caging size.

[kontron]

i know everyone says large cages will stress small snakes, but i do not remember them ever stating why. i would think if you offered plenty of hides, and the perfect enviroment, they would be happy, after all there are no cages where they live in the wild. just curious.

[Royal-y__Great]

you would need a loooottt of hides and fake plants and stuff

it stresses them out very easily, they think if they are in a big area, and nothing to hide them, somethings gunna come and eat 'em up
they like to be secure, so they find the smalles place they can get into

[kontron]

thats what i thought... i like tons of hides, and plants and so on. it makes it look better. more real. i like to give the snakes a ton of places to hide and go and explore. i have noticed that in the larger cage with lots of things to do, and places to hide they are poking around the top a lot less. they tend to explore and cruise around all the hides. there are a couple hides with multiple hidden entrances, and they go in one end and pop out another and wrap around.. it is really cool. my snake seems to like it a lot. i saw him last night just basking on the tiki god.

[Anonymous]

Keep in mind you'll have much more to clean with a fancy setup.

[kontron]

yeah, but the time and effort is worth it. i have the cleaning down to a science. it only takes me about an hour to clean everything. it's a matter of removing everything and either putting them on a double ride in the dishwasher, or baking them,while i clean out the cages substrate. i spot clean every week, and do a major clean every 3-4 weeks, depending on how clean it it. would you think it is bad to re-arrange the cage all the time?? i make small changes here and there, a hide goes there, one moves to the cooler side. but if i changed the cage all the time, you think that would bother them?

[Marla]

Nah, sounds fine. The problem with large cages is when the bp feels exposed and vulnerable, but it sounds like you have provided plenty of cover and are willing to do the work necessary to keep it clean. In that case, all is well.

[elevatethis]

Big cages for babies are alright as long as you have a lot of stuff in there for cover. Some people just put a baby in a 30 gal with 2 hides, a water dish, and call it a day; thats stressful.

[kontron]

what about changin the cage around. i like to move parts around and build hides here and there. i prefer to do it on major cleanings, but do you think this would stress the snake out, or give them the illusion of exploring new areas? i would'nt want my snake to come home and not know where home is.. you know what i mean? do snakes grow comforatable in their hides? like maybe grow to prefer a certain hide over others?

[Anonymous]

Lugging around a 50 gallon tank for cleaning isn't easy

[kontron]

yes, but that is where the plug about 1" around comes in handy. pour in bleach and water, clean well, drain. repeat again, and then rinse several times with hot tap water. i use a small 1 gal. bucket to pour water in my tub. when i am all done i replace the plug, and put in new substrate.