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  1. #1
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    Upgrading to a larger Animal Plastics enclosure - what size?

    Hello! Thanks for helping this newbie out with my redundant questions, I know enclosure size questions get frequently asked. I recently purchased an adult RTB, female. The people i bought her from said she is pretty much done growing at a little over 5 feet, they also believe she is Columbian but not sure. They only had her for 6 months so weren't sure her exact age, said she could be anywhere from 4 to 10 years old. Anyway, right now I have her in a glass tank with a screen top at 48x16x16. I want to upgrade to an AP cage but am unsure which size to go with. It was recommended to me by someone here to get the t13 (48 x 24 x 18), however I'm also considering the t10 (48 x 30 x 15) mainly due to spacing issues and difference in cost (about $100 difference). I live in a small apartment with a roommate and a little space saved on the cage would be ideal. However, I want my boa to be happy and be able to stretch out etc. Basically looking for advice on if the t10 would be a good option for me.

    I am also inspired by the book "The Art of Keeping Snakes" and want to create a vivarium with real plants etc. In the book, he recommends having an enclosure with a perimeter of at least 2.5 times the snakes length, which would put me at the larger t13.

    Any advice or opinions are much appreciated!

  2. #2
    BPnet Lifer Sauzo's Avatar
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    I keep my big boas and retic in AP T25. My female BCIs are 6' and almost 6'. Before i got them the T25s, i had them in T10s. Personally if you are looking for the forever home, my advice is a T25. Snakes grow their whole lives, boas just slow down after about 4 years but they will always grow.

    My formula i use is the cage length+width should at minimum be equal to the snakes length. And personally, i prefer to give my snakes a cage long enough to stretch out the length. My retic is 7' and in a T25 but next year i might be getting him a T65 and then giving the T25 to my suriname.

    Also be sure to order the cage with a shelf. It is a cheap way to increase floor space and all my snakes love their shelves, even my BP and Dumerils.
    0.1 Rio Bravo Pokigron Suriname BC-Gina
    1.0 Meltzer/Lincoln Peruvian Longtail het anery BCL-Louie

    0.1 Biak Green Tree Python-Pat
    ​1.0 OSHY Biak Green Tree Python-Alex
    0.0.1 Super Reduced Reticulated Gila Monster-Dozer
    0.0.1 Utah Banded Gila Monster-Tank
    0.0.1 Super Black Beaded Lizard-Reggie

  3. #3
    BPnet Senior Member artgecko's Avatar
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    I'd go for the bigger cage. Females will often get longer and heavier than males, so need more floor space. I agree with Sauzo... Go for the shelf option (my boas LOVE theirs). Also, IMO, the sliding glass doors with the lock option are a very good idea. I like the idea of being able to keep people from messing with my snakes without my supervision and have also heard of some boas learning to slide their doors open.

    I think the t13 was cheaper than the t10 for a while (not sure if that is still the case). If it is, I'd def. go with it. Your female may still grow, so it's always best to have more room. My boas are in T10s, but they are all male. If I was able to do things over again, I would have started with T13s instead just to give them and me more options. If my largest boa ever gets over 6', then he will have to get an upgrade to the next caging size... Right now he is pushing 5.5', so I'm getting there.
    Currently keeping:
    1.0 BCA 1.0 BCI
    1.0 CA BCI 1.1 BCLs
    0.1 BRB 1.2 KSBs
    1.0 Carpet 0.5 BPs
    0.2 cresteds 1.2 gargs
    1.0 Leachie 0.0.1 BTS

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