first snake need caging advice

[p03t]

i dont own one just yet im trying to prepare before i get one. ive already checked and theres no shows or event going on near me that i will be able to attend.
im looking at the AP cage http://www.animalplastics.com/terrestrial/T3/T3.htm and im wondering if its too big. im planning on buying a fairly young
normal female but i also want her to have room to grow without chainging tanks and adding stress. plus from prior advice ive received and i do appreciate, ive
stopped looking at glass entirely if i were to go with a tank like this what would be a good way to raise the humidity level?

[Vypyrz]

A 3 X 2 cage is way too big for a young Ball Python. However, you could order the optional removable divider, which would split the cage and be more managable for a young BP. Then, when the snake is big enough, remove the divider for use of the full cage. If you decide to do this, I would recommend calling AP before ordering, and see if by using the divider, whether or not it will change the heating configuration.

[cmack91]

not trying to argue here, but personally, i think that as long as you have a few nice small hide and some other plant type stuff in there, it would be fine. the way i see it, is that these guys are born in the middle of nowhere naturally with nothing but a rodent hole to feel secure in, so as long as it has that nice cozy hide, i dont think the overall size will matter. plus any cage is smaller than Africa, and im sure they will learn that there arent exacly lions and hyenas and elephants running around in their tank

[purplemuffin]

A big cage with no hides is a really bad idea, but you can make a large cage work if you basically give them hides throughout the entire enclosure. The key is making the cage as safe feeling to a bp as a smaller tub would be. Tight spaces, places to hide, cover, safety, security. In a small tub, a bp is essentially IN a hide, thus some people with racks don't even give them hides. In a big cage, they need the extra security you might not need when placing them in a tub!

Remember, for a baby snake in the wild, open space=certain death. Predators and all that. A snake will never feel safe if he has to traverse to horrifying empty space to get to the other hide --meaning the snake may never travel to the cool side of the enclosure, despite needing to cool down, or may never travel to the warm side, despite being too cold.

As far as hides go, snakes like them tight, and all around their body. When you buy a hide for a snake, think about how nice a tight hug feels! A snake likes that feeling too, they feel safe knowing nothing can sneak up on them. Log hides don't often make a snake feel that safe, an animal could sneak up behind them and attack them! They work alright for taking up space and providing cover for the middle of a large cage, but make sure most of the hides cover the whole body of the snake and fit him nice and snug!


And of course, watch your snake for signs of stress. If your baby snake is willing to eat, sits in their hides comfortably, than they are probably fine, even in a large enclosure. If the snake will not eat and appears highly stressed, take a look at the environment, and see if you can make the snake more comfortable. If that means putting a snake in a smaller tub until it grows, then that's your answer. Each snake is a little bit different.

[cmack91]

thats pretty much what i was going for but you definitly explained it alot better than me