A note on ball python cage sizes - lessons from Germany

[Regius_049]

It seems like nearly every day there is a post on here regarding cage sizing for ball pythons. I have often, if not always, recommended nothing less than a 40 gallon breeder or roughly 36" x 18" (floor dimensions) for an adult ball python. I understand as well as many on this board that certainly, one size does not fit all. While I have personally not experienced it, there are cases of extremely finicky eaters and animals that simply do poorly outside a "smaller than recommended" enclosure even if husbandry conditions were otherwise ideal. That said, I would wager that 98% of captive ball pythons can be acclimated and thrive in larger enclosures. Zoological institutions have managed this for years and some instances note improved muscle tone alongside other benefits.

To be sure, when raising baby or younger ball pythons, it would be hard to argue a properly setup tub enclosure is not the way to go. Tubs are cheap, easy to clean, and make observation for any issues extremely simple. Also, they can be upgraded rather easily and inexpensively. This post is mainly tailored towards adult ball python enclosures or "final" enclosure sizes for newcomers needing enclosure advice and those who are focused on keeping ball pythons mainly as pets and not those creating a large scale breeding operation. I realize with large breeding operation in a home, it may not be practical to use such caging sizes unless you have a separate operation along the lines of big breeders like Starpythons.

As a starting point, I make the suggestion of a 40 gallon breeder or better yet, a T-8/T-10 equivalent enclosure (48" x 24") based on practicality and available floor space. In my experience, when dealing with adult ball pythons, one requires a reasonably large hide in order to accommodate an adult animal. As an example, I extensively use an recommend these generic hide boxes designed for snakes and other reptiles. I find the large size hide near ideally suitable for adult snakes less than approximately 2000g. For snakes 2000g+, I use the x-large hides, which are roughly 16" x 11". Using these hides as a benchmark, if one were to use the often suggested 20 gallon tank or CB-70 tub, you would be unable to fit either of these hides into a 20 gallon long and 2 large hides just barely into the CB-70, with the x-large hide being impractical. However, if you were to attempt to place two of these hides into a CB-70 without a water dish, you would be taking up 54% of your available floor space, leaving maybe 18" for a water dish and space to roam. With CB-70 tubs being only 6" tall, there really isn't room for snakes to prowl on top of these hides. Now, to be sure, you could use hide of different proportions, but ball pythons are relatively thick snakes for their size and take up a substantial amount of volume, meaning you have to make sacrifices one way or another. In rack systems, you can "cheat" to some degree as the rack operates as something of a defacto hide for the entire enclosure, but you see the point I am making.

Secondly, when doing some research regarding Tokay gecko enclosure sizes, I came across a post or advice from a German herpetologist who noted that (and I paraphrase here):

"The internet in dominated by US philosophies on reptile keeping, which has a tendency to be very cheap in regards to enclosure sizes, which I cannot endorse. Most reptiles can survive decades, reproduce, and be perfectly healthy in smaller caging. However, they do not show their full behavior and something is lost from the natural tenancies of the reptile when confined to smaller quarters. I believe you will find most German herpetologists you might ask would agree to these assertions. You can follow whichever philosophies you so wish when considering reptile husbandry, but after 40+ years as both a biologist and a herper, these are my thoughts."

Continuing along this train of thought, in 1997 in Germany, an official guideline was published regarding reptile caging for keepers. The committee was made up of zoological institutions, animal rights individuals (gasp), and private herpers. The official guideline can be found here if you so wish to peruse it, as it has guidelines for most reptile species:

http://www.bmel.de/cae/servlet/conte...gReptilien.pdf (Disclaimer, its in German)

For those who do not wish to scroll through the document, there is a section with tables where python enclosure sizes are discussed (page 30). For specimens under 2.5 meters (read all ball pythons), recommended enclosure dimensions are 1.0 x 0.5 x 0.75 multiplied by the length of the snake. For example, if you have a 4-foot snake (roughly the average size of a ball python), your enclosure should be: 4 ft x 2 ft x 3 ft. If you have a 3-foot snake, your enclosure would be 36" x 18" x 27". Now I grant you that height is fairly debatable for terrestrial species, but I believe the floor space is worthy of serious consideration. It also nicely corresponds to what people are using from Animal Plastics and Constrictors NW caging. I can attest using a 48" x 24" gives you a decent amount of space to place two hides and water dish while leaving space for your snake to move about. You do not have to use these exact dimensions from the guideline as after all, not everyone is from Germany, but if what you are providing is much smaller than the guideline, you may wish to reconsider. I personally have redone several habitats which I felt were not providing adequate space for other species using this document as a guide.

This is not an attempt to bully those who are using smaller enclosures nor a brag, but a hopeful post for your consideration. Not only do I think it provides great dividends for your snake and for your own viewing pleasure and satisfaction, I believe it elevates the hobby as a whole in the eyes of, let us call them, "non-snake people" who might otherwise disparage the hobby.