Best sized cage for a hatchling?

I am just preparing ahead of time in case this egg does decide to hatch; what size r-maid would you recommend for a hatchling? I have a shoebox sized one now; is this too small or just right? I am figuring that a 10g-tank-floorspace sized one is WAY too big; is this right?

i have a couple youngins coming soon too and i am trying to get ready for them. I was reading on adams site that he uses a 20" x 9 " tubs for his hatchlings.

i think 6,12,15 qt tubs are good sizes for babies. just have enough hides.



vaughn

oh yeh and lots of rooled up paper balls

I've got two of my new girls (right at 100 grams) in 15 quart tubs, and even those are a bit roomy for them. I just have two of the smallest plastic flower pot saucers in there for them and even those are big for them - but they're feeding, so it's all good!


The challenge of smaller tubs is finding hides small enough to fit AND a small enough water dish (at least for me).

I will go out and get something along those lines. The smallest one I have is too small, and the bigger one is huge; go figure :)
We are on Day 36..

There's no such thing as "too small" for a hatchling ball python.

-adam

It seems that hatchlings do quite well in 6 qt tubs. :)

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Adam_Wysocki

There's no such thing as "too small" for a hatchling ball python.

-adam

---

How about this one? (the lid is off.)
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v6...ightscribe.jpg

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Ginevive

How about this one? (the lid is off.)
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v6...ightscribe.jpg

---

What size tub does it say on the sticker?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Ginevive

How about this one? (the lid is off.).

---

Perfect. ;)

-adam

It says 4 quarts.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Ginevive

It says 4 quarts.

---

I think that is the same base size as a 6qt, just a little shorter. Should work great. :sweeet:

6qrt is perfect, I have hatchlings in 16qrts as well... so they have plenty of time to grow into those. Baby balls tend to feed better in smaller ones. I provide paper towel and a water dish for them in 6qrts... NO HIDE!

Eh? Why no hide? I thought baby BPs like to hide a lot. That's what I keep reading on this forum. Small tight spaces with hides.

Oh there will definately be hides and a water dish; this is just the cnotainer I was posting for size advice.

All of mine get hides, from the littlest one to the biggest one. Even the little ones hunt from their hides, all 75 grams of them! LOL

My hatchlings go in 6qt. Rubbermaid shoe box tubs, yearlings go in 12qt. tubs, sub adults and males go in 28qt. tubs, and the big adults go in 41qt. under bed tubs.


I DONT use hides, and neither do alot of people running large number of snakes and racks. Ive put hides in my racks, but they will push it to the front and leave it alone. They dont find it nessecary because they are in a nice, dark, secure rack.

psl...

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by pslsnakes

I DONT use hides, and neither do alot of people running large number of snakes and racks. Ive put hides in my racks, but they will push it to the front and leave it alone. They dont find it nessecary because they are in a nice, dark, secure rack.

psl...

---

Adam has over 200 snakes, every one of them gets a hide. It's up to them if they want to use it or not - but it's available for them if they want it.

All of mine in the rack are using their hides. They just move it with them from the front to the back - but they're always in their hides, wherever the hide might be.

I know only one of my adult balls want to use a hide, and hes a W/C that is jumpy and afraid of everything.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by pslsnakes

They dont find it nessecary because they are in a nice, dark, secure rack.

---

I strongly disagree.

-adam

Maybe it just varies snake to snake. I mean, yea, My yearlings and hatchlings have hides, but sometimes wont use it. And my adults i guess dont find the need for it. They just push it up in front, and stay on the back wall. And its the same hide thats been working (which they used) when they were in a glass Viv.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by pslsnakes

Maybe it just varies snake to snake. I mean, yea, My yearlings and hatchlings have hides, but sometimes wont use it. And my adults i guess dont find the need for it. They just push it up in front, and stay on the back wall. And its the same hide thats been working (which they used) when they were in a glass Viv.

---

All of my adults (150+) use their hides. Maybe you have a husbandry issue?

-adam

I dont have husbandry issues. And there is ALOT of people who's snakes dont use hides in racks.

And how would i have husbandry issues? My adult rack (with snakes who dont use hides) is always @ 58-60% humidity, 79-81 on the cool side, and 89-92 on the warm side. I change water out daily, they are on news paper(the kept pushing aspen to the front in a big mound, because the tub floor is slick)
And they ALL, with the exception of my W/C male, eat, once a week on appropriete (sp) size prey. And they are all on F/T, just so you know.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by pslsnakes

I dont have husbandry issues. And there is ALOT of people who's snakes dont use hides in racks.

And how would i have husbandry issues? My adult rack (with snakes who dont use hides) is always @ 58-60% humidity, 79-81 on the cool side, and 89-92 on the warm side. I change water out daily, they are on news paper(the kept pushing aspen to the front in a big mound, because the tub floor is slick)
And they ALL, with the exception of my W/C male, eat, once a week on appropriete (sp) size prey. And they are all on F/T, just so you know.

---

Look kid, I do this for a living ... if you don't care what I have to say, that's fine ... just so you know. ;)

-adam

I actualy always try to listen, but what your trying to get at is, that theres some thing wrong with my snakes, for not using a hide box.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by pslsnakes

I actualy always try to listen, but what your trying to get at is, that theres some thing wrong with my snakes, for not using a hide box.

---

I was trying to be helpful ... not "get at" anything ... but thanks for the assumption. :sweeet:

Like I said ... if you don't like what I have to say, ignore me ... doesn't matter to me one bit. :D

-adam

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by pslsnakes

I DONT use hides, and neither do alot of people running large number of snakes and racks. Ive put hides in my racks, but they will push it to the front and leave it alone. They dont find it nessecary because they are in a nice, dark, secure rack.

---

I use hides of all different shapes and sizes and one thing they all have in common is that the snakes can cram themselves into them should they choose to do so. Sometimes they won't be "in" the hide, but crammed between the side of it and the wall of the tub.

What do these observations mean to me? The dark secure rack doesn't mean as much as the feeling of security they get from being able to "feel" something all around them, explaining why they cram themselves into such tight spaces.

One thing I notice among the people who don't use hides is that I can't remember one that wasn't using some kind of loose substrate, aspen, sanichips, whatever. And there was enough of it that the snake could burrow down into it. Maybe a loose substrate they can sink down into makes up for the lack of security without a hide.

Just some speculation and observations.....thats still OK in these forums, right?

Wow, no hides? My snakes are in their hides during the full duration of the day, coming out at night and hiding again before daylight. If I took away their hides, I think they would be lost :)