Arboreal Hides featuring IJ Carpets

A few years ago I saw someone make metal fabricated mounts for RBI hides to be adhered to the ceiling of PVC enclosures. I thought it was a great idea and really wanted to follow through with it to see what I could do for my Irian Jaya pair. I recently moved them into their new adult enclosures and felt it was a good chance to make this work.

http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/11...8bec6def4c.jpg
Using mirror hangers I attached via shallow screws the brackets in the four corners of the hide using its lip. I left enough slack that it could slide in and out for access as needed but tight enough that the snake could strike from it without worry.

http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/11...694335616d.jpg
http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/11...23c0864dea.jpg

Nothing else to it! Now the snakes are enjoying their new penthouse hides :)

http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/11...a18a687842.jpg
Female het granite
http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/11...194bd9c9b9.jpg
Male granite

http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/11...ee243f9e3c.jpg
And just a really nice look at our boy.

Cheers!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

SWEET! I love it. What size RBI hides did you use?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

That is a cool idea. Never even thought of having arboreal hides, thanks for the tip.

That is so cool. Great idea.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using Tapatalk

I agree, great idea! I might have to try that one myself. Seems like the snakes would love them. Did you have to remove the lid on your enclosure to mount the hides? You have some gorgeous carpets btw.;)

Great idea dude, putting this in "the vault" for future use!

Nice,

That's how its done! I've seen this done by Nick Mutton, the author of THE COMPLETE CARPET PYTHON and my friend/cage builder, Ed Lilley does this in some of his cages. He has photos in the book I just mentioned.

ALL morelia are semi to highly arboreal. If you provide the right options you will see behaviors that are normal for the species and I think allowing them to perform these behaviors is very rewarding.

Watching them hunt from a hide above ground is very cool!

I like what I see here.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by DougM55

SWEET! I love it. What size RBI hides did you use?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

---

I have had these for years to be honest - But in terms of size that I have, I know I have the largest they make, and these are two sizes below that - so they are Large if I recall correctly. But, it's easily expandable.

- - - Updated - - -

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by EL-Ziggy

I agree, great idea! I might have to try that one myself. Seems like the snakes would love them. Did you have to remove the lid on your enclosure to mount the hides? You have some gorgeous carpets btw.;)

---

Nope, I removed the perches, and used a pencil to do my marks. Then drill pilot holes to make my life easier. From there its just screw the mounts, and the hide literally slides right in. Very VERY easy access.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Gio

Nice,

That's how its done! I've seen this done by Nick Mutton, the author of THE COMPLETE CARPET PYTHON and my friend/cage builder, Ed Lilley does this in some of his cages. He has photos in the book I just mentioned.

ALL morelia are semi to highly arboreal. If you provide the right options you will see behaviors that are normal for the species and I think allowing them to perform these behaviors is very rewarding.

Watching them hunt from a hide above ground is very cool!

I like what I see here.

---

This may be where I originally saw it. These two snakes came from Nick, and were from a first generation cross that, as he put it, were at the time the most distant related pure IJ granites made - period. I'm sure that is not the case anymore though :-). I'll check his book out in my Library when I get back home and see if I can find it there as a reference. I know from talking with Nick though back in 2012, he did a lot of breeding pairs in CB70 tubs. I followed this advice for grow out and it worked well. But I am much happier having them back in an arboreal setup with ample room. Adding vegetation soon for this pair.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by reptileexperts

This may be where I originally saw it. These two snakes came from Nick, and were from a first generation cross that, as he put it, were at the time the most distant related pure IJ granites made - period. I'm sure that is not the case anymore though :-). I'll check his book out in my Library when I get back home and see if I can find it there as a reference. I know from talking with Nick though back in 2012, he did a lot of breeding pairs in CB70 tubs. I followed this advice for grow out and it worked well. But I am much happier having them back in an arboreal setup with ample room. Adding vegetation soon for this pair.

---

I look forward to seeing your final setup.

I wish I could add a hide like that but the perches and rock wall would not allow the intrusion of an arboreal hide. Not unless I bought a taller cage. Currently this coastal is in a 2 foot high cage. She goes a bit over 6 feet and is eating 1 pound rabbits at 2.5 years old. I think I'd have to have a fairly larger box mounted which would just not work.
http://i772.photobucket.com/albums/y...a/IMG_2635.jpg

Seeing your animals feeding from those hides looks pretty interesting.

It has me tossing around some ideas.

http://i772.photobucket.com/albums/y...a/IMG_2647.jpg

Ultimately the size of the snake when full grown will factor in to what I can do.

How do you think a SD retic would take to your arboreal hides?

