Is a short/dark enclosure OK?

[NoodleOwner]

(Hi everyone, first thread - thanks for the wealth of info, if has really helped me!)

I've been assured by a few people that this is perfectly fine, but I'd like to know others' opinions. I got a "display cage" as my BP's enclosure. It's 34x18x9 and is black with 3 sets of 3 vents in the back and a clear plastic hinged door that swings down in the front. It's got this handy cutout for a heat mat on the bottom which is useful, and I've got the mat hooked up to a VE 100 thermostat. Substrate is cypress mulch, she has a nice hide on the warm side that runs 87-90, and a cool side that runs around 75 with 70% humidity near her water bowl. This is the enclosure I got:

http://www.reptilebasics.com/reptile...-cage-18x34x9/

She herself is a year and a half old, about 3.5 feet and about 1400g. I've had her a few weeks now and she hasn't eaten but I think it's probably more timing related. At first maybe she was a little stressed with the move and me handling her every chance I got (before I read that's not so great), then after a few days of leaving her totally alone her belly turned pink, her eyes turned milky and sure enough, she started to shed. Her shed isn't going great but I've bumped up the humidity to 74% by adding moss to her substrate and gave her a soak this morning to help it along. I don't want to mess with it too much because I'd like to give it another week, let as much as possible come off on its own, but I think it has more to do with the enclosure she was in. The previous owner sent me a picture of her sharing it with another BP, it was brightly lit with aspen, no water dish and cardboard boxes for hides. No judgement here, just sayin'. Anyway, hopefully she'll eat this medium rat after her shed. Of note, she has not pooped yet either.

Anyway, the purpose of this post is because I want to make sure she's getting enough light through the clear plastic door and she doesn't need a taller enclosure. I read that BPs love dark small spaces so I wanted to recreate that to make her feel as comfortable as possible. I do keep the lights in my apartment on during the day for my other animals, but I'm wondering if she needs a light in there at all?

Thanks in advance!

[Sunnieskys]

I have no light in mine. Also people keep BP's in racks so there is no harm. And yes they get enough light from the doors. You could install an led light if you wanted though.

[Bogertophis]

I won't say it won't "work" but personally it wouldn't be my choice. I've used a couple plastic enclosures (Pro-lines) in the past that were 12" tall & hated every
minute I had them. They were awkward to reach all the way back in...plus, with a black cage it will be harder to see fecal material left behind, & that could cause
health issues. My Pro-lines were at least white. Most snakes like to stretch upwards too, even if they aren't climbers in nature. So I'd vote no...sorry. I doubt if
you need a light inside (except for cleaning!) if there is room light during the day, since most snakes don't appreciate bright lights. Since you already have it,
I'm sure you'll be using it for a while either way, so let us know what YOU think, after you've had it a while? (full disclosure, I'm not a fan of racks either).

[Jellybeans]

I'm not a rack girl either. I've never used them but I don't think I would like them I like to be able to look in the enclosure at any time at any given minute even if I don't see the snake. Lol
Plus I like to create an and aesthetically appealing enclosure at least for myself if the snake doesn't care one way or the other

I won't say it won't "work" but personally it wouldn't be my choice. I've used a couple plastic enclosures (Pro-lines) in the past that were 12" tall & hated every
minute I had them. They were awkward to reach all the way back in...plus, with a black cage it will be harder to see fecal material left behind, & that could cause
health issues. My Pro-lines were at least white. Most snakes like to stretch upwards too, even if they aren't climbers in nature. So I'd vote no...sorry. I doubt if
you need a light inside (except for cleaning!) if there is room light during the day, since most snakes don't appreciate bright lights. Since you already have it,
I'm sure you'll be using it for a while either way, so let us know what YOU think, after you've had it a while? (full disclosure, I'm not a fan of racks either).

Sent from my LGMP260 using Tapatalk

[Alicia]

I'm actually using that exact enclosure for one of my subadult females (a 2015 pied).

Two main cons on the height - Just 9" makes it inconvenient to lift her hide when I have to take her out, and I certainly won't set her up to lay eggs in it, as it's not enough headroom to pull a snake off a clutch.

Light level I don't see as one of the cons. But, this cage is in a studio, and I'm in and out a lot sometimes at weird hours. Because of where the cage sits, she doesn't have a ton of privacy. Part of why I chose that model for her, actually - it's snug, it's dark, and it's relatively private. I like it, and Amy appears to like it, as well.

Just to note, RB makes an 18" tall cage with the same footprint. So, if the ground dimensions are a win, but if it seems like the snake would like to stretch out and climb, that might be a good option.

[NoodleOwner]

I won't say it won't "work" but personally it wouldn't be my choice. I've used a couple plastic enclosures (Pro-lines) in the past that were 12" tall & hated every
minute I had them. They were awkward to reach all the way back in...plus, with a black cage it will be harder to see fecal material left behind, & that could cause
health issues. My Pro-lines were at least white. Most snakes like to stretch upwards too, even if they aren't climbers in nature. So I'd vote no...sorry. I doubt if
you need a light inside (except for cleaning!) if there is room light during the day, since most snakes don't appreciate bright lights. Since you already have it,
I'm sure you'll be using it for a while either way, so let us know what YOU think, after you've had it a while? (full disclosure, I'm not a fan of racks either).

great, thanks! yeah, I have to use a flashlight to look around in there which is really annoying. I can't wait until next week when I take it down for a full cleaning - should be fun.

they make them with an LED light option and if I could do it again, I would get that. I just didn't want to overload my outlets any more than necessary.

I will say, in the morning as I'm getting ready and at night, I open the door and she does pop her head out and explore a bit. This morning she crawled on top of it actually, so yeah I was wondering about her inability to stretch upwards in it. I was also a little worried about feeding her in it since I'm not sure if she has enough height to strike? Have you heard of this affecting eating habits? It looks really cool but maybe I'm better off selling it and getting an ExoTerra.

[NoodleOwner]

But, this cage is in a studio, and I'm in and out a lot sometimes at weird hours. Because of where the cage sits, she doesn't have a ton of privacy. Part of why I chose that model for her, actually - it's snug, it's dark, and it's relatively private.

Ah, thank you!! This is exactly why I chose it as well. Good to know about the other option, maybe I'll consider an upgrade in a bit.

Do you feed yours in this enclosure as well? Any problems with striking?

[Bogertophis]

Part of the "problem" with these cages (as far as cleaning them or reaching in to feed) is that while they are 9-12" tall, the doors are NOT that tall!
They're awkward for us humans, even if the snakes don't mind as much, & you tend to scrape your arms/elbows on the doorway.

[Alicia]

Do you feed yours in this enclosure as well? Any problems with striking?

Yep, I feed in this enclosure without issue! This particular snake strikes while I'm looking about half the time. When she hits, she hits it just fine. (The rest of the time she takes her rats after I leave the room. She did this in a tub and a 20 gal long, too, so I know the cage hasn't changed her feeding habits.)

[NoodleOwner]

Yep, I feed in this enclosure without issue! This particular snake strikes while I'm looking about half the time. When she hits, she hits it just fine. (The rest of the time she takes her rats after I leave the room. She did this in a tub and a 20 gal long, too, so I know the cage hasn't changed her feeding habits.)

really helpful, thank you!