

His pics make him look extra thick and plump too, so I'm assuming a healthy boy and a good eater. I'll post pictures when I'm finally able to get him.

Oh what a nice person. They must have given that snake some TLC, especially if they are willing to drive it over to you at that price. I recommend tipping them for the delivery :P

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Originally Posted by ViperSRT3g

Oh what a nice person. They must have given that snake some TLC, especially if they are willing to drive it over to you at that price. I recommend tipping them for the delivery :P

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Without a doubt! I'm honestly happy to cover her gas and anything else for her if she likes! xD Even if it ends up costing me more than shipping would, its such a relief not having to worry about shipping temps and delivery dates. Plus I get to meet the breeder of my animal face-to-face and I know she'll be happy to help me out with my snake in the future if I ever need it.

Congrats!! :D

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Originally Posted by xStatic

Without a doubt! I'm honestly happy to cover her gas and anything else for her if she likes! xD Even if it ends up costing me more than shipping would, its such a relief not having to worry about shipping temps and delivery dates. Plus I get to meet the breeder of my animal face-to-face and I know she'll be happy to help me out with my snake in the future if I ever need it.

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Oh definitely, I think she also wanted to ensure the snake arrived in great condition, as well as seeing it off to its new owner. I hope it enjoys its new home :D

Quote:

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Originally Posted by xStatic

Without a doubt! I'm honestly happy to cover her gas and anything else for her if she likes! xD Even if it ends up costing me more than shipping would, its such a relief not having to worry about shipping temps and delivery dates. Plus I get to meet the breeder of my animal face-to-face and I know she'll be happy to help me out with my snake in the future if I ever need it.

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Is she cute? Go for it bro.

Awesome!!

A 2012 is probably a decent size, so I doubt the 35gal will be an issue :) if you want to save some money until it grows, I suggest homemade hides from cardboard, cleaned plastic container, etc.

Best of luck, and congrats!

Ooooh even better! The breeder offered to sell me a pastel baby for $50. I indicated that I was interested in some morphs but didn't want to spend too much. She needs to move some of the babies out and it's too cold for shipping so she gave me the pick of what she had left! So I'm foregoing the male normal for a female pastel.

The is the baby I picked out! :) I think she's very pretty!

http://ball-pythons.net/gallery/file...all_python.jpg

I got some opaque bowls from the dollar store, cut out entrances and used a lighter to smooth the edges. Then I got a bunch of leaves and vines from the dollar store. I already have a lot of cypress mulch and sphagnum moss in there and the tanks looking very pretty and cozy!

Once I get the snake into it I'll post more pictures!

I love that pastel! She's gorgeous! Her colors and patter are fabulous :) you picked a great girl to add to the collection.


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She's lovely! He colouring is great :) Congrats!

Congrats!! As for "secure" hides I found my hatchling LOVED his little 8" plastic flower pot saucer. He squeezes right inside it and it's light so it can lift up on top of him and I don't think he really notices. Reminds me of cartoons from when I was younger. Someone would hide their head under a leaf or something, whole body still stickin out-thinkin they're invisible. Same type of deal and it cracks me up. Congrats on the sweet deal though! A het pied for only 40 is a snag!! I paid that same price for my normal normal lol

EDIT: Ooooh nice Pastel!! :)

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Quote:

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Originally Posted by xStatic

Ooooh even better! The breeder offered to sell me a pastel baby for $50. I indicated that I was interested in some morphs but didn't want to spend too much. She needs to move some of the babies out and it's too cold for shipping so she gave me the pick of what she had left! So I'm foregoing the male normal for a female pastel.

The is the baby I picked out! :) I think she's very pretty!

http://ball-pythons.net/gallery/file...all_python.jpg

I got some opaque bowls from the dollar store, cut out entrances and used a lighter to smooth the edges. Then I got a bunch of leaves and vines from the dollar store. I already have a lot of cypress mulch and sphagnum moss in there and the tanks looking very pretty and cozy!

Once I get the snake into it I'll post more pictures!

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Oh and the snake is 66% possible het clown too! Maybe someday I'll try to prove that out... how lucky would I be! ^.^