What reptile for a 4'8" L x 18" W x 3.5' H

Hi! I know I already posted a thread on this but I changed my mind and am getting a smaller cage. These are the measurements ^. Any snake or lizard. I especially love monitor lizards. What species of reptile could live it's whole life in here. I have experience with 5 species of snakes and I lost track on the amount of lizards. Maybe 8 or 9 species

My vote would be carpet python. But 18" deep is pretty slim

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GTP, ETB, JCP. Pretty much a smaller more arboreal snake. The 18" width is really a killer on that cage :(

Adult pure super dwarf retic. Yes the cage is narrow but the snake will use the extra height, as retics love to climb.

If you want a smaller snake something like a Dominican Red Mountain Boa, or one of the smaller dwarf locality BCI's can be set up in it for display, they're semi-arboreal. Another option is the thinner pythons, like a diamond python or one of the smaller liaisis species as they'll also use the height if you give them something to climb on.

Thanks for answering, I'll look into the dwarf retic. Also, if there was some way I could change to width to maybe two feet, what would fit in there?

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Originally Posted by Monitorlizardlover

Thanks for answering, I'll look into the dwarf retic. Also, if there was some way I could change to width to maybe two feet, what would fit in there?

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Super dwarf, not dwarf. A dwarf can still get to 13'+. Super dwarf tend to stay smaller but can still have potential. My 37.5% SD male is 7' and hes 14 months old. But he does like to eat A LOT.

Two feet more in width and you can get pretty much anything. The determining factor is how big they get as an adult. You just have to research what you like and then go from there.

The general rule of thumb is cage length+width=total length of the snake. Now a lot of people fudge some which is fine but what i mentioned is the general rule.

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Originally Posted by Sauzo

The general rule of thumb is cage length+width=total length of the snake. Now a lot of people fudge some which is fine but what i mentioned is the general rule.

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Does that apply to Kingsnakes/Milks as well? I'm asking because they are thinner than boas. Thanks

Retics are awesome too. I only mentioned carpets first because they're a little less maintenance than a retic.

Here's an 8 year old SD retic for a size comparison. 100% kalatoa male that I was consideringhttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...24aed2b546.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...f94f6e8ba7.jpg

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Maybe I'm confused by single quote and double quote. so i'm going to convert to inches. are we talking a cage that is 56W, 18D and 42H?

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Originally Posted by RickyNY

Does that apply to Kingsnakes/Milks as well? I'm asking because they are thinner than boas. Thanks

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I was more using it as a reference for larger constrictors but me personally, i would try and give any snake the ability to at least stretch out 3/4 of its body. Would be like us being crammed in a closet lol. Thinner snakes could obviously get by with a thinner cage.

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Originally Posted by ShaneSilva

Retics are awesome too. I only mentioned carpets first because they're a little less maintenance than a retic.

Here's an 8 year old SD retic for a size comparison. 100% kalatoa male that I was consideringhttps://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...24aed2b546.jpghttps://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...f94f6e8ba7.jpg

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That looks about as long as Caesar but probably double his thickness and he's 14 months old.

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Originally Posted by Sauzo

I was more using it as a reference for larger constrictors but me personally, i would try and give any snake the ability to at least stretch out 3/4 of its body. Would be like us being crammed in a closet lol. Thinner snakes could obviously get by with a thinner cage.

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yes, like you said, "a general rule", not the law. thicker snakes require deeper cages. thinner snakes of the same length can do fine in narrow cages. I think most adult king\milk will do well with a 36x18 floor space, though I would provide larger species (Honduran for example) with 36x24 or preferably 48x24. kings and milks will climb, but I don't feel it's a requirement as they are largely terrestrial.

as always, know the animals needs.

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Originally Posted by Sauzo

That looks about as long as Caesar but probably double his thickness and he's 14 months old.

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Yeah from your pictures it looks like Caesar is growing bigger than Levi and he's a 13 month old 100% mainland

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Originally Posted by ShaneSilva

Yeah from your pictures it looks like Caesar is growing bigger than Levi and he's a 13 month old 100% mainland

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Yeah he grew like a weed until now. He hasn't shed in awhile and has thickened up a lot. So maybe his growth spurt is done. He doesn't seem as hungry either but of course will never turn down a meal haha. Here is a pic of him last night as I usually leave his door open at night when I'm down there and loves to sit half out of the cage lol. Either that or he is trying to find a way into Gina's cage to eat her lol.
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...d02cce00_h.jpg

If I changed the width to two feet, could I get some dwarf monitors? I love them. Maybe some peacocks or timors, I've never worked with those species. I want a challenge taming wise. Would a spiny tailed ig work? I hear those are hard to tame. For some reason I just like aggressive animals

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Originally Posted by Monitorlizardlover

For some reason I just like aggressive animals

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Get you a cassowary lol

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Would a Columbiam black and white or golden tegu work? I love them. What about a blue tegu, such pretty animals

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Originally Posted by Monitorlizardlover

Would a Columbiam black and white or golden tegu work? I love them. What about a blue tegu, such pretty animals

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Not even close. Tegus need 8x4 caging just like a lot of monitors. Pretty much any large lizard(monitor, tegu, iguana) is going to need 8x4. Iguanas need the height and monitors need a few feet of deep dirt to dig in. Its the main reason i had to rehome my 5' Nile Monitor. At the time i was young and didnt have the cash to afford to build him a 10x6x6 cage.

