housing?

hello,

i was wondering if i could make out a house out of two rubbermaid containers (2.5 ft long each, 15-20 in high, and 15-20in wide), for a ball python, i was wondering if this would be an adequate sized house for a ball python when its fully grown, i will be buying a baby(when i get money) but i dont want to buy extra cages, so i was wondering if this would be good for its whole life. thanks

[Marla]

John, I don't know how you'd go about creating an enclosure out of two Rubbermaids, but you can get a big Rubbermaid intended for wrapping paper or artificial tree storage that will work for a full-grown bp. BP's need about 1 ft. more floor space than their length, so a 4-ft. bp ought to have 5 ft. or so of floor space. However, a big container like that is unsuitable for a hatchling or juvenile, as they will stress from having that much space. If you got a hatchling this season, you could keep it in a 49-qt. Sterilite easily until December 2005 when the big seasonal containers are easy to find again.

well, i know how im gunna make the rubbermaid thing work(well, in my head at least), and i was thinking for a baby, would just one of them be fine, till it gets older, then attach the other one? or should i buy one that is the 2.5 feet one, then wait till it gets bigger, then get the large, artificial tree size one?

[Marla]

One of the smaller ones would be okay, though still a little tall for what a baby needs. You'll almost definitely be better off using a smaller one and graduating to the bigger, shallower, artificial tree one. Aside from everything else, it's easier to maintain your temp gradient in a shallower container and most adult bp's aren't inclined to climb much.

Here's the drawers I use for mine (bottom two -- top is my roommate's and less effective at holding temps):