That setup looks great. Juvenile and hatchling retics would utilize the arboreal hide easily I could imagine. My tiger SD when she was a hatchling would force herself under the fluorescent light fixture up at the top to hide under the warmth. She also used perches like a chondro. As they get older they are more restricted to the ground but in the wild are seen in trees. Thing is the system would require such a different load build for a retic. And caging is already geared toward terrestrial vs arboreal. Waiting on greenery to arrive to start continuing their cage redesign


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I want to try this for my Savus, they love to climb.

My SD retic uses a restaurant bus tub as a hide, and DH has a new (used) CNC mill. I bet he could make some metal brackets that would support it.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by bcr229

I want to try this for my Savus, they love to climb.

My SD retic uses a restaurant bus tub as a hide, and DH has a new (used) CNC mill. I bet he could make some metal brackets that would support it.

---

I say go for it!

Your new pythons are a bit of "fresh air" here as far as the traditional species go. I'd like to see you set them up in something that displays them well and gives them several options to exhibit natural behaviors.

I'll be watching out for your updates as I think you will have some exciting photos in the future.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by bcr229

I want to try this for my Savus, they love to climb.

My SD retic uses a restaurant bus tub as a hide, and DH has a new (used) CNC mill. I bet he could make some metal brackets that would support it.

---

it could be made to support their weight, especially a pure, but crosses I'd be leery of attempting. If you are using a large, 8x4x3 natural enclosure, then I'd start focusing arboreal, but with most retics, they simply stay in one spot unless they are having issues thermo regulating, or are simply looking for excess food / mates. There are many who will argue both for and against this mindset, but retics do better in slightly seemingly tighter spaces. When I moved one of my SD Boys into a 6x3 cage, he simply went mad, became extremely territorial, and went off food. Put him back in his 4x2, no issues ever again.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by reptileexperts

it could be made to support their weight, especially a pure, but crosses I'd be leery of attempting. If you are using a large, 8x4x3 natural enclosure, then I'd start focusing arboreal, but with most retics, they simply stay in one spot unless they are having issues thermo regulating, or are simply looking for excess food / mates. There are many who will argue both for and against this mindset, but retics do better in slightly seemingly tighter spaces. When I moved one of my SD Boys into a 6x3 cage, he simply went mad, became extremely territorial, and went off food. Put him back in his 4x2, no issues ever again.

---

He's pure, just over 6' at almost three years old and his growth has really slowed down. He's in a 48"x30"x18" and I don't expect he'll outgrow it soon, if ever. He does have a hide but only really uses it when he's in shed, otherwise he's active so if given the opportunity to climb on or into something I think he'd use it.

I agree with what you said about crosses and mainlands.

Yeah, definitely worth considering then. And same - my retics will only use hides when in shed with the only exception being my phantom sunfire het stripe that will use her hide after eating for at least a few days.

Morelia still loving theirs, but the granite is found of the ground right now digesting his last meal.

http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/12...ecd022297c.jpg
He just has to keep his tail in his hide while he eats [emoji24]

http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/12...a9e9e167d2.jpg
Still hunting from it as well. Interesting to see how much his personality has opened up with these new hides. Game changer for me :)


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Beautiful carpet RE. He's a big boy too! Which enclosure do you have? Do your carpets use their perches often?

really geat idea, inexpensive and easy. Thats awsome man, thanks for sharing

Kyle,

- - - Updated - - -

hahah writing so many emails for work i signed off like it was an email.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by EL-Ziggy

Beautiful carpet RE. He's a big boy too! Which enclosure do you have? Do your carpets use their perches often?

---

These are PVC Cages by Jim, website slips my mind as I've had them for going on 4 years now. I believe its www.pvccages.com (just confirmed this).

They use the perches enough for sure. Basking via radiant heat panels and just stretching out. They knock them down a lot during feeding, but they serve a great purpose.

Those are beautiful enclosures RE. Thanks for the link. Are your carpets in 4x2x2s? My younger carpets are in a divided AP T8 but I think I want to provide them more vertical space as they grow.

The cages are 3x2x2 and seem to give ample room for growth.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

This is awesome, very creative solution! Great looking snakes too! :cool:

Wow, I will now need to build a lip on some of the ledges for the enclosure I am building to do this. Congrats on a helpful idea.

Sent from my LG-V500 using Tapatalk

http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/16/01...9e37c79f47.jpg
He's always up in his hides still :) fresh shed today!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Hope this isn't thread jacking. But since I first read your idea a few months back, I knew I had to do this.

http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/2016...4a424ba711.jpg

Sent from my SM-G900T using Tapatalk

Looks great TS!