Not to sound like a jerk but you shouldn't try and find a reptile to go around your cage. You should find a reptile you like and then order/build a cage around them. Trying to ask 'can i keep X in X size tank/cage' sounds like so many stories i've heard of 'my reptile grew too big for his cage and i couldnt afford the right one for him'. I'm guilty myself with my Nile Monitor but i was a teenager and bought a hatchling off a breeder i knew. Luckily, the breeder found him a good home with a guy who had lots of monitors and converted a couple rooms in his house into full size caging so he got set up nicely.

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Originally Posted by Sauzo

Not even close. Tegus need 8x4 caging just like a lot of monitors. Pretty much any large lizard(monitor, tegu, iguana) is going to need 8x4. Iguanas need the height and monitors need a few feet of deep dirt to dig in. Its the main reason i had to rehome my 5' Nile Monitor. At the time i was young and didnt have the cash to afford to build him a 10x6x6 cage.

Not to sound like a jerk but you shouldn't try and find a reptile to go around your cage. You should find a reptile you like and then order/build a cage around them. Trying to ask 'can i keep X in X size tank/cage' sounds like so many stories i've heard of 'my reptile grew too big for his cage and i couldnt afford the right one for him'. I'm guilty myself with my Nile Monitor but i was a teenager and bought a hatchling off a breeder i knew. Luckily, the breeder found him a good home with a guy who had lots of monitors and converted a couple rooms in his house into full size caging so he got set up nicely.

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I agree, usually I find a reptile first, then the cage, but this is the largest cage I can fill right now and it is the last reptile I am allowed to get while I live with my parents, so I wanted something special. Could I do a pair of peacock monitors in this cage?

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Originally Posted by Monitorlizardlover

I agree, usually I find a reptile first, then the cage, but this is the largest cage I can fill right now and it is the last reptile I am allowed to get while I live with my parents, so I wanted something special. Could I do a pair of peacock monitors in this cage?

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I have no idea. Never dealt with those. I've only really seen Croc monitors, Black Roughnecks, Timors, Niles, Savannahs. And all but the Timors need BIG caging. I believe Timors can get away with something like a 5x3x4 but don't quote me on that as I more or less got out of monitors and went to constrictors after I got old enough and my parents couldn't control my reptile needs haha. My mom was scared of snakes so I had to live with amphibians and lizards until I got my own place. Then the floodgates opened for snakes :P

There isn't a single monitor species or tegu that can go in a 4x2ft cage. These animals are incredibly active, plus as already stated they need at least a couple feet of dirt to dig into.

Ever consider a blue tongue skink? An adult will fit in a 4'x2' cage. They don't need the height you mentioned... although they will climb a little, they are terrestrial.

BTS are easy to care for and have a good personality... I'd say similar to a monitor, but not nearly as hard to care for. They will dig, but don't need feet of substrate to do so.

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Originally Posted by artgecko

Ever consider a blue tongue skink? An adult will fit in a 4'x2' cage. They don't need the height you mentioned... although they will climb a little, they are terrestrial.

BTS are easy to care for and have a good personality... I'd say similar to a monitor, but not nearly as hard to care for. They will dig, but don't need feet of substrate to do so.

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I love them but my mom HATES them. She says she would rather I have 20 cats then on BTS

Since you want a monitor so bad maybe a beardie or uro would work. I know that they're a little wimpier but the make up for it in size and personality. Or you could try, I mean try to find some of the super tiny dwarf monitors and cram one of them in there. Personally, I would go with the first option as you would never be able to talk about that lizard on here without being crucified.

Planted terrarium with a bunch of little anoles running around in it would be really cool. Not exactly a WOAH species but if you do it right it would be really impressive.

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Originally Posted by Rhys

Since you want a monitor so bad maybe a beardie or uro would work. I know that they're a little wimpier but the make up for it in size and personality. Or you could try, I mean try to find some of the super tiny dwarf monitors and cram one of them in there. Personally, I would go with the first option as you would never be able to talk about that lizard on here without being crucified.

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Again THERE IS NOT A SINGLE MONITOR SPECIES THAT WILL SUSTAIN IN THAT CAGE. It is too small, you will not get the proper temperature gradient, nor be able to attain the correct husbandry set up. Monitors and Tegus are very active animals that will use every inch of their cage. They are nothing like a beardie, uro, BTS, or any other lizard.