"Display" cage...

[distaff]

Mine are all North American, I wouldn't be able to adequately heat the Exo-terras for a ball python - not in winter, anyway. Our winters are mild, but we keep a fairly cold house.

The king and corn are small enough to be easy on the plants. Hedera helix (English ivy) is wiry and tough, and might withstand a much heavier animal. It grows very well in my vivs. Potos, Philodendron, and Tradscendentia (sp.?) (wandering Jew) also do very well in them. The way I look at it, even when the snakes are hiding, I still have lovely indoor tropical gardens to enjoy.

This is NM, so we are extremely dry. I had to struggle with good sheds before the plants, now the humidity seems to self-regulate, and the snakes have had all perfect sheds since. The Rosy boa, however, must have it dry, so her display is merely an attractive arrangement of heavy sticks set in a Sani-chip substrate.

I don't yet own any, but I think even AP's might make a good display if one were to decorate around them like you did with the Neodesha. I've been thinking of getting a box turtle sometime in the future. Because of the space requirements of a turtle "table," I was thinking a custom made one might work stacked on top of a couple of AP's. Box turtle tables are typically heavily planted. ...a pretty display, even if the AP interiors themselves are strictly utilitarian.

[PghBall]

Looking good! Oh the display looks nice too! 😉

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[zina10]

Looking good! Oh the display looks nice too! 😉

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Thank you

[zina10]

Mine are all North American, I wouldn't be able to adequately heat the Exo-terras for a ball python - not in winter, anyway. Our winters are mild, but we keep a fairly cold house.

The king and corn are small enough to be easy on the plants. Hedera helix (English ivy) is wiry and tough, and might withstand a much heavier animal. It grows very well in my vivs. Potos, Philodendron, and Tradscendentia (sp.?) (wandering Jew) also do very well in them. The way I look at it, even when the snakes are hiding, I still have lovely indoor tropical gardens to enjoy.

This is NM, so we are extremely dry. I had to struggle with good sheds before the plants, now the humidity seems to self-regulate, and the snakes have had all perfect sheds since. The Rosy boa, however, must have it dry, so her display is merely an attractive arrangement of heavy sticks set in a Sani-chip substrate.

I don't yet own any, but I think even AP's might make a good display if one were to decorate around them like you did with the Neodesha. I've been thinking of getting a box turtle sometime in the future. Because of the space requirements of a turtle "table," I was thinking a custom made one might work stacked on top of a couple of AP's. Box turtle tables are typically heavily planted. ...a pretty display, even if the AP interiors themselves are strictly utilitarian.

You should post pictures of your setups !!! They sound amazing

[cletus]

Really nice! Really clean looking.

[BR8080]

That looks AMAZING - very nicely done.

I wish I had space in my front room to display my snake(s) - I have them in my office, the other room I spend a lot of time in, and have been researching what live plants would work but I'm leaning towards silk/plastic as they just seem easier to clean (can't really clean a live plant LOL). As you mentioned, stay where you put them and/or be crushed.

Yes, he is a big boy and looks very healthy - great coloring as well - a real looker.

Congratulations all around

[Zincubus]

Distaff, I do love display cages, even for snakes.

However, some snakes make more use out of a display cage, then others. Some love to explore and climb etc...others, not so much.

I feel that Ball Pythons are happiest crammed in small spaces. They do "cruise" some when hungry, but usually, but the ones that are constantly on the "go" and climb way up underneath a light, are most often stressed in some way. Stressed from lack of privacy or incorrect heat/humidity.

So I feel it depends. Ball pythons can still be kept in display cages. But if they are happy, you don't see that much of them, LOL !!! And once they get up in size, they tend to destroy the most beautiful setup. Plus an elaborate setup can be difficult to be kept really clean. Sometimes you have to take everything apart to clean well. And when it is a big job it gets stressful to the snake to have the entire cage stripped and re-arranged each time.

I have done both. Displays AND Rack. I have to admit, I honestly feel the ones kept in a Rack (big enough, spot on heat and humidity) are just as happy and usually less stressed. But here I am with a display cage.

It was very important to me NOT to use a glass cage. I want easy maintenance and the Neodesha combines ease of maintenance with beautiful display. You still get a lightweight, easy to heat cage. Easy to maintain humidity. But you have the large, slanted glass front. Top, bottom, sides and back are still "solid". So the cage itself is like a "cave".

It can be done with a all glass cage, but it makes it much more difficult imho.

While I like the "naturalistic" look, I have learned that it still needs to be easy to maintain. So that it can still be kept spotless without to much of a headache and to much stress to the snake.

I would like to have a couple or more display cages, but I think I would put a Russian Ratsnake in it, or another snake that loves to be out and about and to be "seen".

I completely agree, though, if someone only has a handful of snakes and a lot of time (and space) Display cages can be the way to go. And certainly beautiful

It's looking pretty darn good and it's a stunning looking Royal .

Now you write a lot of sense although I don't entirelely agree with your thoughts on the their reason for climbing being STRESS !!

Many Royal keepers have branches in the vivs and they're used most evenings , I myself have 5 Royals who enjoy climbing , they are all super relaxed and ravenously feed on those dreaded DF rats every single time ( shed time aside) granted two of them are fed fortnightly but the other three feed weekly.

There's a photo in my snake collection thread showing the pair of Albinos eating at exactly the same time.

[zina10]

It's looking pretty darn good and it's a stunning looking Royal .

Now you write a lot of sense although I don't entirelely agree with your thoughts on the their reason for climbing being STRESS !!

Many Royal keepers have branches in the vivs and they're used most evenings , I myself have 5 Royals who enjoy climbing , they are all super relaxed and ravenously feed on those dreaded DF rats every single time ( shed time aside) granted two of them are fed fortnightly but the other three feed weekly.

There's a photo in my snake collection thread showing the pair of Albinos eating at exactly the same time.

I know some like to climb and will do it when provided with limbs.

However, I said that the BP's that are constantly on the go, meaning cruising day and night, and climbing up high to be underneath a lamp are often stressed BP's. They are the ones kept in "open" and big cages, usually cages that don't hold heat well, and they climb up to the light for warmth. While owners will claim they are just social snakes that like to be out and about and climb all day...

The ones that come out at night and cruise all over, are a different stories. Most will do that if they haven't eaten within the last couple of days. I used to have a big Ball Python that liked to lay on her branch like a Green Tree Python. I made sure those limbs were NOT high, though, because every so often you would hear a "thunk" at night, and I new Delilah fell off her branch again. They aren't the most graceful climbers..

[distaff]

I agree, displays can be harder to achieve correct parameters. It helps to keep an eye on the animal's habits.

My king cruises at night, and hides during the day. The corn hides most of the time in winter, although not necessarily under the warm hide, nor on the RHP warmed ledge (both are regulated by a VE). One reason I recently switched out my last HydroFarm for a new Herpstat was that the Rosy was cruising *too* much. She is frequently out draped elegantly on a branch, but she was out and restlessly moving all the time. I think the temp swings from the Hydro just weren't comfortable for her.

[zina10]

Temperature swings can definitely cause restless behavior, I noticed that especially in my Ratsnakes.

One year our AC gave out. In the deep south, fourth of july weekend ...

It got HOT in the house. I got a couple portable AC's and ran fans all over the house, kept the blinds drawn. It was quite comfy for the Ball Pythons, but the Russians started cruising like mad. They didn't have any heat source at all, even with the AC on, because they prefer "mild" temps.

They were definitely un-comfortable with the ambient heat up in the 80's. If it had gotten any hotter in the house I would have had to go to a hotel. Thankfully we were able to "just" keep it tolerable.